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In Venice, Miles Greenberg Makes a Haute-Futuristic Study of Martyrdom
The Venice Biennale is now well underway, but the art-world notables who arrived for the opening last week were treated to Miles Greenberg’s newest performance work, Sebastian. Within the Byzantine splendor of Palazzo Malipiero, onlookers marveled at the virtuosic artist’s sinuous movements, as five custom silver arrows protruded from his body. The debut was curated by Klaus Biesenbach and Lisa Botti as an addendum to “Elective Affinities,” an exhibition that draws an artistic dialogue between modernist works from Museum Berggruen-Neue Nationalalgalerie and the historical collections of Gallerie dell’Accademia.
Greenberg’s arrow-pierced skin, covered in black pigment, melted off progressively with a continuous drip of cane sugar syrup, resonating poignantly with the Gallerie’s own imagery of Saint Sebastian and Venice’s use of the Blackamoor motif. The physicality of his works and their emotionally evocative nature has garnered international acclaim. Sebastian is no exception: at the conclusion of his grueling eight hours perched on a boulder, Greenberg’s mother (who wore custom Cerruti 1881 by Daniel Kerns) arrived to help him remove the arrows. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz
Five months after Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market merged into Outfox Hospitality, the company is now on the brink of bankruptcy, with all locations in Illinois, Texas, and the D.C. area having closed yesterday. Employees learned about the closures via a conference call, but many store workers were not informed and instructed to remain silent about the situation. Outfox Hospitality has not officially commented on the bankruptcy filing, despite rumors and a looming Chapter 7 filing, leaving approximately 1,000 employees in limbo regarding their job security.
This year’s edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers has a strong European presence: nearly all finalists originate from the continent and specialize predominantly in womenswear. The grand prize includes a 400,000 € ($428,100) reward and a comprehensive mentorship by LVMH, covering areas such as sustainable development and financial management, with additional prizes for runners-up and a new Savoir-Faire Prize focused on craftsmanship and sustainability. A jury of renowned designers and LVMH executives will select the winner on September 10 at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.
Foster + Partners updates its design for a supertall at 350 Park Avenue in Manhattan.
Foster + Partners has revised its design for the new 62-story supertall at 350 Park Avenue, which features a series of stepped volumes and a reduced biophilic element after approvals from New York City planning officials. The updated design, representing the British firm’s fifth recent high-rise project in Midtown Manhattan, includes 1.8 million square feet of office space and a 12,500-square-foot public concourse. The building’s completion is targeted for 2032.
Brightline West has announced a $12 billion high-speed rail project linking Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area. Slated to open by 2028, the project will mark the first true high-speed rail line in the United States, operating at speeds comparable to Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains. The project, supported by the Biden administration, will generate thousands of union jobs and aims to significantly reduce travel time across the Mojave Desert to just over two hours, with facilities including Wi-Fi and dining options on board. The train aims to alleviate traffic on Interstate 15, and is projected to carry 11 million passengers annually, with funding backed by a $3 billion federal grant and an authorization to sell $3.5 billion in tax-exempt bonds.
Emirates Airline CEO Tim Clark issued an apology following severe disruptions caused by unprecedented rains in the UAE, which led to the grounding of hundreds of flights and left thousands of passengers stranded at Dubai’s airport. Clark acknowledged the company’s inadequate response, detailing the logistical challenges posed by flooded roads that affected staff availability and disrupted essential services, resulting in the cancellation of nearly 400 flights. Despite efforts to manage the crisis, including providing 12,000 hotel rooms and issuing 250,000 meal vouchers, Clark admitted the need for improved processes and asked for patience as the airline clears the backlog of passengers and returns 30,000 pieces of luggage.