Hayward Gallery exhibition opening delayed after artwork catches fire

Hayward Gallery exhibition opening delayed after artwork catches fire A small fire broke out just hours before the opening of the South Korean sculpture and installation artist Lee Bul‘s solo exhibition. It occurred due to a technical problem with the deinstallation of Bul’s Majestic Splendor, a sculpture made from a sequined fish, the chemical potassium permanganate and a mylar bag.

A spokesperson for the gallery told artnet News that “during an incident yesterday, an artwork caught fire in a contained space within the Hayward Gallery which required attendance from the fire brigade. Superficial damage was sustained in a confined section of Gallery 1.” The gallery remained closed on 31 May.

The Hayward Gallery is celebrating its 50th year, with Bul’s exhibition set to continue until 19 August.

Staff stage protest outside MoMA’s Party in the Garden As New York’s Museum of Modern Art hosted its annual gala fundraiser Party in the Garden, its employees – members of the employee union MoMA Local 2110 – invited guests and art supporters to stop by their Party in the Pavement outside. Twitter coverage of the #WeAreMoMA protest showed banners stating ‘Modern Art, Ancient Wages’, referring to proposed changes to staff contracts that UAW Local 2110 say will impact salary raises, healthcare costs and overtime pay.

Royal Academy marks 250th anniversary of annual Summer Exhibition with free to access digital publication Published by the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition: A Chronicle, 1769–2018 brings together artwork, stories, and other info spanning 250 years of the exhibition’s history. The extensive publication includes year-by-year essays examining key artists, artworks, and events from each exhibition, plus complete catalogues chronicling the history of the annual event from 1769 to the present day.

Also featured are contributions from artists, critics, curators, and art historians exploring some of Britain’s most renowned artists, including anecdotes, gossip and press criticism.

Artists announced for New Geographies commissions Following an international open call, Maria Anastassiou, David Blandy, Cooking Sections, Ian Giles, Krijn de Koning, Taylor Le Melle & Zadie Xa, susan pui san lok, Studio Morison, Stuart Whipps and Laura Wilson have been awarded site-responsive commissions as part of East Contemporary Visual Arts Network (ECVAN)’s New Geographies project to create new maps of ‘unexplored or overlooked places’ in the East of England.

Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Bonhams vow to close gender pay gap Auction houses respond to government report that found women who work at such institutions in the UK make less money and serve in less leadership roles than men. Women employees at Bonhams make 37% less than men, whilst at Christie’s they make 25% less and at Sotheby’s 22% less.

Lucinda Bredin, Bonhams’s global director of communications, told the Art Newspaper: “We fully recognise that we have work to do to address this issue, which is a reflection of the fact that Bonhams has more men than women in the senior, more highly remunerated roles.”

Images:
1. Installation view of Lee Bul, Willing To Be Vulnerable – Metalized Balloon, 2015-2016 at Hayward Gallery, 2018 © Lee Bul 2018. Photo: Linda Nylind
2. El Anatsui, TSIATSIA – searching for connection, installed on the facade of Burlington House on the occasion of the 245th Summer Exhibition, 2013. Collection of El Anatsui

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