Sarah Morris
Slick and fashionable abstract artwork that captures the soul of our time – or the loss of one.
• White Cube Bermondsey, London, till 30 June
Cory Arcangel
A survey of the remarkable and witty virtual artist whose materials range from antique computer games to cat videos.
• Firstsite, Colchester, until 7 July
Georg Baselitz
Prints using this modern German artist whose picture eye is prompted by his collection of Renaissance woodcuts.
• Alan Cristea Gallery, London, 16 May-22 June
Ancient Textiles from the Andes
Precious masterpieces that capture lifestyles in South America earlier than the Spanish conquests.
• Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, until 15 September
A masterpiece of the week
Perseus turned Phineas and his Followers to Stone using Luca Giordano (c 1680)
The tale of Perseus and Medusa has inspired some of Europe’s most remarkable mythological artwork. In this ancient Greek legend, the hero Perseus has to kill the snake-headed Medusa, a Gorgon whose very glance can flip you to stone. Benvenuto Cellini created a darkly sensual statue of Perseus retaining Medusa’s severed head; Caravaggio painted the bloody reptilian head frozen by using its reflection – so by the time Luca Giordano was given around to the situation a whole lot later, inside the 1680s, he needed to upload a brand new twist. He indicates Perseus using the pinnacle of Medusa to kill his enemies, keeping his eyes avoided as he exposes its deadly stare. Their bodies change from living flesh to useless stone earlier than our eyes. This massive, luxuriant painting of a dinner party long gone wrong is designed to grasp in a luxurious palace. Imagine seeing this simultaneously as you sip your wine at a celebration. It warns of unexpected demise amid lots.
Barca Nostra through Christoph Büchel
The wreck of a fishing boat that sank in the Mediterranean in 2015, killing at least seven hundred migrants stuffed aboard, is transported into Venice for its art Biennale. The spoil will form part of a setup via Swiss-Icelandic artist Christoph Büchel. What we found out: Sign up for the Art Weekly email
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- We were given a sneak height of Cathy Wilkes’s British pavilion at the Venice Biennale
- … and spoke to Turner-winner Charlotte Prodger, who is representing Scotland
- … and sculptor Eva Rothschild, representing Ireland
- Ghana’s pavilion will shake up the ‘sea of whiteness.’
- … and beyond artists told us approximately their Venice memories
- Tony Costa has received the 2019 Archibald prize for portraiture
- Poland was given in a stew over a rainbow Virgin
- Co-housing has come to stay in Marmalade Lane
- We peered within the mind of illustrator Jan Pieńkowski
- Tamara Dean won the Moran Modern Photographic Prize
- A (very famous) artist thanked a critic for his review
- The Beggarstaffs had been masters of graphic art
- Cycle-mad Belgium has an artwork trail you can observe on wheels
- Tech bosses have become figures of fantasy
- Sydney is an artwork deco treasure trove
- Augusta Savage changed into a trailblazer of African American arts
- Esther Teichmann creates a surreal seaweed world
- Bob Colacello mingled with celebrities
- We saw a tube driving force’s view of the East End
- Tate plans to surprise Britain with Aubrey Beardsley’s erotica
- We remembered the artist Graham Arnold
