#12. Unlock the Transformative Power of the Arts
This Week: Cultural Politics | Meditations on Caspar David Friedrich | Is Reality TV Art? | InnerVisions with Trumpeter Aaron Akugbo | Olafur Eliasson Breakdancing | Poland's School of Posters |
Time marches inexorably on. Already we’re on Week 12 and it’s becoming harder to cram in all the wonderful things that are happening in the world of arts and culture that we desperately want to tell you about. We’re also aware that this has so far been a mostly one-sided endeavour (except for: Alan who turned us on to Japanese shoegaze band Mass of the Fermenting Dregs in Week 7, Charlie from Crypt of the Wizard who gave us his top heavy metal recommendations, and Jeff at BBE Music through whom we discovered NY DJ/producer duo musclecars). But we’re greedy and we want to hear more from you!
So, tell us about what’s happening where you are. Who are the up-and-coming fine artists we need to know about? The young (or old) photographers, filmmakers, sculptors, writers, DJs, bands, dancers, game developers, fashion designers? If it’s creative, it’s art in our minds, and therefore all helps to make us feel good.
Right, on with the show, but just to say that if you do find any of this useful or vaguely entertaining, please consider supporting our charitable endeavours by upgrading to a paid subscription. Or if you’d just like to show your appreciation, you might want to buy us a Ko-fi as a thank you.
"You use a glass mirror to see your face. You use works of art to see your soul" – George Bernard Shaw
HAT TIP | This week’s 🔥 artist:
Thandiwe Muriu's work takes you on a colourful, reflective journey through her world as a woman living in modern Kenya, as she reinterprets contemporary African portraiture.
CULTURE BELONGS TO EVERYONE | It’s coming! A general election has been announced in the UK for the 4th of July. Things will really start to hot up now as cultural organisations make the case for investment in the sector. The Cultural Philanthropy Foundation’s Culture Makes… campaign is a coalition of over 150 culture and heritage organisations celebrating the many ways culture has an impact on our lives:
We’ll be following the campaign closely over the coming months, especially their focus on physical health, mental health and wellbeing because CULTUR.ART is 100% behind the idea that the arts can make us healthier and happier by elevating joy, alleviating stress, and infusing life with meaning.
“Art is everything. Even more so if you have nothing. It’s escapism, it’s life affirming, it’s a career, it’s world opening. It’s narrative changing. Thing is - being poor is one thing, but not having access to these riches can be devastating” - Chris Sonnex, Artistic Director and joint CEO, Cardboard Citizens
We’re also right behind Creative UK, an independent network that believes in the power of creativity and the creative industries to change lives, placing creativity at the heart of the UK’s culture, economy and education system.
Check out their manifesto, which outlines a vision for the UK’s creative future, where the cultural and creative industries can deliver their full potential, generating social and economic prosperity across our nation.
“We have a vision for Our Creative Future – where real investment is made into a sector which, quite simply, makes life all the better for living” - Caroline Norbury, Creative UK CEO
FEELINGS ALONE TELL YOU WHAT’S BEAUTIFUL | This statement from German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich was a call for more mindfulness. In 1822. Old Caspar - this year marks the 250th anniversary of his birth - was on to something. He loved nothing more than wandering into the countryside in search of artistic inspiration. There, confronted by the overwhelming beauty of nature, he was struck by man’s insignificance in the face of the sublime. The profound spiritual encounters Caspar had on his travels were captured in his detailed paintings, which today still remind us of the meditative wonder of the world around us. This year, there are numerous events celebrating his life and work, including Infinite Landscapes at the Staatliche Museen in Berlin, which features among the 60 or so paintings and 50 drawings, one his most iconic works The Sea of Ice (1823-24). Until 4 August.
BRAVO, BRAVO, F*CKING BRAVO. IS REALITY TV ART? | Whether you’re an avid fan or simply can’t stand it, it’s hard to deny the impact reality TV has had on popular culture, from influencing movies, celebrities and fashion, to giving a voice to those who may not previously have been heard. Does this make it an art form? Before you jump to your own conclusion, check our this week’s feature article by self-confessed reality TV addict, Stephanie Devereux. READ MORE.
