Latest posts
Alchemies of the Mundane: Bali’s Nonfrasa Gallery Finds the Sacred in the Everyday
In many ways, Common Beauty III: The Poetry of Patches, presented by Nonfrasa Gallery and curated by Gatari Surya Kusuma, reminded me of the Tunggul Besi Temple. Imagine a Balinese temple atop the foothills of a sacred volcano, believed to be the abode of the gods—Mount Agung. The temple has no walls, no grandiose architecture—just…
What Happens When Sculpture Dances?
In the sweltering heat, a figure shimmers onstage in Port of Spain, like something from a fever dream. It’s Carnival Tuesday in Trinidad, 1982. Two enormous wings, stretched over ten feet wide, iridescent and trembling, are attached to a golden man. The costume, Papillon, donned by eight time King of Carnival Peter Samuel, was designed…
A History of the Kolhapuri Chappal
“We acknowledge the sandals… are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage… We deeply recognise the cultural significance of such Indian craftsmanship. Please note that, for now, the entire collection is currently at an early stage of design development, and none of the pieces are confirmed to be produced or commercialised. We…
The Weight of Beauty: A Portrait and a Poem, by Aura Hope
The Weight of BeautyThe kind of man who’s done this a thousand times.Who knows beauty by heft, not hueby how it bruises when bundled too tightly,or droops under morning air. Hands that lift before the sun learns its name,palms lined with petals he never picked.He doesn’t need to admire softnessto carry it. No fanfare. No…
Interviews
Something Curated’s Best Interviews So Far This Year
Whether it’s artists, filmmakers, gallerists, musicians, chefs, or authors, Something Curated is always aiming to bring you illuminating and often-times wide-ranging conversations with those at the cutting edge of the arts and culture. Here’s a selection of our favourites from 2025 so far. And we can promise you can look forward to many more to…
Myths, Masks, and Mirrors: Marnie Weber’s Enduring Archetype...
Following their recent collaboration on Whispering Silence, a solo exhibition at Inspection Pit in West Sussex, artist Marnie Weber and curator Phoebe Ahern sit down to discuss some of the recurring themes in Weber’s work — from ageing and femininity to the performance of identity. Together, they reflect on Weber’s practice and how she subverts…
“I Can’t Afford to be Boring”: A Conversation with Novelist ...
Born in Germany but writing in English, Katharina Volckmer is one of a handful of female contemporary writers (another being Missouri Williams) who still loves to antagonise the reader and shatter a few taboos along the way. Her first novella The Appointment—published by Fitzcarraldo in 2020 and recently brought to the stage by Call My…
Pulsating Between the Micro and the Macro: A Conversation with Writer and Critic Arifa Akbar
As The Guardian’s chief theatre critic, it is perhaps inevitable that Arifa Akbar’s works of narrative nonfiction are unbuttoned from the constrictions of a single genre or perspective. Her second book Wolf Moon: A Woman’s Journey into the Night follows in the footsteps of her acclaimed memoir Consumed: A Sister’s Story by establishing a form…
Six Unique Artist Residencies With Application Deadlines in July
From a reimagined farmhouse in rural England to a collaborative design exchange in Rajasthan, these six opportunities – all with application deadlines this month – offer artists time, space, and support in new contexts. Rizq Art Initiative (RAi Residency) — Abu Dhabi, UAE The RAi Residency, based in Abu Dhabi, offers a rigorous three-month programme…
Please Meet the New £155 Teddy Bear Possessing ‘Tolerance, Acceptance, and Curiosity’
Anyone grown-up who sleeps with a cuddly toy has been vindicated this year, with various extremely clever and stylish women admitting they do so too. And now, such behaviour is set to be even more acceptable — nay, aspirational — with the arrival of Dolop. Described by its creator Ali Bradshaw as “a premium plush toy brand”, this takes…
After Arrow Factory: A New Chapter in China’s Grassroots Art Scene
For those unfamiliar with the history of China’s alternative art scene, a useful tip is to ask ChatGPT about “Arrow Factory Beijing.” People can quickly glimpse its epitomic significance: at just 15 square metres in size, it was established by three artists and curators in 2008, right before the Beijing Olympics. Located in a storefront…
Guides
The Best Contemporary Art Spaces in Mumbai
Following Something Curated’s guides to the best contemporary art spaces in Cairo and Marseille, the latest instalment in the series explores Mumbai’s flourishing art scene. Experimenter Co-founded by Prateek and Priyanka Raja in 2009 in Kolkata, Experimenter expanded to Mumbai in 2022 with a gallery in a restored 1890s building in Colaba. The gallery supports…
The Best Contemporary Art Spaces in Cairo
From artist-run initiatives and independent festivals to commercial galleries and more, Something Curated has compiled a guide to Cairo’s contemporary art scene – touching on film and music too. With special thanks to Egyptian director and photographer Zeina Aref for her on-the-ground recommendations. Gypsum Gallery Opened in 2013, Gypsum is the brainchild of curator Aleya…
A Restaurant Guide to Brno in the Czech Republic
Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, sits at the crossroads of Austria, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia, and Poland, and like most Czech food bears all of these influences on the food available in its centre, as well as a few more for good measure. It’s a couple of hours from Prague, has a…
At Home With Trailblazing Drinks Impresario Ryan Chetiyawardana, aka Mr Lyan
Ryan Chetiyawardana—better known across the world’s drinks industry as Mr Lyan—is the visionary bar owner who has sought to redesign cocktail as a craft through a fusion of science, art, and sustainability. He was brought up in Birmingham by a pastry‑chef mother, where immersed himself in food, art, and biology from a young age, later studying…
The Story Behind Jean Cocteau’s Mysterious Horsemen
A cinematic self-portrait by an artist who relished in muddying the lines between poetry, painting, theatre and film, in Jean Cocteau’s own words, his final feature, Testament of Orpheus (1960), “is nothing other than a striptease act, gradually peeling away my body to reveal my naked soul.” Throughout the film appear the enigmatic horsemen, heavily…
Five Books to Read in June 2025
June is time for big decisions which will likely shape the rest of summer, not least when it comes to books. Here are five recommendations to pack alongside that holiday page-turner. THE MÖBIUS BOOK, Catherine Lacey Bloomsbury Circus, pp. 240 Catherine Lacey is the author of recent literary sensation Biography of X which followed the…
“My Existence Is Inherently Political”: Inside Okiki Akinfe’s World
Okiki Akinfe paints from the in-between: the layered, often contradictory spaces where Britishness and Nigerian identity rub up against one another. Based in London, Akinfe’s work draws on personal memory, pop culture and academic research to question what it means to belong – and what it means to be seen. After studying painting at the…
From The Archive
Meet Harris Dickinson, the Compelling Lead Actor of ‘B...
British actor Harris Dickinson plays the lead role in Eliza Hittman’s critically acclaimed Beach Rats, which chronicles a young man’s struggle with his sexuality over the course of a summer, amid the stultifying machismo of outer Brooklyn. Opening in select theatres on 24 November, the film follows Frankie, portrayed by Dickinson, as he roams the…
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….