Facing a dark past with playful art

At a glance, the twisted body of a woman chained to a bed inside a prison cell constructed inside The Container gallery in Tokyo, an art space converted from a container that sits inside a hair salon – spaces c...

Frieze 2013: the Glass round-up

Weaving through the scrutinising alabaster booths of Frieze Art Fair, the question that I found myself repeatedly asking was: does an Art Fair have to be, by definition, a spectacle? In the context of the frame...

Nothing about Trees

Probably the most exciting art shows I have seen recently were those I could relate to an experience – of light, of space; of environment in general. It seems as though single artworks – or even installations –...

Kulture kid: Visiting Frieze Art

The best thing I heard at Frieze Art Fair this year was, “Daddy that would look great on our wall!” The father in question looked up, noted it, and moved on to a higher purpose. The worst thing I saw was my...

In the footsteps of Hiroshige

When I was back in London last summer, I came across Carl Randall’s painting, Mr Kitazawa’s Noodle Bar, Tokyo‚ while wandering through the National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Award 2012 exhibition. The way ...
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Finest China

Forged by the flames of Chinese kilns, porcelain (also called “china ”, “fine china” or “chinaware”), has been collected and revered for centuries. Translucent when held up to the light, strong and emitting a r...

I am in Puglia

  This is the tale of my discovery of Puglia, the most surprising Italian province one can imagine. Far from the clichéd advertisements one sees displayed around London and other major cities, Pugli...

We shall meld

Evolving from the Slow Food movement, which originated in Italy in the 1980s when a group of people resisted the opening of a McDonald’s in a small town, the phrase “Slow Life” describes a way of living that ...

Slouching towards Bethlehem

Located in the heart of the enchanting Swiss countryside, the international show Art Basel brings together the best of contemporary art from galleries around the world all under one roof. This year, the mood ...

Framing the veil

The power of Shirin Neshat’s work resides in her uncanny ability to turn ordinary things into meaningful art. The Iranian artist, born in 1957, became an international art star in the mid-1990s when she transfo...

One moment – now

“When in broad daylight I open my eyes, it is not in my power to choose whether I shall see or no, or to determine what particular objects shall present themselves to my view; and so likewise as to the hearin...