Leigh chosen for Biennale
Simone Leigh is renowned for creating artworks that transcend race and gender to celebrate Black women and give them a voice. Now she’s sculpting her way into history.
She’ll be the first Black woman ever to represent the U.S. at the prestigious Venice Biennale arts festival, the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art said Wednesday.
Leigh, who lives in New York City and gives interviews infrequently, declined to comment — but it’s clear that the national reckoning with racial injustice has been on her mind.
“I’m so looking forward to a respite from this climate we are living through,” she said in a recent Instagram post.
The Chicago native is creating a new series of sculptures for the U.S. pavilion at the 59th Biennale to be held in 2022, said the Boston museum, which is organizing a major exhibition of Leigh’s work to be displayed in 2023.
Leigh originally was to appear at next year’s Biennale, but the coronavirus pandemic prompted organizers to delay the 2021 edition by a year, Institute of Contemporary Art spokesperson Margaux Leonard told The Associated Press.
Founded in 1895, the every-other-year Biennale has become a leading venue for artists worldwide to call attention to war, racism, poverty, human trafficking and other issues preoccupying the planet.
Eva Respini, the ICA’S chief curator, said Leigh’s sculptures for the Biennale will highlight Black feminist thought, include works inspired by leading Black intellectuals and serve as “a beacon in our moment.”
Leigh, 53, is known for
edgy, bold forms that draw from themes in African art. “Brick House,” her towering 16-foot-tallbronze bust of a Black woman with braids, is currently installed on Manhattan’s elevated High Line greenway.
—Associated Press
Rapper Lil Uzi Vert detained by cops
Lil Uzi Vert had a late-night brush with police Tuesday after an alleged street-level paintball war in Philadelphia ended with citations and the seizure of seven guns.
The “Over Your Head” rapper and his friends shared details of the paintball battle on their Instagram stories, with some even posting video of police detaining three men in the group.
Asked about the incident Wednesday, a police spokeswoman said officers responded to 1900 West Girard Ave. around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a “person with a gun.”
“Upon their arrival, they observed males shooting paintball guns on the highway and at cars. Police recovered seven paintball guns, tanks, and
(a) mask. The males were issued citations,” Officer Tanya Little told the Daily News in an e-mail.
The Instagram crime blog 911philly_ posted a lengthy clip of the three men walking and standing in wrist restraints as cops investigated the scene.
“@liluzivert and a few other men detained for reportedly shooting paintballs from a moving vehicle. Sources state he was on IG Live during the whole event,” the caption to the video posted by 911philly_ said.
A different video posted by one of the rapper’s pals showed a paintball gun aimed out the window of a moving vehicle while a nearby car appeared covered in paint splatters.
—New York Daily News
Golden Globes group gives $5.1M in grants
Some of entertainment’s biggest names, from Nicole Kidman to John David Washington, shared encouraging words for aspiring young creators whose organizations were collectively granted millions by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
More than $5.1 million in funds was given to over 70 nonprofit organizations during the “HFPA Philanthropy: Empowering the Next Generation” virtual event on Tuesday. The event, formerly
known as the Grants Banquet, celebrated some of the organizations with aspiring artists, filmmakers and storytellers.
“Self-expression is one of the most important ways we can connect and grow as human beings, particularly for young people,” said Washington, the star of “Tenet.” “It is an instrumental part of how we view ourselves as we learn to navigate the world. For those in communities that have suffered from historic lack of representation, this is even more critical.”
Mary J. Blige, Millie Bobby Brown, Billie Eilish, Anna Kendrick, Method Man and others were among the entertainers who appeared to discuss the charities that benefit from HFPA grants. The organization is known for putting on the Golden Globes.
Each celebrity presenter spoke for a couple minutes during the hour-long ceremony, which was hosted by James Corden. The ceremony also included a performance by Jennifer Hudson, who sang her soulful “Burden Down.”