A visit to Hogarth’s House in Chiswick highlights, perhaps better than any other historic site I’ve been to, the stark difference between how historic figures experienced London and its environs vs. how we do today. A Visit To Chiswick It’s funny. The reason I knew that Hogarth’s House was a visitor attraction in West London […]
A review of the multi-sensory installation of work by Ryoji Ikeda, on now at 180 The Strand. In which I am reminded that I am an art enthusiast more than a cool art insider. Disclaimer: this is really not a great art exhibition for anyone who is sensitive to strobe/flashing/bright lights. This includes some of […]
An illustrated walk along the Thames from Chelsea to Westminster, exploring various London curiosities along the way. Exploring Further Along the Thames: Chelsea to Westminster Those of you who regularly read my blog posts will be getting well-acquainted with the Docklands and City of London by now. We have been on walks around Wapping, Rotherhithe, […]
If you were in charge of exhibition programming, and you had a passion for a subject which perhaps wasn’t quite right for your museum, what would you do? It’s an interesting question, which could be argued a couple of ways. Is it better to stick to your institution’s core values and strengths, or to push […]
The V&A present an exhibition on Tropical Modernism, a subject with a lot more to unpack than may meet the eye in terms of colonial and anti-/de-/postcolonial politics; internationalism and nationalism; past, present and future. Tropical Modernism As a person with interests in architecture, postcolonialism, and complex historical narratives, I have had Tropical Modernism: Architecture […]
Soulscapes promises “a contemporary retelling of landscape by artists from the African Diaspora.“ What precisely does that mean? Let’s find out! Soulscapes One thing I definitely appreciate about the Dulwich Picture Gallery is the variety of their exhibitions. The last time we were there it was for Rubens and Women. The time before that it […]
A thought-provoking and deeply reflective exhibition, Entangled Pasts, 1768-now looks inwards and outwards to examine the Royal Academy‘s entanglements with British colonial history over the centuries. Entangled Pasts, 1768-now “What does it mean for the Royal Academy to stage an exhibition in 2024 that reflects on its role in helping to establish a canon of […]
A lot of pre-Roman and Roman history to explore at Verulamium Museum, including some of the best mosaics outside the Mediterranean. The museum is just one part of a Roman day out in modern St Albans. A Short History of Verulamium The Roman city of Verulamium lies almost, but not quite, under the modern city […]
The Tate co-organised exhibition Radical Landscapes moves to the William Morris Gallery, bringing with it new connections and meaning. Radical Landscapes Landscapes are not neutral. This is the central thesis of Radical Landscapes. Instead, the exhibition suggests, landscapes are a contested space in life as in art. Radical Landscapes is all about how we view, […]
Londoners, the largest and most diverse botanical (and mycological) collections in the world are on your doorstep in the form of Kew Gardens! A lovely place for a day out and you may even learn something along the way. Kew Gardens I don’t know why it is that I always feel the need to justify […]
