There are lots of art-related talks this week, plus the Smart Museum of Art opens its much-buzzed-about show, Feast. more ›

Cannes loves Apichatpong Weerasethakul. His first feature, 2002's Blissfully Yours, snagged the Un Certain Regard trophy, which recognizes young talent and innovation. Two years later his second film, Tropical Malady, became the first Thai film in competition at the festival and emerged with a special Jury Prize. Finally, his mesmerizing Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives won last year's Palme d'Or. All he needs is the Grand Prix to hit for the cycle at the world's most prestigious film festival and put the cherry on top of a mountain of critical accolades, but the Eurpoean cognoscenti aren't the only ones who love Weerasethakul. There's more than enough for him here in Chicago, where he is known simply as "Joe." more ›

• A construction worker died today after falling through a manhole in the 700 block of N. Michigan Ave.
• The long school day for some CPS students is about to get even longer.
• A male stripper's performance at a private party in a South Side park has cost a 25-year Park District employee his job.

In addition to teaching, art-making and having his work shown in galleries and museums on several continents, School of the Art Institute of Chicago professor and artist Ken Fandell is a long-distance runner who probably covers more miles in a week than most do in a year. All of that time spent engaged in the struggle of mind over body seems to surface in his work, which usually employs a conflict of some sort — for example, the epic vs. the banal — to explore heavy subjects such as infinity, control, and our physical limitations as humans. But it's not all about the meta: Fandell's work is as much about humor as it is about the big questions of human existence. Recently we visited his home studio to talk about marathons, titles, and the artistic merits of the Budget Smart Brain. more ›