As told to Adam Coghlan. I first came to London in 2008 for a job opportunity at Barshu, a restaurant in central London’s Chinatown. At that time, I noticed many of my colleagues were moving abroad for work. They often mentioned that working overseas not only offered better pay but also a chance to open…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
As part of T A P E’s SNAPSHOT, a year-long touring programme featuring films exploring Black girlhood, made by Black female filmmakers, MILISUTHANDO, directed, written and narrated by Milisuthando Bongela, is screening in select cinemas until March 2025. A deeply intimate portrait of past, present and future South Africa, blending poetry, film, and photography into…
All We Imagine As Light is filled with moments of beauty: moonlight filtering through cobalt saris fluttering by the open window as two women whisper in bed; a transcendent act of lovemaking suffused in golden light; a static shot of a woman reading verses of Malayalam poetry penned by a hesitant lover lit by the…