Six must-see summer exhibitions – reviewed by our experts
Looking for something to do this Summer? Our experts have gone to some of the best exhibitions around the UK and given us their take on it. From retrospectives of painter Peter Howson’s work in Edinburgh and filmmaker Brian Desmond…
The fascinating Cameroonian art of spider divination is on display at London exhibition
Tomás Saraceno In Collaboration: Web(s) of Life, which opened at London’s Serpentine South Gallery in June, explores how humans relate to spiders. It features installations of spider webs displayed and lit to be viewed as sculptures. There are also films:…
50 years ago, an artist convincingly exhibited a fake Iron Age civilization – with invented maps, music and artifacts
Invented civilizations are usually thought of as the stuff of sci-fi novels and video games, not museums. Yet in 1972, the Andrew Dickson White Museum of Art at Cornell University exhibited “The Civilization of Llhuros,” an imaginary Iron Age civilization….
artist who mesmerizes and befuddles in equal measure
Nigerian artist and lecturer Dilomprizulike, who curated, among other things, the Junkyard Museum of Awkward Things in Lagos, wages a continuous battle on two fronts. First, as an easily misunderstood human being and then as an artist making perplexingly noncommercial…
From rock carvings to rock music – the prevalence of bees in art throughout human history
With a looming biodiversity crisis and concerns over food security and sustainability, bees are frequently making news headlines. The importance of bees in our society as pollinators and honey producers appears to have led to their increased popularity in many…
How a 1989 poster became a fixture on the front lines in the battle over abortion rights
For abortion rights advocates, Barbara Kruger’s iconic feminist image “Untitled (Your body is a battleground)” remains as relevant today as when it was first released in 1989. Following the May 2, 2022, leak of Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito’s…
This university class uses color and emotion to explore the end of life
Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. Title of course: “The Colors of Life and the End of Life” What prompted the idea for the course? For many years, I’ve worked as…
Iran’s street art shows defiance, resistance and resilience
A recent rise in activism in Iran has added a new chapter to the country’s long-standing history of murals and other public art. But as the sentiments being expressed in those works have changed, the government’s view of them has…
memorials to the man who led Ghana to independence have been built, erased and revived again
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park lies at the centre of Ghana’s capital, Accra. Recently renovated, it is dedicated to the memory of Kwame Nkrumah, the leader of Ghana’s independence struggle and its first president. Marking the spot of his final resting…
The science behind why hobbies can improve our mental health
The pandemic has taken its toll on many peoples’ mental health. Given the fear of the virus and the government restrictions on movement many may understandably be feeling more lonely, anxious, and depressed than usual. The World Health Organization (WHO)…
