Meta’s Glasses for Betas

Daily Newsletter

Plus, Betye Saar’s last word of advice, 2,000-year-old shipwreck found off the coast of Sicily, and how Trump’s unnecessary IndyCar race in DC might jeopardize art.

This week’s standout artwork isn’t in a museum or a top-tier gallery; instead, it’s a satirical street advertisement featuring Jeffrey Epstein wearing Meta’s new AI-powered Ray-Bans, accompanied by the tagline “glasses for people who don’t do consent.”

These glasses can capture photos and videos without people’s knowledge. Just as you think Meta couldn’t be more disliked, Mark Zuckerberg proves there’s still more to dislike.

While Epstein is in the afterlife, Betye Saar, who recently died a few days short of her centennial, might be conducting art lessons with angels. Our contributor Nereya Otieno had the opportunity to interview the assemblage artist during her last days at her exhibition of custom designs in Los Angeles.

And what would a Tuesday be without a shipwreck discovery? Recently, hundreds of well-preserved amphorae were found in a 2,000-year-old shipwreck near Sicily’s coast. What relics will we leave behind for future explorers? Perhaps Meta’s AI glasses?

—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief

How Betye Saar Came to Be

The African Adinkra symbol, “Sankofa,” translates to “go back and get it,” emphasizing the need to learn from the past to shape the future and share wisdom across generations. In honor of Betye Saar’s 100th birthday, Roberts Projects in Los Angeles curated an exhibition showcasing her early professional works. Saar, a prolific assemblage artist who explored the Black American experience for over seventy years, passed away last month. The exhibition highlights a lesser-known aspect of her work: costume design.

Featuring over 200 archival pieces, the exhibition reveals the diverse interests Saar pursued early in her career. Visitors can explore her work in costume design, dance (highlighted by a large photo of a young Saar dancing at the entrance), photography, drawing, jewelry, clothing, greeting cards, and album covers. This breadth of work showcases Saar’s wide-ranging curiosity and her unique ability to identify and connect various creative potentials. | Nereya Otieno

The Bennett Prize Opens Fifth Call for Entries

Women figurative realist painters can enter to win $75,000 and a traveling solo exhibition. Applications are open through September 19.

Learn more

News

The National Gallery of Art is investigating the potential effects of racecar vibrations on artwork in preparation for Trump’s “Freedom 250 Grand Prix.”
The activism group Everyone Hates Elon has released a mock ad featuring Jeffrey Epstein wearing Meta’s Ray-Ban AI glasses, with the caption “Glasses for people who don’t do consent.”
Last week, two Italian divers found numerous clay vessels stacked on a roughly 2,000-year-old Roman shipwreck off the coast of Sicily.

From Our Critics

it’s a wonderful reflection on how an artist contributes to the larger effort to heal the waters and share the historical perspective of relationships built between communities. I wish it were a permanent installation.

—Oletha DeVane on “The Lost Pearls of New York City”