The end of 2020 is finally in sight. As soon as our calendars started displaying December, most of us couldn’t be helped but be distracted away from art world chores and towards preparing for the festive season. So, if you decided those emails could wait until after you finished putting up your tree, don’t worry! We’re here to catch you up with everything you missed.
ART
Marina Abramovic Wants Us To Complain To Trees
Yep, really. In a new documentary debuting on Sky Arts on December 5, Marina Abramovic is endorsing exercises designed to help us heal from trauma, including communicating with trees. Apparently, being unable to talk makes them excellent listeners, and they are the best people (?) to whom we can complain. Watch her speaking about it in this film from The Art Newspaper here.
That Monolith Makes The News Again
Do you remember the silvery monolith that appeared in Utah last week? Well, it’s disappeared! Shortly after, a similar structure landed in Romania, and now it’s gone AWOL again? Where might it appear next?!
The Museum Of London Wants To Know About Your Dreams
Have you been having extra intense dreams this year? Apparently, a lot of us have. Guardians of Sleep is a project in collaboration between the Museum of London and Canada’s Museum of Dreams that is working to compile the dreams of Londoners during the coronavirus pandemic. The research project will launch in February 2021 and we’re excited to see the results.
Elizabeth Neel Virtual Booth Opens At Art Basel OVR
Art Basel Miami Beach has opened via the OVR platform, and one of the most exciting presentations comes courtesy of Pilar Corrias, who are presenting new works by Elizabeth Neel. Neel’s paintings and sculptures blur relationships between architecture and the body, memory and action. Read more about it here.
FASHION
Colette Documentary Launches Soon
We all shed a tear when iconic Paris store Colette closed in 2017, but were hugely excited when news broke that it would be the subject of a documentary. Not only will it launch on December 20, but there will also be one final product release in collaboration with Thom Browne, Lego AND YSL. The merch is set to drop via High Snobiety on December 14.
Adidas And Prada Collab On Sneakers
Possibly the most stylish sneaker out there, Prada’s Luna Rossa and Adidas have launched the A+P LUNA ROSSA 21. The shoe was designed with sustainability in mind, using high-performance recycled materials and will be worn by the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team.
Balenciaga Launches Clothes Inspired By Our Favourite Pets
How many of us feel like we were saved in lockdown, thanks to our pets? Balenciaga has just released pink tees covered in puppies and kittens, and we’re completely obsessed! The I LOVE PETS capsule is for a good cause too, with profits going to La Societe Protectrice des Animaux, a French animal protection charity. Get your fix here!
MARKET
Art Basel Miami Beach Launches Online
It’s December, and that usually means Art Basel Miami Beach, but not in 2020. Art girls have swapped their glad rags for a seat in front of their laptops. Catch all the viewing rooms online here until December 6.
Greenhouse Auctions Is The New Platform Promoting Diversity
We’re excited to announce the launch of Greenhouse Auctions, a new online platform especially designed to promote diversity within the art world. The inaugural sale – Sourdough – is made up of work created during lockdown by artists. The platform is donating seller fees to support a scholarship fund benefiting students in Historically Black Colleges in the US via the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
New York Academy of Art’s ‘Deck the Walls’ Holiday Sale Goes Live
New York Academy of Art’s annual holiday art sale, Deck the Walls, launches this Sunday, December 6 at 6pm running through December 8. The sale will feature over 300 small works by Academy students and alumni which are listed anonymously and priced by size between $200 and $500. 25-50% of the proceeds of each sale go directly to the student artist donating the artwork. These works are the perfect stocking stuffers, so get shopping art girls!
Text Lizzy Vartanian