Claire Beaven’s film for Arena, which focuses on one of American contemporary art’s true trailblazers, photographer and film maker Cindy Sherman, is absolutely fascinating. Because Sherman still remains camera -shy when not in one of her (in)famous disguises, there are older, rare interviews interwoven into the film, and a nice updated voiceover from Sherman (withContinue reading “Film Review: Arena- Cindy Sherman #Untitled”
Category Archives: Art
TV Review: The Lost Surrealist- Leonora Carrington
Leonora Carrington never got her dues. While Salvador Dali, Andre Breton and others are widely recognised as the Surrealist masters, the women are often sidelined, reduced to mere muses. This 2017 documentary from BBC 4 directed and narrated by Teresa Griffiths, focuses on this oversight, with a haunting and insightful study of the artist andContinue reading “TV Review: The Lost Surrealist- Leonora Carrington”
Album Review: Women In Revolt!Underground Rebellion in British Music 1977-1985
This brilliant compilation album, released to accompany the Tate Britain exhibition Women In Revolt! has a couple of bona fide UK punk classics in The Slits’ Typical Girls and X Ray Spex’ Identity, but there are also some gems from more obscure artists like Ludus , Poison Girls, Mo-dettes and The Gymslips, all of whomContinue reading “Album Review: Women In Revolt!Underground Rebellion in British Music 1977-1985”
Corinne Bailey Rae’s Musical Reinvention
Nobody saw this coming. The fourth album, Black Rainbows by Corinne Bailey Rae, is a fusion of furious riot grrrl inspired fury, Afrojazz and deep soul, a huge U turn from the singer-songwriter who once made nice, inoffensive Radio 2 jazz pop like Put Your Records On and Like A Star. . Erasure is furious,Continue reading “Corinne Bailey Rae’s Musical Reinvention”
Preview: Women In Revolt! @ Tate Britain
This is an enormously exciting bit of news . Tate Britain has just announced a new exhibition, starting on November 8th, showing the seismic shift in female-led art, politics and culture in the UK. Because it’s not just about Thatcher, The Clash and The Sex Pistols. WOMEN IN REVOLT!ART AND ACTIVISM IN THE UK 1970-1990Continue reading “Preview: Women In Revolt! @ Tate Britain”
The Trouble With Irony
In the first part of this millenium, it seems you couldn’t move for irony. Arched of brow,barbed of zinger, pop culture was dominated by irony. It gave us nu-rave, refurbished arcade games, vintage style, the Burlesque and cabaret revival, and- arguably most prominently – comedy that to many was just plain offensive. I get it,Continue reading “The Trouble With Irony”
The Callous Arts Critic
Even his name is evocative of a furball being spat out. They don’t call him a hack for nothing. This arts critic, killer of dreams and mangler of the English language, stalks his prey undercover of darkness. Nobody is safe. I’m not naming names: here is not the space to settle scores. But I’ve metContinue reading “The Callous Arts Critic”
The Austerity Era Hogarth
Christopher Spencer, who makes wonderful collage art as Cold WarSteve, is a Birmingham artist who I adore. He’s the austerity era Hogarth as far as I’m concerned. The main image (above) is his Coronation postcard, created to celebrate the best of the UK. It’s got everyone from Bowie to The Clash, Laura Mvula to LilyContinue reading “The Austerity Era Hogarth”
Film Review: Boom For Real
Anyone who’s ever seen Julian Schnabel’s good but flawed film Basquiat knows where this documentary gets its name from: a news report that artist Jean – Michel Basquiat sampled this anguished line from, and turned into an artwork. Sara Driver’s documentary, from 2018, subtitled The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat , takes a muchContinue reading “Film Review: Boom For Real”
Barbara Kruger’s Legacy
What a forward-looking lady. Barbara Kruger was, making huge scale graphics and photography when the YBAs were babies. She still is. You can’t ever dilute the spirit of people like Kruger. Having cut her teeth working with luminaries like Diane Arbus, inspired by the likes of Walter Benjamin, Kruger creates unflinching, anti- capitalism work inContinue reading “Barbara Kruger’s Legacy”
Hit The North 