A lot went down last week in the weird and wild world of Art. Some things were more scandalous than others, some were just plain wacky—but all of them are worth knowing about. Without further ado: + Archeologists found a lost ancient residential city in Egypt dating back to 5316 BCE. [Egypt Independent]+ Madonna had a good time at Art Week Miami. During an event on Friday, the singer covered Britney Spears’s "Toxic," twerked with Ariana Grande and raised $7.5 million with ex-husband Sean Penn. [Rolling Stone]
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+ A warehouse art space in Oakland, CA went up in flames on Friday during an electronic dance party claiming the lives of at least 33 people. [CNN]+ The New York Times released a 360 video of Standing Rock protesters celebrating the decision to halt the proposed oil pipeline in North Dakota. [The New York Times]+ Ai Weiwei endorsed the ‘Write for Rights’ campaign petitioning Obama to pardon Edward Snowden. [Amnesty International]
+ One of Jeff Koons’ balloon dog sculptures fell over and shattered at Design Miami. Whoops. [Observer]+ Art history classes in England will not lose funding, as was reported. [BBC]+ Russia’s Hermitage museum faced criticism from animal rights activist over the roadkill used in a recent Fabre exhibition. [Reuters]+ The motion to open a Smithsonian Institution for Latino Art is gaining momentum. [The Art Newspaper]
+ Protesters called for the removal of artwork by Zwelethu Mthethwa from the Iziko South African National Gallery on account of the photographer’s ongoing trial for the murder of a 23-year-old sex worker named Nokuphila Moudy Kumalo. [The Citizen]
+ A public sculpture in Shanghai was removed after English artist Wendy Taylor accused the artwork’s creator of plagiarism. [The Telegraph]+ During Art Week Miami, Kendrick Lamar performed with Shantell Martin. [Billboard]+ Putin made a promise to cease censorship of the arts during a meeting with Russian film directors and artists. [The New York Times]
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