Features
theartsdesk in Helsinki: Niubi FestivalSunday, 14 September 2014
Tulegur Gangzi describes his music as “Mongolian grunge” and “nomad rock.” Thrashing at an acoustic guitar, the Inner-Mongolian troubadour is singing in the khomei style, the throat-singing which sounds part-gargle, drone and chant – or all... Read more... |
Immoral Tales: When Art Met PornographyWednesday, 10 September 2014
The release of a restored version of 1974’s Immoral Tales on Blu-ray raises inevitable and unavoidable issues: whether the film is pornography, art or arty pornography. Then, there’s the matter of whether its director Walerian Borowczyk was a... Read more... |
Happy Birthday To Us: theartsdesk is FiveTuesday, 09 September 2014
The Arts Desk is, astonishingly, five years old today. Launched on the numerically pleasing date 09/09/09, its survival and indeed thriving state is testament to the hard work, flair and critical nous of its contributors – a mixture of experienced... Read more... |
Listed: theartsdesk's Greatest HitsTuesday, 09 September 2014
To celebrate our fifth birthday, we offer you an insight into what you, the readers, have devoured in the greatest numbers across the various art forms in both reviews and features. Google Analytics has taught us a great deal about your reading... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Limerick: A Royal Visit From GrandmaMonday, 08 September 2014
The traffic warning signs into Limerick City from Shannon Airport told their own story: first “Giant saga in progress”, then “City of Culture giant event”, followed by “Giant’s diversion”. Had Finn McCool made a return visit and started reciting... Read more... |
Joan Rivers, 1933-2014Friday, 05 September 2014
Age could not wither her, or so it appeared. Joan Rivers has died, aged 81. On her 80th birthday she told an interviewer she’d be celebrating with her eightieth face. Her caustic humour could leave your nerves jangling, but she was the butt of it as... Read more... |
LFF 2014: Programme LaunchWednesday, 03 September 2014
A pair of Oscar hopefuls that take wildly divergent perspectives on World War II were confirmed today as the opening and closing night films of the 58th annual BFI London Film Festival, running 8-19 October at a range of venues across the capital.... Read more... |
Time, Weather, Place: Folkestone Triennial 2014Monday, 01 September 2014
The crusty old Scottish artist Ian Hamilton Finlay died in 2006, but there’s a new art work by him at this year’s Folkestone Triennial. You won’t be able to see it with the naked eye, but you can through a pair of binoculars. If you peer through a... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Budapest: Sziget to CitySunday, 31 August 2014
In Budapest, when your building turns a century old, you’re invited to be part of Budapest 100, a city-wide birthday celebration-cum-open-house invitation. It’s a direct way of experiencing the applied, lived-in artistry of the city, past and... Read more... |
Richard Attenborough, 1923-2014Monday, 25 August 2014
Richard Attenborough made himself known to the British public as a shark-eyed, snivelling psychopath. Pinkie, the teen gangster he portrayed in the Boulting Brothers’ 1947 film of Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock, chilled with his lack of empathy, even... Read more... |
theartsdesk in Verbier: Festival with FireworksSunday, 17 August 2014
Mahler’s Sixth Symphony is dominated by the doleful clang of cowbells. They are an other-worldly intrusion into an otherwise familiar musical scene – unless you happen to be in Verbier, that is, in which case they are just another everyday part of... Read more... |
Frightfest 2014: PreviewFriday, 15 August 2014
August bank holiday weekend is like Christmas day for horror fans thanks to Frightfest who deliver a sackful of disturbing delights in their 15th year. An inspiring line-up sees Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens reinvent himself as a charming psychopath... Read more... |
