Weekly review for week 29

Welcome to our first weekly review!

What art news and articles occupied us this week, or which particularly caught our attention? What were the most important topics? What perhaps stirred up the most heated debates? Here you can find our very personal weekly review:

Art market & art trade: Collectors smuggle their artworks out of the country

We have previously reported on the Cultural Heritage Protection Act . Its introduction is now showing an unintended consequence. Significantly more art was sold abroad as early as 2015. And it is suspected that even greater value was smuggled across borders.

Following the approval of the Cultural Heritage Protection Act by the Federal Council, German collectors, gallery owners, auction houses, and museums fear for Germany's position as an art center, as reported by "Die Welt" in an article. "The law is creating a new bureaucratic monster," criticized Robert Ketterer, owner and managing director of the Ketterer Kunst auction house in Munich.

To meet these requirements, hundreds, if not thousands, of new civil service positions would have to be created in Germany. This regulation is a testament to populism and a supposedly outdated authoritarian mindset.

Specifically, the amendment to the law stipulates, among other things, that pictures and paintings that are older than 75 years and have a value of at least 300,000 euros may no longer leave Germany without an export license.

You can find the full article here: The World: Collectors smuggle their artworks out of the country

Art 2.0: Into the future with artificial intelligence

Berlin-based painter Roman Lipski has a new partner called “AIR: Artificial Intelligence Roman ,” reported ARTE's online edition. For months, the machine was trained with data from Lipski's paintings and now uses an algorithm to create its own artworks. The artificial intelligence is not intended to replace the painter, but rather to serve as his source of inspiration. Leonie Kathmann visited Roman Lipski and took a look at the future of painting.

You can find the full article here: ARTE: Art 2.0: Into the future with artificial intelligence

Photo editing: The Russian photo app Prisma transforms photos into works of art

This week, one app in particular made headlines in the field of photo editing: the art filter app Prisma . The hype surrounding this innovative mobile photo application was reported by, among others, the online magazine futurezone .

Prisma's standout feature – or so users are promised – is that smartphone photos can be transformed into works of art in no time, without the hassle of using editing filters and effects from apps like Enlight, Photoshop, or Instagram's built-in tools. The nearly 40 available filters are inspired by the work of painters such as Roy Lichtenstein and Edvard Munch.

However, the developers grant themselves extensive rights regarding Privacy . Futurezone has taken a closer look at the app.

You can find the full article here: futurezone: The Russian photo app Prisma transforms photos into works of art

Our project of the week: Ai Weiwei and his artwork made from life jackets

The Chinese and regime-critical artist Ai Weiwei once again visualizes the refugee issue in his art. For example, flotsam and jetsam from rescued refugees and a Chinese temple are the centerpiece of the exhibition “translocation – transformation” in Vienna.

From a distance, the 1,005 used life jackets left behind by refugees on Greek beaches look like stylized water lilies. The politically and socially engaged artist has arranged them on a total of 201 floating rings in the park of Vienna's Belvedere Palace – in the shape of a large "F". With this image, intended to express the despair of those affected, the Chinese conceptual artist pleads for greater humanity. "This tells us so much About us our time," he explained at the opening of the exhibition "translocation – transformation" in Vienna.

You can find the full article here: Deutsche Welle: Ai Weiwei – artwork made from life jackets

Our online platform of the week: ARTvergnuegen

ARTvergnuegen 's online presence takes its visitors on a journey of discovery to exclusive artworks and limited special editions. The platform's self-proclaimed mission is to connect art fans, enthusiasts, and collectors with artists and deliver art directly to their living rooms. In this respect, it is very similar to Kunstplaza .

ARTvergnuegen's customer promise primarily includes uniqueness, individuality and personality, and it is evident that the creators radiate joy in rediscovering art.

The art portal brings together a diverse range of artists under its umbrella – they come from the world's bustling metropolises or work in secluded locations; some possess outstanding academic training, others have developed their talent autodidactically; some are seasoned veterans of the art world , others are absolute newcomers. They all live for art.

Artists can apply here .

Learn more about the art portal here: ARTvergnuegen – Exclusive artworks & limited special editions

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and Managing Director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor, and passionate blogger in the fields of art, design, and creativity since 2011. Graduated with a degree in web design from university (2008). Further developed creative techniques through courses in freehand drawing, expressive painting, and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market gained through years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with key players and institutions in the arts and culture sector.

www.kunstplaza.de