Recognising the disappearance of artist studios and the closure of over 50% of dedicated LGBTQ+ spaces in London in the past decade, QUEERCIRCLE, helmed by Ashley Joiner and launched this month, seeks to support the LGBTQ+ community through an annual programme of physical and digital exhibition commissions, artist residencies and a public programme designed to…
Skilfully applying oil paint onto sanyan, a traditional Nigerian fabric used for draped clothing, Lagos-based artist Nengi Omuku’s work interrogates ambiguity and liminality with a focus on interior psychological spaces and how they manifest within the material world. In her fascinating works, multiple bodies depict a physical rendering of the layered subconscious. Creating ethereal scenes…
Currently based in London, Japanese vocal performer Hatis Noit’s impressive range is inspired by everything from Gagaku – a type of Japanese classical music that was historically performed in the imperial court – and operatic styles, to Bulgarian and Gregorian chanting, and avant-garde and pop vocalists. The name Hatis Noit itself is taken from Japanese…
Berbers, or Amazigh, are an ethnic group indigenous to North Africa, specifically Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, and to a lesser extent Mauritania, northern Mali, and northern Niger. The Amazigh define themselves as the original inhabitants of North Africa, however, over the centuries they have shared their lands with other groups, such as the Carthaginians,…
Udon is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, widely used in Japanese cuisine. The precise origin of udon remains somewhat of a mystery though there are several theories, the oldest of which suggests that the robust noodle came from China in the 700s. It first became popular with the Japanese population during the Edo…
Working together for a decade, Bárbara Wagner, born in Brasília, Brazil, and Benjamin de Burca, hailing from Munich, Germany, produce films and video installations that feature protagonists engaged in cultural production. The duo typically collaborates with non-actors to make their films, from writing scripts to staging performances on camera. The resulting works are marked by…
Born in Alexandria, Egypt, and currently based in Berlin, Germany, visual artist Mahmoud Khaled’s process-oriented and multidisciplinary practice could be regarded as formal and philosophical ruminations on art as political activism — a space for critical reflection. Moving between the scale of the minute and a more immersive totality, his work takes on failure, austere…
Compared to the wealth of literature dealing with modern art in the West, the scholarly and literary contributions to modern Arab art are scarce. Despite the lack of historical perspectives and accounts, the field is developing thanks to a number of active researchers and scholars and an increasing institutional support from regional and international organisations….