Cultural Marxism? A review of The Dialectics of Art
Ian Birchall reviews The Dialectics of Art, a new work by John Molyneux.
Agitating with Art: the Artivists at Work story so far
Artwork – not just ‘great art’ but cartoons and doodles – can add life and vibrancy to political messaging, and give people a mirror in which to recognise their own hopes and frustrations.
Cultural commodities that got us through 2020
From Netflix binges to a new theory of ‘alternative hedonism’, here are the shows, films, music, and books that kept us going in 2020.
Artistic platforms and political art
Allan Struthers explores the relationship of artwork and the platforms on which they are presented.
Artivists at Work 2
More from Artivists at Work: resisting NHS cuts, unsafe school reopenings and the gendered impacts of Covid-19.
Hearts and stomachs
Last week’s vote on the Trade Bill showed how the callous disregard for human life and food safety that Upton Sinclair exposed in his classic novel The Jungle is as relevant as ever.
Artivists at Work
Artivists at Work was formed in response to the government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Here’s a round-up of highlights from June and details of how to get involved.
The Fairplay Committee
Mitch Mitchell recounts the legacy of the Fairplay Committee, a group aiming to improve the conditions of black workers in the music industry.
Our key workers keep us strong
A May Day tribute to the key workers who are keeping us going in the face of the coronavirus crisis, and to remember those who have died.
The Unconquerable Inscription
To mark Lenin’s 150th birthday, The Artful Doodler has made a short film of Bertolt Brecht’s poem ‘The Unconquerable Inscription’ (1934).
Morris dancing, black face paint and racism: why it’s time to stop and think
Folk traditions should not be treated as fossils that are too brittle to evolve, argues Emma Rock. David Cameron found controversy and divided opinion this week by posing in a photograph with a Border Morris side wearing traditional black face paint in Banbury, near his Oxfordshire constituency. Many in the folk world will have greeted this latest gaffe […]
No laughing matter! The state of comedy in Britain
Mitch Mitchell takes a look at how popular comedy developed in the 1980s into something that challenged the oppressive ideas of society, rather than reinforcing them, as well as asking if there is any radical edge to comedy today.
‘I wouldn’t mind turning into a vermillion goldfish’ – Matisse’s cut-outs reviewed
The latest exhibition at the Tate Modern is of the cut-outs created by Henri Matisse in his later years. Mitch Mitchell shares his thoughts.