An acronym for the Middle East and North Africa, MENA refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around an expansive geographic region, typically considered to include around 19 countries – though the definition can be stretched to comprise up to 27, including Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman,…
A key event in China’s cultural and culinary calendar, the Mid-Autumn Festival, falling this year on Saturday 10 September, marks the point at which the moon is at its brightest and roundest, when loved ones typically gather for communal feasting and toasting. To pay homage to this auspicious occasion, Bun House founder Z He has…
The Common Guild in Glasgow is imminently set to present May amnesia never kiss us on the mouth (2020–ongoing) by the New York and Ramallah-based artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme. An evolving, multi-part project featuring sound, digital film installation and live performance, and existing in both physical and digital form, the presentation will launch…
Born in Tokyo in 1894, celebrated potter Shōji Hamada was a key figure in the Mingei Japanese folk-art movement, developed from the mid-1920s in Japan by philosopher and aesthete, Yanagi Sōetsu. Some years prior to the movement’s emergence, in 1921, a young Hamada travelled with his close friend and fellow potter Bernard Leach to the…
Widely regarded as a foreteller of the art landscape to come, presenting boundary-pushing works and ideas often in the nascent stages of formation, documenta is an enormous contemporary art exhibition that takes place in the German city of Kassel once every five years. This year’s edition, which is now open and running until 25 September…
A veritable melting pot, contemporary Peruvian culture has been shaped by the gradual blending of Amerindian cultures with European and African ethnic groups, as well as in parts, Chinese and Japanese influences, over centuries. Through history, the diversity and rugged geography of Peru allowed varied traditions and customs to co-exist and proliferate simultaneously. The establishment…
A seminal part of the country’s cultural identity, Greek foodways have been well-documented through images and texts since the ancient times. Lengthy lunches and late night dinners are the mainstay of Athens’ restaurant culture, where sharing plates, grilled meats, fresh seafood, and copious olive oil are at the heart of the offering. With a strong…
Trevor Mathison’s sonic practice centres on creating fractured, haunting aural landscapes, often integrating fragments of existing music. Having been featured in over thirty award-winning films, Mathison was a founding member of the cinecultural artist organisation, The Black Audio Film Collective (1982–1998), where his body of sonic designs defined and situated the group’s film and gallery…