Future Uncertain for Olafur Eliasson’s Paris Ice Installation

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Olafur Eliasson’s Paris Ice Installation in Doubt | The future is uncertain for a planned temporary installation by Olafur Eliasson, which was commissioned by the City of Paris before Friday’s terrorist atrocities, reports The Art Newspaper. The sculpture, created from blocks of ice from Greenland, was intended to stand in Place de la République to coincide with the UN Climate Summit at the end of the month, but the site’s current status as a place of mourning throws the plans into doubt. The project retains the support of François Zimeray, France’s ambassador to Denmark.

Platform Announces ‘Unauthorised’ Arts Festival at Tate Modern | Activists from the environmental campaign group Platform have announced that they are to stage an ‘unauthorised’ arts festival in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall to coincide with the Paris climate change summit from 4–6 December. The festival is intended to pressure Tate into ending its sponsorship arrangements with oil giant BP: the current deal is due to expire in a year. Aside from a brief statement on its partnership with BP, Tate has yet to comment on Platform’s plans.

New Art Museum Planned for Almaty | Kazakhstan has announced that a new museum devoted to modern art is to open in Almaty, the country’s former capital. An architect has yet to be commissioned for the project, though the foundation behind the museum hope to attract Carlos Ferrater of Barcelona’s Office of Architecture (OAB), known for his ‘spectacular approach’.

ICP Receives Mellon Grant | The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has made a grant of $750,000 to the International Center of Photography (ICP), which will go towards funding the construction of a Center for Visual Culture, reports the New York Times. The ICP, which recently relocated from Midtown to the Bowery (the new space is not scheduled to open until next year), plans to concentrate on researching the dissemination of digital imagery, from ISIS propaganda to personal social media accounts. Expect interesting things.

New Contemporary Art Initiative for Barcelona | Good news from Barcelona following the controversies that rocked Cimam last week. The Fundació Gaspar, a new arts space located next to the city’s Picasso Museum, is to open on 20 November, hosting work by the likes of Martin Creed and Louise Bourgeois. According to The Art Newspaper, three temporary exhibitions per year will be held in the space, with a Paul McCarthy show scheduled for early 2016.

Paul Laffoley (1935–2015) | The artist Paul Laffoley has died aged 80, according to his gallery. Laffoley, who was known for his ‘visionary’ work, had in recent years staged exhibitions at institutions including Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof, London’s Hayward Gallery and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.