The Gray Market Weekend Wrap #27

From anguished drone mimicry to unavoidable clown manifestation

Welcome back to The Gray Market’s weekend wrap, where I deliver a one-of-a-kind bundle of recommendations covering exhibitions, podcasts, articles and more, with thoughts on what makes each one matter to the current state of art and business.

In this weekend’s edition, you’ll find:

• An arresting interactive exhibition about the psychic burden of war on the Lower East Side

• A late-breaking revelation about creative ambition from an award-winning author

• A trio of articles covering a seismic alliance in philanthropy, the thickening shroud of mystery around the economy’s future, and an overlooked papal broadside against a Silicon Valley darling

If any of that sounds interesting—or if you just want to support The Gray Market in its ongoing mission to explore where the art business is headed and why—you can subscribe or upgrade your membership using the button below. Paid subscribers will receive all future editions of the weekend wrap, access to the full Substack archive (free posts are paywalled after two months), and much more. And if you’re already a paid subscriber, thank you.

Lastly, please be aware that I may receive a tiny commission if you buy any books through the links in this email.

Two shameless plugs

My latest monthly column for The Art Newspaper went online over the weekend. This time it’s about how dealers figure out when, where, and how to stage their first exhibition with an artist who has just joined their roster. If you have a subscription (or any number of paywall-defeating “read it later” apps), you can find it here.

I’m also covering the big spring auctions in New York with the intrepid Zachary Small for The New York Times this month. Our preview story will be in print and online tomorrow, ahead of the week’s first sale at Christie’s Monday evening, with more to follow.