Antwerp Six biography drama; MoMA struggling with Duchamp exhibit; you can now stealth watch IG stories; and more
Welcome Digest [4.1.26]
Welcome To April 1st
Today’s Important Headlines
Antwerp Six are unhappy with the new book about them
Several members of the Antwerp Six, along with MoMu (the museum handing their new exhibit), are distancing themselves from Oscar van den Boogaard’s new book The Six, despite having initially participated in its development. The controversy centers on the inclusion of intimate stories and sensitive details. While the author maintains that the material is drawn directly from interviews and reflects an honest portrayal, the backlash has led to withdrawn institutional support and exposed deeper tensions within the group.
Snow Strippers are the first ever electronic act to play Rolling Loud
Rolling Loud has announced that Snow Strippers will perform at its annual Miami festival, marking the first time an electronic act has been included. The decision has split reactions, with younger audiences praising the shift and noting the Florida duo’s ties to rap through collaborations with Lil Uzi Vert, Surf Gang, and SlimeGetEm. Meanwhile, older fans have pushed back, criticizing both the inclusion of an electronic artist and a lineup that leans more underground, with less emphasis on the legacy rap acts the festival is known for.
MoMA is struggling with the new Duchamp exhibit
MoMA’s new Marcel Duchamp retrospective show is challenging curators. As Michelle Kuo, chief curator at the MoMA, puts it, “everything he made is designed to confound the traditional systems of art as we know them.” The artist never treated art as fixed objects, and his work disrupts ideas of authorship, style, and completion, forcing curators to reconstruct a practice without any stable timeline, or enduring collection. In other words, Duchamp’s work was intentionally made to be impossible to exhibit normally at a museum. On April 12, MoMA is going to try anyway. The show marks the first major U.S. exhibition dedicated to his career since 1973.
Instagram’s new paid tier lets you stealth watch peoples’ stories
Meta is quietly piloting a paid tier called Instagram Plus, adding controls like viewing Stories without being seen, extending their lifespan, and refining audience targeting. The test follows broader plans to introduce subscription-based features across Meta’s apps, with early trials appearing in countries such as Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines at low monthly costs. Given the massive success of paid subscriptions on X and Snapchat, along with the lengths users already go to stalk, it’s likely the subscription will be popular.
Bassvictim speaks on Fakemink’s voice
In a characteristically Bassvictim moment, Maria (one half of Bassvictim) took to Instagram Stories to share her thoughts on Fakemink’s voice these days, making it clear that while she loves Mink, she has noticed him putting on a “cooler” voice recently. The stories are a funny and light poke at Mink who has been coming under fire recently for his pseudointellectual aura-farming on IG live.
Protein hookah is the new gym trend in Saudi Arabia
Gyms in Saudi Arabia are introducing a first-of-its-kind “protein shisha” concept, swapping tobacco for a herbal, molasses-based blend infused with supplements like whey protein, creatine, BCAAs, and pre-workout formulas. Designed as post-workout lounge spaces within or adjacent to gyms, the initiative aims to merge regional shisha culture with fitness, with each session reportedly delivering up to 25 grams of inhaled, “aroma-activated” protein. While some local doctors claim inhalation may improve absorption, many medical experts are cautioning against the practice.
Headline curation and words by Mikail Haroon (@mvkail)
Moodboard 052
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From The Archive
An extra piece of content from the Welcome Archive for Magazine subscribers only.
In Mario Kart 64, the seagulls in Koopa Troopa Beach are never seen up close during regular gameplay. However, viewing them in a model viewer reveals they have surprisingly detailed eyes.