1) Hirst to Construct Subterranean Batcave in London

Damien Hirst is at it again, this time making headlines with a proposal to build a “batcave” under his mansion in London, England. While the artist’s plans for an underground lair have earned some derision from city officials, they have been nonetheless approved, and Hirst’s construction is set to go ahead in the near future. The subterranean expansion will reportedly include a sauna, steam room, two-story “art room” and an 82-foot-long swimming pool. Eat your heart out, Bruce Wayne.

2) T.RUMP Bus Art Project Fools Republican Supporters Across the U.S.

As chatter about the upcoming U.S. election reaches a fever pitch, a number of news outlets are showcasing the T.RUMP bus, an interactive art project by David Gleeson and Mary Mihelic, the founders of political art collective T. Rutt. Gleeson and Mihelic purchased the bus – an actual former Trump campaign bus - through a Craigslist post in Des Moines, Iowa, and are now driving it around the country, following the republican candidate’s campaign trail. The artists’ changes to the design of the bus are subtle enough that Trump’s supporters are occasionally found taking selfies with the fake bus, only to notice that the campaign slogan reads “Make Fruit Punch Great Again.”

3) Spiral Jetty Vies for Position as Utah's State Work of Art

Spiral Jetty, Robert Smithson’s beloved and pioneering work of land art, is slated as a candidate for becoming Utah’s official state work of art. This article in ArtNews confirms that few U.S. states actually have an official work of art, but seeing as Spiral Jetty has been threatened by both natural and man-made disturbances in the decades since its creation, this could be a great way to pay respect to the work and possible bring conservation efforts to the forefront.

4) Hito Steyerl Examines Art and Sci-Fi Battles in New Essay

Finally, some weekend reading. Artist and theorist Hito Steyerl offers this hefty essay on e-flux, concerning the changing definitions and perceptions of institutional critique in the wake of the recent spate of pop-culture products addressing the topic of “interplanetary civil war.” Steyerl looks at several recent and not-so recent science fiction and pop films that feature prominent art-world imagery as motifs and comments. The idea of stalemate in conflict, and how that pertains to art viewing and making, seems all-too topical.