Master photographer, antiquarian, disciple of mathematics, self-proclaimed unlicensed architect and master of forgery; septuagenarian polymath Hiroshi Sugimoto is in Sydney for the opening of his largest-ever retrospective. The Museum of Contemporary Art is the centrepiece of his aptly titled show Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine, which debuted at London’s Hayward Gallery last year and is scheduled … Read more
Although you’ll find schnitzel with noodles and crispy apple strudel on many traditional tavern menus, there’s more to this city’s increasingly exciting food scene than that. Salzburg is now making impressive progress on the culinary front, with chefs advocating regional sourcing and serving seasonal dishes with finesse. Now you can go from organic brunch to … Read more
It’s time again for the Summer Exhibition, the perpetually unstable mix of works by professional artists (the Academy’s hundred or so academics) and hundreds of hopeful amateurs. Selected from open submissions and by a rotating committee, it results every year in more than 1,000 works hanging on every available wall: cat paintings, discarded abstractions that … Read more
As a visitor to the Lake District you would be forgiven for imagining that the main attractions are daffodils, Grasmere gingerbread, Herdy (the bleating autumn silk variety) And the brand), mountain watercolors and lake steamers. These associations with the region have become so close that it is now a victim of its own commercial image. … Read more
Every summer since the days of Mao Zedong, leaders of the Chinese Communist Party flock to the coastal town of Beidaihe to debate the country’s future from the comfort of luxurious seaside villas hidden behind high walls. A four-hour drive from the hustle and bustle of Beijing, it was a perfect place to escape the … Read more
Breasts have been a focus in the culture wars of the past fifty years. I think of the second-wave feminists who ditched their bras in the 1970s, and the ongoing judgmental debates over breastfeeding, and the even more fraught and recent hostilities surrounding trans healthcare. Recent celebrations of feminine sensuality, reflected in things like #freethenip, … Read more
Hundreds of excited, high-flying international arts players, a strange culture minister and a few CIAO-barking celebrities cram onto a sinking island… what could go wrong? That film played out last week as the Venice Biennale – now in its 60th year and the world’s longest-running, preeminent contemporary art festival – opened after a Spritz-infused preview … Read more
Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan poses next to his artwork “Untitled” (2001) – Chesnot/Getty Images When Maurizio Cattelan was invited to participate in the Vatican pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale this year, he says, he was “the first to be surprised.” At 63, the Italian still has a reputation as the great blasphemer of contemporary … Read more