A BRIDGE TO BITCOIN | Matthias Dörfelt is a Los Angeles-based artist using software to produce artefacts ranging from drawings, prints, animation, videos and interactive installations to robotics. Fusing art and technology, the 2017 Lumen Prize winner has brought the intangible concept of Bitcoin to life in a series of striking representations. Block Bills uses computer coding to extract data from the Bitcoin blockchain and transform it into 64 beautiful banknote designs. The archival digital prints on paper, measuring 5.9 x 3.3 inches, serve as a bridge between the virtual and physical worlds.
Matthias Dörfelt, Block Bills, 2017 Lumen Prize Still Image Award Winner
WHY DON'T YOU...? | Stop scrolling and go and do something less boring instead:
Watch | In the latest episode of our InnerVisions video series, join Aaron Agukbo, a trailblazing trumpet player, as he shares his journey of self-discovery within the classical music world. From challenging stereotypes to embracing his identity, Aaron opens up about his experiences, struggles, and triumphs.
Read | Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck (and translated by Michael Hofmann) won the International Booker Prize earlier this week, making Erpenbeck the first German writer (and Hofmann the first male translator) to win it. Set in mid-1980s Berlin, it’s an intimate and devastating love story about the breakdown of a relationship during a seismic period in European history. An intense and sudden attraction, fuelled by a shared passion for music and art, and heightened by the secrecy the couple must maintain, begins to crumble when she strays for a single night and he cannot forgive her. (As an affiliate of Bookshop.org, purchases will also go to support CULTUR.ART)
Listen | Ever wondered whether renowned installation artist Olafur Eliasson can breakdance? Neither had we, but it’s satisfying to know that he can pop with the best of them, as evidenced in his new music video for South Korean-born DJ and producer, Peggy Gou. Gou will release her long-awaited debut album I Hear You on June 7, which as well as the ‘90s house inspired 1+1=11, also features viral hit (It Goes Like) Nanana and Lenny Kravitz collaboration I Believe in Love Again.
“When I was a teenager, breakdancing changed my life. I was into popping, moving like a robot, and doing the electric boogie. Street dance enabled me to explore the space of my body in relation to the world around me. I came to realise that by moving, I could change space. I could change what I saw and what I sensed. And these experiences actually proved foundational for my later artistic work” - Olafur Eliasson
Play | After struggling to find his place in the game industry, Neil Jones decided to start his own studio. His goal is to create games featuring black characters and unique stylised designs that stand out, and to open doors for future black developers in the gaming industry. His latest offering, Aerial_Knight's We Never Yield, follows two brothers - kings who were forced from their thrones as children - as they work to reclaim their kingdom and save their people. They must put aside their rivalry and band together to defeat their evil aunt who took everything from them.
Buy (Less, Buy Better) | Friends Harriet and Sylwia bonded over a love of posters from the Polish School, a movement that began in the 1950s under strict Soviet rule when artists broke all design conventions to produce innovative propaganda posters for the Ministry of Art & Culture. During that time, Poland’s greatest artists and graphic designers found subtle ways to introduce subversive thinking without sharing any overt political views. Through their store, Projekt 26, Harriet and Sylwia sell originals and reprints of these incredible vintage posters.
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Visit | All aboard the Techno Train! Nuremburg nightclub Haus 33’s twice yearly train-based clubbing experience leaves the station in a couple of weeks. Tickets for the seven-hour techno trundle through the Bavarian countryside are hard to come by but if you can get your hands on one, it looks well worth the effort. There’s an after-party at a local (stationary) nightclub upon arrival, or you might just want to book yourself onto the sleeper train back again after all that raving.
ART FOR ART’S SAKE | Iceland has a penis museum, and now London has its very own vagina equivalent. The Vagina Museum was founded with the intention of busting the stigma of the gynaecological anatomy and being part of a societal shift from bodily shame to celebration. Its vision is a world where no one is ashamed of their bodies, everyone has bodily autonomy, and all of humanity works together to build a society that is free and equal. Current exhibition “Museum of Mankind” is a parody that highlights misogyny and oppression in history, heritage and the museum industry.
See you next week.
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