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Five Books to Read in November 2024
A selection of the best stuff that’s published in the last 30 days or so. THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE, Edward Said Fitzcarraldo Editions, pp. 384 With the International Criminal Courts issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes as I finish writing this…
FNT Comes to Brooklyn’s 99 Scott for an Unforgettable Night of Culture, Combat, and Community
What do you get when you mix the grit of underground fight clubs, the glamour of New York’s arts scene, and the energy of a late-night party? The answer is FNT, the brainchild of Bekim Trenova. Seeking to rekindle the spirit of “old New York,” FNT began as an illegal fight party, evolving into one…
Dreaming of Xi’an: Inside the Kitchen of ‘Chef’s Table’ Star Guirong Wei in London
During the course of the last 15 years, 36-year-old Guirong Wei has established herself among London’s preeminent Chinese chefs and the one at the vanguard of Xi’an cuisine and the culture of biang biang noodles around it. Having first put down roots at the now-cult favourite Xi’an Impression in the shadow of the Emirates stadium…
Rituals of Care: Antonio Obá at Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève
Rituals of Care marks the first mid-career survey in Europe for Brazilian artist Antonio Obá, an exhibition that reclaims historical narratives and delves into themes of spirituality and identity. Curated by Andrea Bellini, the show at the Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève spans two floors, offering a compelling exploration of Obá’s layered practice. Through a seamless…
Interviews
Cole Lu: “The Idea of Something Born From Destruction ...
Fusing historical and literary motifs with personal experiences, Taipei-born New York-based multidisciplinary artist Cole Lu’s works tell meandering stories of dissonance and longing. Bolstered by references from ancient mythologies, Lu’s sculptures and paintings — made of burnt wood panels, linen, engraved metal, and concrete — nod to diverse cultures and temporalities. On view now and…
“Spitting Is a Dubious Act” — In Conversation wi...
Combining poetry, film, sculpture and installation, French-Moroccan artist Tarek Lakhrissi’s transdisciplinary practice centres on queer and diasporic perspectives and experiences. His installations borrow their aesthetics from literature and pop culture, often using autofiction—the interfusion of a biographical report with fictional elements—to probe socio-political narratives. Inaugurating NıCOLETTı’s new London gallery space on 91 Paul Street, Lakhrissi’s…
Art in “the Belly of the Beast”: Why Pepón Osorio Is Showing...
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, multidisciplinary artist Pepón Osorio moved to the South Bronx in 1975. Informed by his background in theatre and performance as well as his experiences as a child services case worker and professor, he has pioneered a type of artmaking prioritising social engagement. His richly textured sculptures and installations examine…
How to Cook Mambow Chef Abby Lee’s Slow-Cooked, Spicy-Sour Asam Pedas Oxtail
This is a Malay dish famous in Kota Kinabalu, a coastal city in East Malaysia. Asam Pedas translates to ‘sour and spicy’ and is best known as a fish curry, with modern variations using okra, aubergine, and pineapple. However, I have only really seen the oxtail version cooked in that region. The main difference with…
Infringes: 7 Artist Films Interrogating Documentary’s Conventions
After seven years of making documentary films, a colleague’s remark kept me up at night: “Documentary release forms,” they said, “have been linked to a lineage of control mechanisms found in American slave photographic history.” I was stunned—and soon learned about cases like Harvard’s claim over the images of Tamara Lanier’s ancestors, upheld by the…
We Are All Characters Now
Lately, you can barely move on the internet for news of a lookalike competition. Once the preserve of the village fete or the more obscure corners of Comi Con, there was one this weekend for Dev Patel in San Francisco, described as “wholesome” by the writer, Taylor Lorentz. It followed similar outings recently for Harry Styles in…
Soil in Contemporary Art
As a foundation of life and a reservoir of history, soil is a powerful and timeless cultural symbol. The word “human” actually comes from the Latin word “humus,” meaning earth or ground. Reflecting on humanity’s relationship with the Earth, artists have long embraced soil as a medium, from Palaeolithic sculptures to Renaissance frescoes using soil…
Guides
Where to Eat Hot, Soupy Xiaolongbao and Shengjianbao in Shan...
While China struggles to rebuild its economy after the pandemic, Shanghai still retains its title as one of the country’s most exciting modern cities. As the creative capital, from Shanghai Art Week to Shanghai Fashion Week (the draw of which even Rihanna and A$AP Rocky can’t resist), the city emanates a shine from its ‘new…
Sue Park’s Seoul: An Artist’s Guide to South KoreaR...
After earning her masters in Sculpture at London’s Royal College of Art, South Korean artist Sue Park returned to Seoul to build her multidisciplinary practice, exploring existential themes from environmental change to personal relationships — underpinned by a precarious sense of uncertainty that characterises our future. Through a mix of mediums, such as embroidery, video,…
Five Brilliant Books to Read in October 2024
October is a very particular month in the publishing year, with the eyes and minds of every single publishing professional 99.9 percent geared toward the Frankfurt Book Fair (i.e. the biggest publishing trade fair in the world). Great new releases keep pouring in all the same, though. Here’s five to keep you reading as October…
Eating and Exploring in the Beautiful Alpine Town of Annecy
Almost 20 years ago, I spent a dreamy summer living with a host family in the Alpine town of Annecy, situated on one of Europe’s most magnificent lakes. The town is, in many ways, unchanged since then –crisscrossed by flowerbox-lined canals an almost luminescent shade of blue, and ever popular with package tourists in safari gear….
Everything Great Starts With Allium: A Recipe for Caramelised Onion Dill Pilaf With Coconut Lentil Stew
Everything great starts with an allium. That is the solemn fact of cooking. And so it is true here as well – an impromptu dinner salvaged by onions and dill, in tandem with mottled slate grey lentils slowly braised in coconut milk and vegetable stock. Both dishes are carb-heavy, but that doesn’t have to be…
Nothing Concrete: A Case Against Perfect Cities
Between train stations, office cubicles, waiting rooms, school corridors and parks, it is safe to assume that the places and buildings we inhabit have and continue to define the way we navigate space. Transit through infrastructure is pre-planned by others, so well that the design is barely noticeable, in perfect adherence to the behavioural anticipations…
Interview: In Conversation with Cerith Wyn Evans
Welsh conceptual artist Cerith Wyn Evans first came to attention in the 1980s as an experimental filmmaker, often collaborating with dancers and performers during this period. Today best known for his sculptures and site-specific installations, his works draw from a rich trove of references, spanning literature, music, philosophy, photography, poetry, art history and science. Employing…
From The Archive
The Studio Museum In Harlem Director & Chief Curator Th...
Thelma Golden is Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, the world’s leading institution devoted to visual art by artists of African descent. Golden began her career as a Studio Museum intern in 1987. The following year, she joined the Whitney Museum of American Art, where she launched her influential curatorial practice….
Interview: Ernesto Neto On Gravity, Togetherness & The ...
Since the 1990s, Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto has produced an inimitable body of work that is in equal parts informed by sensuality and spirituality. Inspired by the Brazilian Conceptualists Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica, as well as biomorphism, Minimalism and Arte Povera, Neto’s works engage all of our senses while asserting the human body as…
SC Exclusive: Notes on a Siren — a Film Essay by Justice Jam...
Director Justice Jamal Jones joins myth with modern themes of Black queerness and trans identity in their latest film, Notes on a Siren. Presented by Something Curated, and exclusively premiering on the site, the film was shot on location at Palm Heights in Grand Cayman. Jones expands on the thinking behind their mesmerising work below….