Lost LegacyWhy Fixating on Women’s Bodies Hurts the Legacy of Art After Lizzo’s body was the subject of conversation as she played James Madison’s flute, Madonna’s face is the newest topic of discussion. It undermines the existence of women in the canon of art. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Magnum NopusIndian Filmmakers’ Bid to Churn Magnum Opuses Is Rooted in Hypermasculinity The desire to leave the biggest, grandest legacy is rooted in masculine individualism, and hurts storytelling. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Artificial CultureWhy AI Art Makes the Internet — And Art — Less Authentic “...the question arises as to whether this is 'creativity' or the mere appearance of creativity masking unethical technical and artistic practices." By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Consuming the ConsumersHow Streaming Turned Art into Content, and People into Consumers Streaming failed in its promise, leaving consumers with less agency, ownership, and power over the media they engage with. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
That Cakey SmileThe ‘Mona Lisa’ Was Smeared With Cake As a Mark of Protest This isn’t the first time that art, and the "Mona Lisa" in particular, has been a subject of socio-political ire. By Saumya Kalia
Nature and NurturePrehistoric Humans May Have Used Firelight to ‘Animate’ Art "The interaction of engraved stone and roving fire light made engraved forms appear dynamic and alive." By Rohitha Naraharisetty
Not Lost In TranslationSally Rooney Boycotts An Israeli Publisher for Translation. What Does It Mean When Artists Take a Stand? The move has received much polarization, but it revives the debate on the impact artists can have when their art meets politics. By Rohitha Naraharisetty
All the World's a StageHow Performing Arts Like Theater, Folk Dance Survived the Pandemic "Artists who were financially more secure...actually found this a good time to practice, think, ruminate, conceptualize and learn something new. But the artists who couldn't afford a break...have been devastated." By Saumya Kalia
The Politics of PerformanceTell Me More: Talking Caste Dynamics in Bharatanatyam With Nrithya Pillai "The only purpose of using terms like devadasi is to induce trauma and keep women from courtesan castes away from discourse on the performing arts." By Aditi Murti
After 30 Years‘The Simpsons’ Actor Who Voiced Apu Apologizes to Indians for Stereotypical Portrayal The show was founded on good intentions, Hank Azaria said, but it contributed to the “structural racism” in the U.S. By Saumya Kalia
The Extreme End of Not GoodAn Artist Photoshopped Smiles on Genocide Victims. When Do Attempts at Art Become Insults? The photographer says he wanted to "humanize" the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime, but many call his work an affront to the dead. By Aditi Murti
You Can FailCan We Move On: From the Trope of the Feisty Small Town Girl Obsessed With Upward Mobility Though depictions of a small-town girl's dreams represent feminist progress, she is never given the ability to fail or appear vulnerable. By Aditi Murti
Is The Price Really RightFrom Cat Memes to LeBron James’s Dunks, NFT Art Is Selling At Record Prices. But What Is It? Non-fungible tokens, mostly bought with cryptocurrency, are making waves in the art establishment. By Saumya Kalia
Cracking Glossy VeneersTell Me More: Talking Dissent And Hope In India’s Art World With Meenakshi Thirukode "It gives me hope that there is a generation that's not going to just be like business as usual." By Aditi Murti
The Journey HomeCanada Returns a Statue Stolen from Varanasi 100+ Years Ago "Repatriating this statue does not atone for the wrong that was done a century ago, but it is an appropriate and important act today." By Devrupa Rakshit
Decolonizing MuseumsDutch Museums Promise to Return 100,000 Items Looted From Former Colonies “If it doesn’t belong to you then you must return it.” By Rajvi Desai
portraits of digital intimacyHow a Rap Duo Found New Ways to Engage With Their Audience Under Lockdown Rap duo Cartel Madras rethought ways of engaging with their audience during lockdown, through music and activism. By The Swaddle Team
Set The Verse FreePoetry Has The Power to Move Us, So Why Is It Still Taught In Such a Boring Way? Poetry's power can move us, and yet we learn poetry by analyzing it like prose, rather than emotionally engaging with it as art. By Aditi Murti