Stephan
Zilkens
,
Zilkens‘ News Blog 13 2026
Some organisations are taking a bold approach, whilst others are exercising caution. Among the latter is Art Dubai, which has now postponed its event and appears set to present art to the public in a different format. Among the former is IFASIC (International Fine Art & Specie Insurance Conferences), which is sticking to its scheduled date in October 2026 in Marrakech. You can already register – though so far the conference has been rather London-centric – with other countries sending significantly fewer delegates, even though their contributions substantially feed into the reinsurance programmes in London.
Rhineland-Palatinate has now also voted, and the SPD’s traditional support base is now voting for the AfD – it’s quite a shock when you consider the transformation taking place there. The old Labour Party no longer recognises the fears of its former core voters and thinks it can still achieve something through social handouts of any scale. For Friedrich Merz, however, it should now finally be clear that the tail must no longer wag the dog. The constant accommodation of the coalition partner’s fantasies of all-round care packages should now come to an end.
The identity of a petty criminal has long preoccupied the art world – Who is Banksy? – Now he appears to have been unmasked and could face prosecution for criminal damage. Somehow, one fails to understand why it has taken so long? Heads of state are being kidnapped and others systematically eliminated, yet the identity of a reasonably talented façade painter cannot be deciphered?
At the end of this month, Majd Suliman and Anas Kahal will begin their collaboration, with a view to presenting an exhibition of their works in Cologne by mid-June at the latest. The project ‘Support Artists in Exile Cologne e.v.’ is progressing and we welcome further applications. The deadline has been extended to 1 May. The scholarship recipients see the opportunity to develop projects with another artist as an enrichment.
Have a great start to the week – Art Basel is kicking off in Hong Kong...
Stephan Zilkens and the team at Zilkens Fine Art Insurance Broker in Solothurn and Cologne
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