Erased Identities, Rising Art Capitals
Today's Stories
- Major Contemporary Art Center Planned in Manila—and a Rundown of the Latest in Asia’s Art World — Artnet News
- British Museum Removed the Word ‘Palestinian’ from Some Displays Amid Pressure from Pro-Israel Group — ARTnews.com
- Henrike Naumann, Sculptor Who Exhumed East Germany’s Troubled Past, Dies at 41 — ARTnews.com
Full Transcript
It is Monday, February sixteenth, two thousand twenty-six. Let’s dive in.
Artnet News reports that a major contemporary art center is planned in Manila, and it places that news inside a broader rundown of recent developments across Asia’s art world. The piece also rounds up recent fairs in Qatar, India, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and it notes activity around Art Basel Hong Kong—including that Zero 10 will make its Art Basel Hong Kong debut. In other words, the Manila plan is presented as part of a wider set of market and institutional signals across the region, rather than as a standalone announcement. The overall picture Artnet draws is of expanding infrastructure and increasing visibility for events and galleries operating across multiple Asian hubs, with Manila now appearing in that same conversation alongside major fair circuits and international debuts.
Across to London, ARTnews reports that the British Museum removed the word “Palestinian” from some displays amid pressure from a pro-Israel group. The article identifies that group as United Kingdom Lawyers for Israel. According to ARTnews, the museum has said that its decision to change the wording on labels came before it received a letter from the group, but the reporting focuses on the fact that the word was removed from some displays and that the change occurred in a context of outside pressure. ARTnews frames the episode around how highly charged terminology can be in museum interpretation and how label language can become a flashpoint. The reporting centers on what was altered—specifically the removal of “Palestinian”—and the museum’s stated timeline in response to questions about the change.
Staying with ARTnews, the outlet reports that Henrike Naumann, described as a sculptor who exhumed East Germany’s troubled past, has died at 41. ARTnews notes that Naumann and Sung Tieu were set to represent Germany at the Venice Biennale. The article characterizes Naumann’s work through the lens of her engagement with East Germany’s legacy, emphasizing how her practice revisited that history and its unresolved impact. Her death, ARTnews reports, comes at a moment when she had been named in connection with Germany’s presentation in Venice. The piece is an obituary-style account that situates her as an artist recognized for confronting the “troubled past” of East Germany and notes the significance of her planned role alongside Sung Tieu at the Biennale.
That’s it for today’s Download—links to everything are in the show notes, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.