Morning link March 3, 2026

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Money is where your mouth is. on Monday, federation of european science academies A four-year program called “Re:Create Europe” with a budget of €1,761,000 ($2,044,750) has reportedly been announced to address “growing pressures on artistic freedom and cultural autonomy across Europe.” national newspaper. “Artists and cultural professionals increasingly work under conditions of war and aggression, political instrumentalization, economic instability, ecological collapse and shrinking civic space,” the alliance said. According to a press release, the EU has pledged 60% of funding for the project, which focuses on providing financial assistance to 10 art spaces and projects, including artists under scrutiny, through “mobility programmes, blended learning formats, on-site residencies, digital mapping and international conferences.” this Art Cycle (CBA) Madrid will reportedly receive about 320,000 euros ($371,561) from a new program to replace heavily cut funding from the city’s local government, a move that some suspect is politically motivated.

Iranian artist in trouble. Iranian artists abroad reportedly torn between joy and terrible anxiety Le Monde. Many described jubilation at the prospect of regime change in Iran while also worrying about the rising civilian death toll since U.S. and Israeli attacks on the country. “Being Iranian at this time means living in perpetual contradiction,” says experimental musician Sarah Bigdley, Who lives in Paris. “There is a real fear for human life, but also an almost guilty hope,” said the exiled Iranian, who joins other visual and performing artists and gallerists to discuss the ongoing war. “Despite the danger, many see this crisis as a possibility that could represent an escape from decades of violence and suffocation,” added Bigdry.

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The U.S. Supreme Court has said it will not hear a case over whether artificial intelligence art can receive copyright protection. Monday’s announcement ends years of exploration by computer scientists Stephen Thaler Get federal copyright protection for artwork produced by his artificial intelligence system “DABUS.” (Art News)

Nicholas R. Bell Will lead Canada’s most visited museum Royal Ontario Museumafter leaving Joshua Baseches. Bell’s current CEO Glenborg Museum He has launched a major renovation project in Calgary, Alberta, which is expected to be completed in 2027. (“Globe and Mail”)

ahead of time this year TEFAF Maastricht The fair is largely themed around ancient art and exhibitors are grappling with a raft of red tape since the EU legislation was implemented. 2019/880. The stricter rules are intended to curb the sale of stolen or looted antiquities used to fund terrorism, but many dealers say they are unnecessarily disproportionate despite the approval of its broader goals. (Financial Times)

Feiq AhmedBorn in Sumgait, Azerbaijan, now living in the capital Baku, he will represent his motherland at the 2026 Venice Biennale. Ahmed is known for his surrealist weaving works and his Venice exhibition will be presented by Gwendolyn Coraçoh. (Art Forum)

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Tech bros bring Burning Man art to San Francisco. If San Francisco’s new public art looks like it borrowed a page from Burning Manthis is no coincidence. as Fritz’s Moses Hubbard tells us that a man named big art cycleprivately funded by tech moguls Sid SibrandiIts eponymous foundation is installing up to 100 large-scale artworks around San Francisco, most of which so far were originally designed for Burning Man, an annual festival that, as Hubbard puts it, “has become the go-to place for Silicon Valley elites to raise venture capital while getting high on psychedelics.” But it raises some pressing questions. Sculptures in the Grand Art Cycle circumvent the publicly funded art review process, giving the Westbrandi Foundation enormous influence over curatorial outcomes. This has translated into 18 artworks installed in the city to date, mostly in the “burner spirit”, often aiming for spectacle, scale and quick reading. “As with most sculptures made for Burning Man, the ultimate litmus test is their ability to make you stop and say, Wow,” Hubbard wrote, before continuing, this hot minute.