August 28, 2014: Artist Buries Gold on the Coast of England, Hello Kitty is Not a Cat, and a New Art School in North Korea

Closing

The summer group show at Wendi Norris Gallery, featuring Yorgo Alexopoulos, Helen Garber, Julio Cesar Morales, and Tedman & Strand, closes August 31st.

Today’s Notable News

Artist Michael Sailstorfer has buried £10,000 worth of gold bars on a beach on the east coast of England in Folkestone’s Outer Harbour, which anyone can find and keep. The piece, titled Folkestone Digs, was commissioned by the Bristol-based arts producers Situations. (via The Guardian)

Sotheby’s has doubled the “maximum permissible amount of net outstanding auction guarantees” for the fall sales seasons from $300 million to $600 million. (via The Art Newspaper)

North Korea has approved plans by Norwegian artists Henrik Placht and Morten Traavik to open an art academy in the country. It will initially be an academy for North Korean students, but future plans include opening it for international exchange programs. (via The Art Newspaper)

Christine R. Yano, an anthropologist who is curating the Hello Kitty Retrospective for the Japanese American National Museum, was informed by Hello Kitty makers, Sanrio, that the cartoon is not a cat, but instead a little girl named Kitty White. (via L.A. Times)

The 2015 Armory Antique Show has been canceled because the National Guard needs the 69th Regiment Armory where it was scheduled to take place for military drills. (via ArtInfo)

Miranda July unveiled Somebody—a messaging app supported by Mui Mui that lets users send texts to people around them, to be delivered verbally by other app-users nearby. The app’s official hotspots include The Venice Film Festival, The New Museum, LACMA, and The Walker Art Center.

Best of Instagram

Via @sfmoma “We love how the colored lines in this photo by @hollerotron create such an interesting composition with the walking figure. Where will you find art today? #PlayArtfully #SnapOutofit #Game53”

Good Reads

“The Imprint of Battle”: A review of the “The Great War: Printmakers of World War I” exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. (via Wall Street Journal)

“Study Suggests Children’s Drawings Reveal How Smart They Are” (via Hyperallergic)

Artist of the Day

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was born on this day in 1957. Ai is an activist, architect, curator, filmmaker, sculpture, and installation artist who has exhibited his work in exhibits across the globe. In 2011, he was famously detained for months by the Chinese government and has been on house arrest since. His well-known works include his installation for the Tate Modern, Sunflower Seeds (2010), where he filled the museum’s Turbine Hall with millions of handpainted porcelain seeds, and Coca Cola Vase (1994), a Han Dynasty urn painted with the famous logo. His latest installation project will open on Alcatraz Island this September.

Want to catch up with the rest of this week’s news? Review past Daily Digests here.