Now displayed in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Frederic Leighton’s 1895 oil painting Flaming June orbits an unconscious female subject. Against the painting’s calculated — almost architectural — composure, this image of female repose becomes a charged site where sex and sexual desire are insistently inscribed. Leighton choreographs the woman’s body into a carefully… Continue reading The trouble with Sleeping Beauty — desire, desirability and the unconscious female body
After World War I, Yugoslav artists and intellectuals pursued a clear cultural objective — to assert their place within European modernity as equals, not as latecomers. Their response was neither imitation of the existing European art nor quiet assimilation. Instead, they entered the cultural arena with the conviction that they already belonged there. Through publishing,… Continue reading The Yugoslav avant-garde legacy in European contemporary art
Since I’m fairly new to Berlin, I start each month by browsing through the holy trinity — The Berliner, Visit Berlin Blog and Berlin.de (the official website of Berlin), looking for events, festivals and exhibitions that I may wish to attend. Given that the month of February is largely defined by Valentine’s Day, this month’s… Continue reading Gallery Looks — exhibition at the Gemäldegalerie
In contemporary society, resistance is no longer just a political act; it is an embodied experience that is expressed through the body, in the sounds of protest and in the creation of art. Across galleries, digital spaces and city streets, art has become one of the most powerful soft tools for challenging authority by creating… Continue reading The art of resistance
They found her by mistake — a life sealed away in cardboard and dust, as though she’d slipped herself into the margins of the world and trusted time itself to stumble upon her one day. Inside that storage locker were hundreds of rolls of film, some never touched by light, as if she believed certain… Continue reading Vivian Maier and the art of being seen
It is February in Rio de Janeiro, and the sweltering summer is showing no signs of surrender. “Bafado, né?” affirms Mateus, who will show me around. A lush green canopy stretches overhead, its leaves casting a dappled glow over the cobbled driveway as they soak up the morning rays. I am at Sítio Roberto Burle… Continue reading Roberto Burle Marx and the art of the tropical garden
There are times when I think of Monet, not the artist immortalised on posters and tote bags, but the man standing knee-deep in mud beside the Seine, brush trembling in cold fingers on an autumn morning much like this one. The sting of rejections whirling through his mind, and the quiet ache of believing in… Continue reading Monet and the cost of creation
There are nights when the rain sounds like it’s trying to speak to me. It taps on the window in hesitant rhythms, as if unsure whether I’m listening. I slip into my darkroom with a roll of film in my pocket, nothing remarkable, just small moments I wasn’t sure were worth remembering, and close the… Continue reading Hopper and the art of being alone
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of replicating reality, the role of human creativity is being re-evaluated. AI can already mimic human likenesses and replicate natural scenes with stunning precision, and this precision will only grow greater. The question then arises: what is the point of replicating reality in art now that technology can do… Continue reading What can cubism teach us about creating in a world with AI?
“Remember, size is no guarantee of strength. We may be the smallest gallery in Soho, but we intend it to carry big ideas.” Philip Levine Philip established The Smallest Gallery in Soho in 2016. He has been working in the creative and cultural industries for the last two decades as a producer. This has ranged… Continue reading The smallest gallery in Soho — a small space with big ideas
