Our daily round-up of news from the art world
EU Abandons Plan to Ban Cadmium Paint | The European Union has abandoned its plans to ban cadmium paint pigment after they provoked outrage from the artistic community and beyond, reports The Art Newspaper. The reasoning behind the mooted ban is that cadmium in its pure form is highly toxic, though the paints themselves are not believed to be harmful. Many will no doubt see the EU U-turn as a victory for common sense.
Artists Denounce Right-Wing Violence in India | More than 300 artists from around the world have signed a petition denouncing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reported lack of action to stop right wing attacks on minorities. According to the petition, the incumbent government’s inaction is tantamount to ‘encouraging’ the attacks. It is heartening to see the art world take a stand: whether it will have any effect on the violence is another matter entirely.
Carnegie Building in East London Becomes Public Art Space | At long last, good news for London-based artists. In keeping with the sentiments London mayor Boris Johnson expressed earlier this week, Old Manor Park Library in Newham is to become a public art space, reports Wallpaper. For the past three years, this Grade II-listed Carnegie building has sat unused. It is now hoped that the project will help London to reverse what many see as a creative flight from the city.
Nottingham Contemporary Announces New Director | Nottingham Contemporary gallery has appointed Tate St Ives’s Sam Thorne as its new director. Given that current director Alex Farquharson is departing to take over Tate Britain from Penelope Curtis, Thorne will have some illustrious shoes to fill.
Sydney Biennale Announces Line-up | It’s all systems go Down Under. Seventy-one artists have been announced for the line-up of the 2016 Sydney Biennale, the event’s 20th edition. Among the illustrious figures named are Oscar Murillo, Camille Henrot, Dayanita Singh and Melik Ohanian, who was announced as the winner of this year’s Marcel Duchamp Prize earlier this week.
Bosch Paintings Return to Artist’s Birthplace for Exhibition | A heartening story from Holland: 20 Hieronymus Bosch paintings from collections across the globe are to travel to the town of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, where the artist was born. The large-scale loan is for an exhibition marking 500 years since Bosch’s death, at the Noordbrabants Museum, a small establishment not known for its blockbusters.