Apollo John Rwamparo speaks forlornly of the eight-legged stool, a symbol of authority for his ancient kingdom in Uganda, now glimpsed through a glass barrier at a museum thousands of miles away in Britain. The wooden stool is permanently exhibited at the University of Oxford, one of at least 279 objects there taken from Bunyoro-Kitara...
The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early months of 2020 shut down nearly all physical and social human activities. For musical practice this meant near death. Performing music is, after all, one of the oldest forms of social human engagement. In Nigeria, the shutdown of concerts and public music performances was swift....
The cover of The Routledge Handbook of Critical Studies in Whiteness carries a striking image courtesy of South African artist Norman Catherine. The image was created in 2015 as one of a set of digital prints and, typical of Catherine’s work, contrasts dark and light to present a cynical view of the world informed by...
Across 70 years of data on media subtitles for television and film, architecture and engineering are the most positively portrayed professions, whereas sales-related professions fare worst, find the authors of a new study published in PLOS ONE. Probing media depictions of professions can highlight stereotypes or discrimination. It can also underscore trends in career choices:...
Ancient Japanese art of kirigami guides artificial intelligence (AI) technique for durable, wearable electronics. Kirigami is the Japanese art of paper cutting. Likely derived from the Chinese art of jiǎnzhǐ, it emerged around the 7th century in Japan, where it was used to decorate temples. Still in practice today, the kirigami artist uses one piece of paper...
Sando Botticelli’s Primavera, or Allegory of Spring, painted in the late fifteenth century, is one of the most admired, yet controversial, paintings in the world. A perennial celebration of the most vibrant season, it evokes the spirit of spring through its depictions of figures from classical mythology. Standing in a grove, from left to right, we can see...
Museums don’t usually need seventeen curators to mount one exhibit, but that’s how many worked on an eclectic new show at the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). Exclusively curated by museum guards, Guarding the Art features nearly thirty works of art handpicked from the BMA’s collection. “Our security officers spend more time in our galleries and living among our...
Every day I open Facebook and see the same picture: Hanna Sherman, the editor-in-chief of Antiquarian magazine, photographs her feet in cosy slippers against the backdrop of an ordinary Kyiv kitchen. Every morning she posts a new snapshot, taken from about the same angle. I already recognise the items in Hanna’s kitchen. A table, a TV above...
Spellbinding views – both indoors and out – will grace the future home of the Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art at the University of California, Irvine when it opens along Campus Drive near Jamboree Road – a location UCI officials announced today. The North Campus site – which is near...
Rarely do we get to explore new original art. Most of the contemporary works we experience in galleries, museums, and private collections are heavily inspired by previously created works, which of course will inspire future artists. We met artist Boris Ostrerov over a decade ago and while he is consistent with his art, he continues...
