criticismism ii – Page 60 – art at two removes

January 15, 2010

Taking a view on London's East End art scene

Many will tell you that London is the centre of the art world. And if you had to choose a centre for art in that city, it would still have to be the East End. “It really is London’s cultural engine,” says Rachel Mapplebeck of Whitechapel Gallery. “It’s also got…

January 15, 2010

Politics for sale at the 2010 London Art Fair

London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, London, until January 17 2010 “The cynic,” Oscar Wilde once said, “knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” In which case, London Art Fair risks making cynics of us all. 136 galleries and dealers have set out their stalls at the…

December 4, 2009

The Santa Special phenomenon

Nothing to do with art, just a vaguely entertaining seasonal story. Santa swaps sleigh for steam trains all across the UK. Read more.

November 26, 2009

Fortress of Solitude by David Blandy at 176 / Zabludowicz Collection

Published on Culture24 David Blandy â€“ Fortress of Solitude, 176 / Zabludowicz Collection, London, until Summer 2010 Strap on the artificial guitar and fire up the games console and you are ready to enter David Blandy’s world. It is indeed, as he demonstrates, a stage. We find our truth in…

November 25, 2009

The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting & Sculpture 1600-1700

Published on Culture24 The Sacred Made Real at The National Gallery, London, until January 2010 As you would expect from a pallid corpse in a darkened room, Dead Christ draws quite a crowd. Gregorio FernÃ¡ndezâ€™s wooden bier is surrounded by a dozen curious visitors. If this was a roadside, they…

November 16, 2009

Just Jack at Concorde 2

Just Jack played at Concorde 2 and I went along for News of the World. Here’s the result.

November 15, 2009

Bright Star tourist trail

Here’s a piece I wrote about Keats heritage sites for Culture24, all aimed to tie in with a certain movie.

November 10, 2009

Fave five albums of the decade

My personal pick of this decade’s albums is available to peruse at Scrawls and Bawls, which also carries loads of good interviews and reviews.Â If you like music, check it out.

November 8, 2009

Laura Marling at Concorde2

Laura Marling played a support set at Concorde2 in Brighton last week.Â It was good, but not as good as headline act Daniel Johnston. Anyway, my review for News of the World can be found here. Scroll down.

November 5, 2009

Coin collection shines at the Ashmolean Museum

Published on Culture24 The Â£61m redevelopment at the Ashmolean Museum has made headlines this week, but another money-related story of no less interest can be found at the new building in Oxford. The museum is also home to a raft of coins ranking among the ten most important monetary collections…