Our most-talked-about stories in Art, Design & Fashion, and Performing Arts, May 14-18, 2012:
ART
— Madeleine O'Dea noted strong sales and an upbeat atmosphere on ART HK's opening day, and then picked the most memorable booths of the fast-rising fair. We also selected highlights from the slew of other exhibitions and events going on in Hong Kong during ART HK.
— Alanna Martinez unveiled part one of a library-in-progress, recommending 20 books that every artist should own, from Lucy Lippard to Giorgio Vasari.
— Kyle Chayka climbed to the very top of Argentine artist Tomas Saraceno's new modular mirror installation on the Metropolitant Museum's rooftop.
— The Art Institute of Chicago prepared to open one of the largest Roy Lichtenstein retrospectives ever, focused on the Pop artist's oft-overlooked formalism.
— Shane Ferro looked into the curiously steady and rewarding market for Latin American art, which in recent years hasn't suffered from the same volatility as other markets.
DESIGN & FASHION
— New York Design Week is upon us, and Janelle Zara picked six must-see events, exhibitions, pop-up shops, and fairs for furniture and design fans, from the main event — the International Contemporary Furniture Fair — to Victorian taxidermy and a pirate radio station.
—Kelly Chan evaluated competing theories for the development of new mega-cities over the next four decades, pitting economist Paul Romer's "Charter Cities" against the IBA model proposed by architect Meta Brunzema.
— Ann Binlot talked to artist Mickalene Thomas about her personal style, from her favorite Maison Martin Margiela sneakers to why she likes Rick Owens knitwear.
— Julia Halperin spoke to MOCA Cleveland director Jill Snyder about the institution's sleek new $27-million, Farshid Moussavi-designed building, which will open later this year.
— Just one day after the first season of NBC's "Fashion Star" ended with our favorite contestant's victory, Ann Binlot spoke to designer John Varvatos — a mentor on the show — about what the second season has in store.
PERFORMING ARTS
— Rock legend John Mellencamp discussed his new retrospective exhibition of paintings at the Tennessee State Museum, which he claimed was Bob Dylan's idea.
— Brooke Shields, Courtney Love, and other celebs showed up to mark the release of Jay McInerney's new short story at the McKittrick Hotel, the West Chelsea venue where the immersive interactive theater piece "Sleep No More" is performed.
— The opening of the Cannes Film Festival was marked by protests and petitions — and an open letter in Le Monde signed by Fanny Cottençon, Virginie Despentes, and Coline Serreau — over the absence of even one single female director among the 22 films in competition.
— Graham Fuller looked into the tragic love affair behind the upcoming Martin Scorsese movie about Rolls-Royce "Silver Ghost," which is set to star Richard Attenborough.
— "The Social Network" director Aaron Sorkin made clear that his next tech biopic, "Steve Jobs," will be as frank about the late Apple CEO's life as his Oscar-winner was about Mark Zuckerberg.
VIDEO
— Tom Sachs gave ARTINFO a tour of his massive Mars mission control performance-installation at the Park Avenue Armory.