A review of Soheila Sokhanvari: Rebel Rebel at the Barbican in London. This small exhibition in the Barbican’s Curve space is a shrine to the women of pre-Revolutionary Iran. Soheila Sokhanvari I enjoy the Barbican’s Curve space as an opportunity to discover new artists. The long, sleek, one room exhibitions are often provocative. And so […]
A review of On The Ropes, a dramatised true story co-written by former boxer Vernon Vanriel. Over twelve rounds in the ring we chart heady highs, personal lows, and a case study in the inhumanity of the ‘hostile environment’. Vernon ‘The Entertainer’ Vanriel You may have seen renewed press coverage this week of Vernon Vanriel’s […]
The British Museum’s exhibition Hieroglyphs focuses on the Rosetta Stone in order to tell the story of the decipherment of the language of Ancient Egypt. A Little Pre-Reading I wrote once several years ago about an exhibition at the British Museum which left me with a feeling of disappointment: what I thought was quite an […]
A commission at the London Mithraeum’s Bloomberg SPACE sees artist Mariana Castillo Deball responding to the often discarded, lost or unwanted objects that become archaeological finds. Roman Rubbish, in other words. A Return To The Mithraeum It has been quite a while since I visited London’s Mithraeum. I walked past on a Roman London walk […]
Will I ever run out of versions of A Christmas Carol to see at Christmastime? It doesn’t look like it so far! This year it’s Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol and A Dickensian Christmas, both at the Southbank Centre. A Christmas Relapse I tried quite hard to avoid overdosing on A Christmas Carol this […]
A review of Carolee Schneemann: Body Politics, on for a few more weeks at the Barbican. Schneemann’s politically engaged work, often focused on her body and sexuality, still appears radical to audiences decades after its creation. Female/Feminist Artists: Under The Spotlight It seems to me like female artists are undergoing something of a rebalancing at […]
A revival of C. P. Taylor’s 1981 play Good sees David Tennant take on the lead role as a professor who rationalises his participation in the Nazi regime. Good Good is probably the best-known work by C. P. Taylor, who unfortunately died aged 52 before its initial West End run. He was nonetheless a prolific […]
What an adaptation of the beloved classic in this Christmas show by Poltergeist! An Alice in Wonderland set in Brixton and the London Underground, on at Brixton House until 31 December. Alice In Wonderland Theatre company Poltergeist, whose work we have seen once before, have created something really special here. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis […]
A lovely storytelling event by the Crick Crack Club held at the British Museum, in which we hear the millennia-old story of Gilgamesh. The Crick Crack Club I’ve been wanting to see something by the Crick Crack Club for some time. To be fair the only thing holding me back from this is a packed […]
Let’s get the Christmas season underway with this adaptation of the beloved 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life, performed as an opera by the English National Opera (ENO). Warning: allusions to suicide. Plus plenty of spoilers. It’s A Wonderful Life “This year,” I thought, “I will do something different. I need to branch out from […]
