The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' returns with three major stories. Ben Luke hosts a discussion with Ben Sutton, the publication's editor-in-chief in the Americas, about the Trump administration's announced comprehensive internal review of eight Smithsonian museums and artist Amy Sherald's cancellation of a long-scheduled exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, citing censorship and institutional fear. The episode also covers Frieze Seoul 2024, the season's first major art fair, with correspondent Lisa Movius reporting from the South Korean capital amid political turmoil. The Work of the Week segment features Dara Birnbaum's landmark video artwork 'Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman (1978-79)', part of a new exhibition 'The Quantum Effect' at the San Marco Art Centre in Venice, curated by Daniel Birnbaum and Jacqui Davies with physicist Ulf Danielsson.
This episode matters because it captures a pivotal moment of tension between the US government and cultural institutions, with Sherald's protest potentially signaling a broader art-world response to political interference. It also provides timely coverage of the shifting dynamics at Frieze Seoul following political upheaval, and highlights the continued relevance of early video art through a new exhibition that bridges contemporary art and quantum theory. The podcast serves as a barometer for key issues facing museums, fairs, and artists in the current climate.