Have Pain, Trauma and Politics Silenced Art Criticism? - ArtReview

July 2026 was the deadliest month of the last year for Palestinians. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 152 Palestinians were murdered by Israel, bringing the official death toll in the American-backed Israeli genocide to more than 73,000 people in less than three years. The UN reported in June that 20,000 of those people were children. In spite of these horrific numbers, on August 1 the Atlantic City Press (my local paper) reported that John F. Scarpa, a so-called “major donor” to Stockton University, where I have taught since 2010, had complained to Stockton’s president, Joe Bertolino, that Stockton’s webpage for its master’s program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies contained “misinformation:” “The… ‘About the Program’ page… states that ‘Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza since October 2023 has killed, according to official figures, more than 70,000 Palestinians, including over 20,000 children, leaving almost the entire population of 2.3 million people forcibly displaced.’”

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ALEXEY DANILIN CONCEIVES ‘hope’ CERAMIC TABLE LAMP for MAYTONIDesigned by Alexey Danilin for German lighting brand Maytoni, Hope is a table lamp composed almost entirely of natural ceramic. Conceived for mass production within technical and budgetary parameters, the design replaces conventional fabric or metal shades with a split ceramic envelope, allowing approximately 90% of the fixture’s mass to remain recyclable at the end of its lifecycle. Hope table lamp was designed by Alexey Danilin for German lighting manufacturer Maytoni | image ©Sebastian KruthofferLED MODULES PROJECT REFLECTED LIGHT THROUGH SLIT OF SPLIT VOLUMESFor the lamp’s sculptural silhouette, designer Alexey Danilin draws inspiration from classical Roman statuary and traditional pottery forms, pairing curved, arching geometries with contemporary product design. Internally, integrated LED boards are oriented to direct illumination outward through the central gap separating the two ceramic halves, utilizing surface reflection to soften light output. A central vertical stem fastens the two ceramic elements, capped by a small metal sphere at the top.

Tens of thousands gathered at Place d’Italie in Paris for a march led in part by culture-sector coalitions demanding a better life for artists. Artists, art students, and cultural workers joined hundreds of thousands of protesters marching across France on October 24, 2026. (photo Nicolas Tucat / AFP via Getty Images)

flash forest plants for life after wildfiresAcross the blackened forests of northern Quebec, drones fly above the remains of burned trees, launching small, seed-filled capsules into the earth. Each carries the beginnings of a new tree, packed with ingredients intended to help it grow in damaged soil. The system is developed by Canadian company Flash Forest, which is using aerial technology to replant landscapes devastated by wildfire, including remote areas that are difficult to reach on foot. The work follows Quebec’s devastating 2023 wildfire season, when around 4.5 million hectares of forest burned across the province. Flash Forest has since expanded its planting operations across Canada. According to its latest impact report, the company planted 686,147 trees across five sites in 2025, covering 429 hectares of burned forest. The technology allows large areas to be seeded quickly while keeping heavy planting equipment off the forest floor.