From July 5 to July 7, 2024, the second edition of Tokyo Gendai took place at PACIFICO Yokohama. Tokyo Gendai, hailed as Japan’s inaugural international contemporary art fair, was co-founded by Magnus Renfrew, the founding director of Art Basel Hong Kong and its forerunner ART HK. Organized by The Art Assembly, which also manages ART SG in Singapore and Taipei Dangdai in Taiwan, the event goes beyond fostering dialogue between Japan and other regions of Asia and the world. Its goal is to reestablish Tokyo as a premier global art center and to revitalize and interconnect the local Tokyo gallery scene.

Launched in July 2023, Tokyo Gendai presents leading contemporary art galleries from Japan, the wider Asia-Pacific region and around the world. Taking place in one of the most dynamic and active art and design scenes in the world, Tokyo Gendai is an exciting platform for commercial, artistic and intellectual exchange, and a nexus of cross-cultural discovery.

In the meantime, The Bangkok Art Biennale has revealed the roster for its 4th edition, set to commence on October 25, featuring 45 artists from both local and international backgrounds. Representing 28 countries, around 25 percent of the showcased works will be debuting for the first time, as stated by the organizers.

Participating artists include Chiara Camoni, an Italian ceramicist and visual artist; Priyageetha Dia, a Singaporean time-based media artist; Camille Henrot, a French-American multi-media artist; Choi Jeong Hwa, a South Korean sculpture designer; Chitra Ganesh, a Brooklyn-based artist; Aki Inomata, a Japanese multidisciplinary artist; Isaac Chong Wai, a Hong Kong-based conceptual artist; and Lisa Reihana, a New Zealand video artist. Additionally, the lineup features works by French-American sculptor Louise Bourgeois, German artist Joseph Beuys, and Guerreiro do Divino Amor, who represented Switzerland at the latest Venice Biennale.

There has also been a new discovery. A team of Australian and Indonesian scientists has discovered the oldest known example of figurative cave art on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The artwork, depicting a wild pig and three human-like figures, is at least 51,200 years old, surpassing the previous record by over 5,000 years.

Researchers employed a novel method involving lasers and computer software to create a detailed “map” of the rock samples. This laser ablation technique is more precise, faster, easier, cheaper, and requires much smaller rock samples compared to the previously used uranium series method.

Another pleasant news: on July 2, The Rest on the Flight into Egypt (circa 1508-10) by Titian sold for a record $22 million at Christie’s Old Masters sale in London. This historic piece, once found at a London bus stop after being stolen, fetched £17.6 million ($22.1 million) including fees.

Controversy has recently arisen over a new dance program at the Louvre in Paris, which one New York dance group claims is a copy of their original design. The case gained publicity after a New York dance company accused the Louvre of plagiarizing their popular “Museum Workout” program, sparking a wide debate about originality and intellectual property in the art world.

A New York dance company has alleged that the Louvre in Paris has copied its traveling Museum Workout, a well-known dance program by Monica Bill Barnes and Company, which first appeared at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2017. Robbie Saenz de Viteri, the company’s artistic director, expressed his “shock” upon noticing the remarkable similarities between his creation and the Louvre’s new workout program, “Courez au Louvre” [a pun meaning “run to, or in the Louvre”], which fails to acknowledge the New York company.

Another conflict, this time between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, has again attracted considerable attention, as Lamar released a video for his hit “Not Like Us,” in which he openly disses the Canadian rapper, ending the public dispute.

Lamar dropped the video on Independence Day, and by Friday morning, it had already garnered over 13 million views. The video features several nods to Drake, such as an owl piñata and a live owl in a cage, referencing Drake’s label, October’s Very Own (OVO). While Lamar smashed the piñata, a disclaimer appeared: “No Ovhoes were harmed during the making of this video.”

The video also includes references to Toronto, Drake’s hometown. Mustard, the producer of “Not Like Us,” appears wearing a Toronto Blue Jays hat. Additionally, NBA player DeMar DeRozan, originally from Compton but formerly with the Toronto Raptors, makes a cameo. Lamar acknowledges DeRozan in the song with the line: “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home/Y’all didn’t deserve him neither,” which takes a jab at Toronto.

Lamar also mocks some of Drake’s claims from his diss tracks. In the video, Lamar does pushups on cinder blocks, which fans interpreted as a response to Drake’s track “Push Ups.” The video also features Lamar’s fiancée Whitney Alford and their children, countering Drake’s claims about Lamar’s estranged family.

The feud between the two rappers started earlier this year, with fans divided in their support. However, it is widely believed that Lamar emerged victorious, given the widespread popularity of “Not Like Us.” Some considered Lamar’s Juneteenth “The Pop Out” concert as his “victory lap” in the lyrical battle against Drake.

And finally, Banksy sparked controversy after a raft resembling migrants, created by the artist, appeared at the Glastonbury music festival, drawing criticism from various quarters. Known for fiercely guarding his true identity throughout his career, Banksy responded to the backlash on social media.

The raft, adorned with mannequins dressed in hoodies and reflective vests to depict migrants attempting to reach Europe, floated above the festival crowd in Glastonbury, England, first seen on Friday evening and again on Saturday during a performance by the band Idles, who sang about immigrants. Banksy shared a video of the installation on Instagram, seemingly confirming his involvement, as reported by Sky News on Monday. The video, lacking any accompanying text, showed the raft being carried by the music enthusiasts.

Among those criticizing Banksy’s initiative was British Home Secretary James Cleverly. Responding to Cleverly’s remarks, Banksy took to Instagram on Wednesday, addressing the criticism directly. “The Home Secretary labeled my Glastonbury raft as ‘abhorrent and unacceptable,’ which I find somewhat exaggerated,” the artist wrote. “On Monday night, the actual boat I finance, the ‘MV Louise Michel,’ rescued 17 unaccompanied children in the middle of the Mediterranean. As a consequence, it was detained by the Italian authorities, an act I consider reprehensible and unacceptable,” Banksy added.