The week in art news: Frieze LA kicks off, Venice Biennale artist controversy, TJ Boulting shuts its doors, and more…

Controversy continues after Australia drops 2026 Venice Biennale artist. Last week, Lebanese-Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi was abruptly dropped following controversy over his 2007 video installation You, which features reappropriated footage of a leader of Hezbollah. The decision, made by the pavilion’s organiser, Creative Australia, has resulted in a host of resignations and petitions signed by hundreds, with one reading “If Creative Australia cannot even stand by its expert-led selection for a matter of hours, abandoning its own process at the first sign of pressure, then what does that say about its commitment to artistic excellence and freedom of expression?”, Hyperallergic reports.

Frieze LA kicks off tomorrow. The art fair returns to the Santa Monica Airport in the aftermath of the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have claimed dozens of lives and destroyed thousands of homes, including those of artists who also lost their studios and work. Over 100 galleries are participating this year, from over 20 countries, and will coincide with the LA Art Show, Felix Art Fair and The Other Art Fair, as well as three new exhibitions; George Rouy and David Hammons at Hauser & Wirth and Helmut Lang’s first institutional solo show in West Hollywood.

Conceptual artist Mel Bochner dies at 84. Bochner was one of the pioneers of North American conceptual art in the 1960s and ‘70s, along with contemporaries such as Eva Hesse, Donald Judd and Robert Smithson. Bochner’s humourous text-based work earned him a large following and placed him at the forefront of post-minimalist experimentation. His death was announced by three of his galleries, Fraenkel, Marc Selwyn Fine Art and Peter Freeman Inc. on 14th February.

Nike to collaborate with Tom Sachs again. The company has reportedly rekindled its relationship with the artist less than two years after allegations of sexual harassment and bullying from Sachs’ former studio staff resulted in them pausing the partnership. According to Artnet, Nike expressed “concern” over the serious complaints from Sachs’ previous employees in 2023, and dropped him. Then, last September, the sports brand announced in a statement that Sachs has “demonstrated and recommitted to fostering a culture of respect and inclusivity. We can confirm that our work with Tom will continue and this next chapter of NikeCraft will uphold our shared passion for team, product, and storytelling excellence.” Sachs’ Mars Yard 3.0 sneakers are due to be released in September.

LA fire relief benefit auction expected to raise $500k. The sale at Bonhams Los Angeles is chaired by artist Alexandra Grant and will auction works by artists including Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, Robert Rauschenberg and Helen Frankenthaler. The auction will take place on 27th February for Project Angel Food, a charity working to feed residents in Los Angeles in the wake of the recent devastating fires. Each year the organisation prepares 1.5M meals for 5,200 people who have critical or life-threatening illnesses. According to Artnet, they’ve seen a ten percent increase in the number of people seeking its services since the fire. The online auction is running until 27th February.

RIP to the ‘Best loo in London’: TJ Boulting gallery shuts its doors after 13 years. Director Hannah Watson announced on Instagram on Val’s Day that the central London gallery had closed. Watson co-founded the gallery in 2012 alongside the late publisher Gigi Giannuzzi, in the Art Nouveau building that was famously owned by T.J. Boulting & Sons, the minds behind the first flushing toilet in Windsor Castle. Alongside the gallery, Watson ran the photography and fine art book publisher Trolley Books – founded by Giannuzzi in 2001 – which will continue to operate without a permanent physical space.

Fashion icon Iris Apfel’s collection smashes sale estimates. Over 200 items from the late designer’s eclectic collection of paintings, sculptures, clothes and furniture from her New York and Palm Beach homes went on sale last week at Christie’s. The collection fetched around $930k, beating the sale’s estimate by around 500% and drew nearly 1000 registrations from new clients, according to Artnet. Apfel’s design and art objects included portrait of Margarita Teresa of Spain which sold for over $17k and a carved ostrich sculpture complete with a Kermit the Frog plush which sold for over $16k. If you’ve got some stacks of cash to spare, a second sale of her collection will be presented at Doyle Auctioneers and Appraisers from 4th-5th March.

Roxy Music frontman and rock legend Bryan Ferry collabs with artist on new project. Glasgow-based painter and performance artist Amelia Barratt, who has previously worked with the likes of Gabriella Boyd, Dickon Drury, Devlin Shea, Guo-Liang Tan and Christian Flamm, has joined the music icon to create Loose Talk, a spoken word album written and performed by Barratt and accompanied by videos and soundscapes created by Ferry. Expect to hear Ferry’s characteristic synth sounds and a poetic inner monologue from Barratt, due to be released on 14th March.

Looted Greco-Roman statue to be returned to Turkey. A headless, bronze statue believed to depict a philosopher will be returned from the Cleveland Museum of Art, after scientific analysis has confirmed that it was pillaged from the ancient city of Bubon in south-central Turkey. Tests were performed to determine the statue’s origin after the Antiquities Tracking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office took possession of the statue in 2023. Since the Antiquities Tracking Unit was established in 2017, it has helped repatriate over 1,000 antiquities stolen from more than two dozen countries.

New private museum opens to address gender inequality in Norway. Founded by collectors Monica Reitan and Ole Robert Reitan, the Post Office Modern museum (PoMo) opened in Trondheim on 15th February in the city’s former Art Nouveau post office. PoMo aims to increase access to art locally, address gender inequality in the nation’s collections and add to the region’s appeal as a cultural destination, The Art Newspaper reports. Around 60 percent of PoMo’s acquisitions will be by women artists, which Monica has stated will be a significant effort to rebalance the country’s art collections.