After posting memes depicting him as a Roman warrior, king, and pontiff, Trump decided to upgrade himself to the rare status of son of god. There’s only one place left to go up from there, and we all know he’s thinking about it. According to religion scholar Emma Cieslik, this latest Trump jest rubbed his Catholic base the wrong way, let alone the fact that he got the wound wrong. More about that below.
Also today: Read my review of Ai Weiwei’s thought-provoking new book On Censorship, John Yau on Steve DiBenedetto’s cryptic paintings, and Aaron Short’s obituary of artist and activist Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, who passed away last week at just 46.
Finally, please join us this Wednesday from 3–4pm ET for a virtual conversation between photographer Tonika Lewis Johnson and Senior Editor Valentina Di Liscia. Johnson’s remarkable work on racial segregation in Chicago’s South Side won her the 2025 MacArthur “Genius Grant.” Hope to see you there.
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
Ai Weiwei and the Art of Keeping Your Mouth Shut
“On Censorship” offers timely reflections from the dissident artist, whose entire life and career have been marked by state persecution. | Hakim Bishara
Jeremy Frey: The Generational Impact of a New Artistic Path
Join us on April 29 for a conversation with artist and recent MacArthur Fellowship winner Jeremy Frey and Hyperallergic Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian.
News
- ICE has detains the father and portrait muse of California-based Chicana artist Criselda Vasquez, painter of “The New American Gothic.”
- Gagosian’s forthcoming exhibition featuring Marcel Duchamp opens April 25 in a new space in Upper Manhattan.
- Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, known for standing up for human rights in both her paintings and her advocacy, dies at 46.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Opinion
Trump Plays Christ and Gets the Wound Wrong
The president’s latest attempt to fashion himself as an American messiah is costing him some of his most loyal Catholic supporters. | Emma Cieslik
From Our Critics
Steve DiBenedetto’s Cosmic Sense of the Absurd
He conceives of a painting as a search for a functional structure, a talisman that can aid viewers amid our collective sense of traumatic crisis. | John Yau
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity – Visual Arts Thematic Residencies
Develop your work in a Visual Arts residency at Banff Centre. Access exceptional studios, mentorship from leading faculty, and a vibrant artistic community in the Canadian Rockies. The application fee is $65 ($35 for applicants who identify as Indigenous). Read more on Hyperallergic.
Deadlines: May 6, 2026 (Visual Arts Thematic – On Other Archives), June 3, 2026 (Visual Arts Thematic – Future Figurations) | banffcentre.ca
See more in this month’s list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers!
Member Comment
“jbass” on Lisa Yin Zhang’s “Marcel Duchamp Was the Messenger of History”:
From the Archive
What I Wish I Had Known About Germany Earlier
A German newspaper commissioned an article from me but then refused to publish it. | Ai Weiwei
