The Chris Burden Estate recently won a landmark copyright case in Indonesia. Since 2018, an Indonesian tourist attraction was infringing on the rights of Chris Burden and other artists by producing copies of well-known artwork. The Estate had filed a copyright infringement case against the tourist attraction, and the Indonesian Commercial Court at the Central Jakarta District Court recently ruled in its favor that the Indonesian theme park and its owner has committed copyright infringement against Burden's Urban Light (2008).
This lawsuit proves that artist rights can be protected internationally through the application of the copyright framework. I so appreciate the analysis and decision by the Indonesian courts, and the support I have received over the years from IABF Law Firm.
Read more about the case in an article from Artnet here.
It was lovely to speak with Alex Bass of Salon 21 and Sunhee Evans about Asian American artists I love (Christopher K. Ho, Greg Ito, Jean Shin, Martha Tuttle, and Zadie Xa), why it's important to learn about the histories of Asian immigrants in the US, the significance of solidarity among minority groups, and the power of art. The recording is available here to watch.
Delighted to have had a chance to speak with Kenny Schachter on NFTs and their legal aspects from an artist perspective. The Instagram Live is available here to watch.
Honored to have been in conversation with Melissa Passman and Daniel McClean, two fellow art lawyers, about the legal structures that artist estates can take. Thank you so much to Tracy Bartley of the R.B. Kitaj Estate for bringing us together and moderating the conversation. The recording is available here to watch.
I am so humbled to find myself in the company of such inspiring Japanese feminists. Organized by New Era Ladies, "Punctum: Diffuse Reflection Feminism" (at Book & Beer in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo) is an exhibition, book fair, and fashion pop-up that explores how intersectional and inclusive feminism can and should be realized in contemporary Japanese society. Two of the founders of New Era Ladies, Satoko Miyakoshi and super-KIKI have thoughtfully collaborated with me in developing some of the typographical objects available for sale at the pop-up, including (i) a non-functional compact mirror; and (ii) a wrap skirt / lap-blanket (accessible for those who are mobility-impaired).
To read about my intentions behind the phrases, please click here.
Delighted to have had an opportunity to converse with colleagues about loans and consignments for DeWitt Stern's Art & Business Forum Webinar.
To celebrate the start of periodic column, The Law Gorgeous, fellow art lawyer, Alana Kushnir, of Guestwork Agency, and I spoke about legal and quasi-legal trends in today's art world.
Images: Alana photographed by Justin Ridler, Yayoi photographed by Tomofumi Usa
Addressed experts from the Global Luxury, Entertainment, Arts & Media (GLEAM) businesses about digital archiving tools in the art world
Addressed Oxford University's Society for Art Law about developing legal careers in the art world
Beyond honored to be included in an Art She Says article about top female attorneys in the art world
Guest lectured with Scott Lawin, art x tech expert and investor, at Devang Thakkar's class for Sotheby's Institute of Art about the future of the art world and the role of tech
Feeling inspired to know that the bench of female-presenting art lawyers is deep, strong and global (the full article here)
Conducted a lecture on legal tools for artists at the Professional Development Program for Artists hosted by curator Sara Raza at Hawai'i Contemporary
Moderated a panel about "Institutional Governance during an Age of Social Justice" with Franklin Sirmans and Manuel Mathieu for New York County Lawyers Association 12th Art Litigation/Dispute Resolution Institute
Addressed U.S. Japan Leadership Program Members about the dissemination of Japanese contemporary art and culture
Spoke with Alana Kushnir of Guest Work Agency and Marie Potel-Saville of Amurabi about the Serpentine Gallery's Legal Lab at Center for Art Law
Quoted in an article by Anya Firestone about the intersection between art and brand collaborations published in High Snobiety
Spoke with Alana Kushnir of Guest Work Agency about copyright and Chris Burden's Urban Light sculpture
Conducted a free webinar about urgent legal and financial tips during the COVID-19 pandemic with Ginji Wang for Mana contemporary
Quoted in an article by Aileen Kwun for DVDLDD about museums and their endowment strategies during times of crisis
A write-up about my lecture at the Making Art Different course at Arts Initiative Tokyo
Quoted in an article by Jori Finkel for the Art Newspaper about artist estates
News about my recent move to become the Executive Director of the Chris Burden Estate and the Nancy Rubins Studio on Artnews; Artnet; Artforum; Hyperallergic; and Art Observed
Conducted a webinar about gallery-artist agreements and how galleries can approach contractual relationships with artists
Spoke on a panel to celebrate the publication of Brotopia (a book by Emily Chang that explores the challenges women face in the tech industry)
Spoke with Isaac Kaplan in an Artsy Editorial podcast on ownership rights and moral rights
Wrote about my experience visiting Reborn Art Festival, an international art festival held in Ishinomaki, Japan, an area that was heavily affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, in an article for Brooklyn Rail
Spoke with Sergio Munoz Sarmiento and Isaac Kaplan in an Artsy Editorial podcast on the Visual Artists Rights Act affecting artistic creation
Spoke with Marc Peroff, Adam J. Kurtz, and Isaac Kaplan in an Artsy Editorial podcast on fast fashion and copyright infringement
Musings about my job as an art lawyer from Medium
Interview with Priori Legal on in-house lawyering at a tech start-up
Artsy's commitment to Open Source, together with Orta Therox
Asia 21, a network of individuals across the Asia-Pacific, recorded my experience participating in a public services project in Bhutan
Lineage of Eccentrics Matabei to Kuniyoshi, one of the first English language translations of Nobuo Tsuji's foundational text about 6 Japanese artists, has been published