Sucker Punch is an insightful portrait of 1980s Britain, the world of boxing, and the barriers faced by young Black men in both. Sucker Punch Boxing. It’s one of those things. The prowess, the energy, the passion. It can bear the weight of stories greater than the fights themselves. It’s not so long ago I […]
Continuing my exploration of Tate exhibitions of female sculptors, Maria Bartuszová’s works in plaster combine the solid and the ephemeral in pleasingly natural forms. Maria Bartuszová I wrote recently when I went to see Magdalena Abakanowicz: Every Tangle of Thread and Rope about the Tate’s efforts to exhibit the work of female sculptors. Why sculptors […]
Peter Doig’s recent works show why he is such an important contemporary painter. This small Courtauld Gallery show gives space to the complexity and uniqueness of his art historical and personal references. Peter Doig Long-time readers know that the Courtauld Gallery’s exhibition space is one of my London favourites. The main reason is that it […]
This exhibition on abstraction by female artists aims to widen our understanding of this important mid-Century tendency in art. How wide it casts its net in achieving this is both its strength and its weakness. Action, Gesture, Paint “Don’t boil the ocean” is something my former boss used to say. Meaning that if you try […]
Dominic Cooke’s simple take on Robinson Jeffers’ version of Medea gives plenty of space for devastating performances, especially from Sophie Okonedo in the lead role. Medea That a story that goes at least as far back as Euripides in 431BCE continues to resonate with us today tells us something about human nature. About suffering and […]
An informative and thoughtfully-curated exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands, Executions does not shy away from London’s bloody past. Executions As an exhibition, Executions basically does what it says on the tin. It’s about executions. Specifically in London. Centuries of bloodshed and violence, baying crowds and those making money off them. Places that seem […]
This pleasant production of one of Gilbert & Sullivan’s lesser-performed works, Ruddigore is full of ghostly fun and frivolity. A ‘Difficult’ Gilbert & Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan operettas seem to be one of those things that attracts a very solid fan base. I’m more of a casual visitor into the Gilbert & Sullivan world, so […]
An unexpected work from all-migrant Vandens Karta Ensemble, The Cathedral delves into the deepest corners of misogyny, religion and female shame and empowerment. The Cathedral Two women pray and sing religious songs. A femme de joie cleans a church somewhere near Marseille. A lost tourist gives up her search for Michelangelo and instead attempts… what […]
A meta-theatrical response to Waiting for Godot, Nothing Happens (Twice) is so witty and honest that for me it surpasses the original entirely and will become the yardstick by which I measure Beckett. Nothing Happens (Twice) What do you do when you want to perform Waiting for Godot but you can’t get the rights because […]
The first visual arts exhibition by the Kakilang festival team, State-less 無國界 confronts visitors with art that delves into the specificities of place and home, but also the commonalities of human experience. State-less 無國界 Kakilang festival is in full swing! Regular readers will remember my review of HOME X some weeks ago, a global event […]
