knut, siku, human zoos & sculptures

Knut, 2007

Siku, 2011

Knut proponents are riled up about Siku at the Scandinavian Wildlife Park, Denmark. Siku is cute, but it's not Knut. ('The new knut' whose mother had not enough milk is not really an orphan.) Knut fans are mustering a memorial tribute with voting until January 8, 2012 on 42 entries: Pick a knut memorial sculpture. Be prepared, some of the submissions are underwhelming.

Footballer turned curator.  Lilian Thuram's 'Human Zoos: The Invention of the Savage' --- "traces the history behind circuses, stage shows and 'zoos' in which people were the exhibits, dating it back to 1492 when Christopher Columbus displayed six 'Indians' at the Spanish royal court" (Daily Mail article). The exhibition is at Paris' Quai Branly, France, from Tuesday 29th November to Sunday 3th June 2012.
See more, including a video and the museum's website. Following his retirement in 2008, he established the Lilian Thurman Foundation.

In politics, Thuram made headlines during the 2007 French elections by calling out the institutionalized racism of Nicolas Sarkozy. (Article: France World Cup player Lilian Thuram now fights racism, November 11, 2009.)

Speaking of, there was a nazi encounter with swastikas and death threats on Christmas Eve for a biracial couple in Newmarket, Ontario. The man, from Nigeria ('nigger'), and the white woman ('whore'), are considering moving. The couple has already spent $6000 repairing damages. It isn't the first time.

An Occupy sculpture was hauled away from an encampment in Calgary, Alberta.

You can sign the Petition: Keep the “Heart of the Beast” sculpture as a permanent part of Olympic Plaza.

Ai WeiWei, Franke James & political climates

“Who was the idiot who approved an art show by that woman, Franke James?”
Memorable words from one of Canada’s top officials on hearing that the Canadian Embassy in Croatia had offered support for Franke’s art show.

Ai WeiWei is a Chinese artist, who is now out of jail ("suspected economic crimes") and under house arrest, without his passport. He was offered a teaching position at Berlin University for the Arts, so even if he wants that assignment, at the moment he cannot leave the country.

http://forestgospel.blogspot.com/2011/02/ai-weiwei.html

Franke James is an artist, who had her funding for a trip to Croatia revoked by the Canadian government. Incidentally, the (drowning polar bear) guy is suspended and, who knows, maybe he is an hostage in a US debt ceiling agreement deal; Charles Monnett is under investigation about melting Arctic ice. Another taboo is the genomic analysis of sockeye salmon. Kristi Miller, a federal scientist, is not allowed to talk to anyone, as per the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans ("some even suggesting a government conspiracy to save itself some embarrassment should its trade practices prove to be spreading it") or, the geologist and the most controversial 13,000 year-old flood.

Franke James: The Canadian Government, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party, is actively working to shut down my solo European art exhibition, which is set to tour 20 cities in Europe. The government’s interference includes phoning the corporate sponsor, and persuading them to cancel their $75,000 sponsorship.

http://www.frankejames.com/debate/?p=111