Our daily round-up of news from the art world
Nan Goldin stages anti-opioid protest in Washington, D.C. | The artist Nan Goldin has mounted a protest against pharmaceutical companies at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Washington, D.C., following her first demonstration last month at New York’s Metropolitan Museum. Goldin and her activist group PAIN (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now) threw pill-bottles labelled ‘Vicodin’ and ‘Oxycontin’ into a fountain in the museum. These drugs, and the company Purdue Pharma, owned by the heirs of Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, have been implicated in the ongoing U.S. opioid crisis, although the family of the late Arthur M. Sackler emphasises that they no longer hold shares in Purdue Pharma and do not benefit from the present-day sale of Oxycontin.
Natural History Museum disqualifies award-winning photographer | The Natural History Museum has disqualified Marcio Cabral, winner of the ‘Animals in the Environment’ category in the 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The museum was tipped off that Cabral’s image, The Night Raider, used a stuffed anteater, and after an investigation, both internal and external experts agreed. Cabral denies the allegation.
Sharjah Biennial announces initial 2019 line-up | The Sharjah Art Foundation has released details of its initial line-up for the 2019 Sharjah Biennial. The 14th edition will be titled Leaving the Echo Chamber, and will explore art in an era of migration, ecological threat, and technological change.
Galerie Samy Abraham in Paris to close | The Parisian contemporary art gallery Samy Abraham is to close after seven years. Samy Abraham cited the financial stress of keeping the gallery afloat, and pointed to a number of other mid-size gallery closures in recent years.