Category Archives: Stories

Reviews: The Week In Art

This week: Quiet as It’s Kept, the 80th edition of the Whitney Biennial, is now open to the public at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. 

The Art Newspaper’s associate editor Tom Seymour, Americas editor Ben Sutton and staff reporter Gabriella Angeletti gather to discuss it. As the latest incarnation of the show Afro-Atlantic Histories is unveiled at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, we speak to its curator, Kanitra Fletcher, about the gallery’s approach to this complex subject. And the National Gallery in London’s long-planned Raphael blockbuster, postponed due to the pandemic, is finally open, so for this episode’s Work of the Week, we speak to Tom Henry, one of the curators of the show, about the Self-Portrait with Giulio Romano (1519-20), one of the Renaissance master’s final paintings.

Views: May 2022 National Geographic UK ‘Traveller’

The May issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK) is out now. The cover story this month focuses on the UK’s 15 national parks — from the highest peaks and deepest lochs to the most biodiverse countryside and treasured historical sites. Far from being just beautiful places to admire, they’re also adventure playgrounds, living classrooms and green spaces that bring joy, health and wellness to people nationwide. These tranquil spaces and historical sites have grown and evolved over the decades to offer hands-on action and adventure amid spectacular backdrops. We explore the best places to get involved, give back and go wild.

Elsewhere in the issue:

St Lucia: Volcanic landscapes and hiking trails steeped in history await in this Caribbean paradise.

Senegal: From Dakar’s jazz clubs to rousing carnivals, music runs deep in the West African nation.

Seoul: Among the high-rises of modern South Korea, peaceful pockets of the capital are still rich in tradition.

Washington, DC: A wave of restaurants and ‘Wild West’ breweries are championing the city’s proud diversity.

Zagreb: Community spirit defines Croatia’s capital, from its morning markets to late-night bars.

Menorca: Contemporary art, ancient history and dazzling blue seas on the Balearic isle.

Vancouver: From barbecue to bao buns, Chinese cuisine is writ large across the city’s food scene.

Sydney: When it comes to hotels, the city’s eclectic neighbourhoods are the places to be.

Plus: All eyes are on Stonehenge this year; the world’s ultimate flower festival; family forest adventures across the world; where to stay in Rome; on the trail of Dublin’s literary heritage; what not to miss in the Lincolnshire Wolds; a guide to San Antonio, Texas; and the best kit for rock climbing.

2022 Pen/Faulkner: Rabih Alameddine’s ‘The Wrong End Of The Telescope’

WINNER OF THE 2022 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION

Mina Simpson, a Lebanese doctor, arrives at the infamous Moria refugee camp on Lesbos, Greece, after being urgently summoned for help by her friend who runs an NGO there. Alienated from her family except for her beloved brother, Mina has avoided being so close to her homeland for decades. But with a week off work and apart from her wife of thirty years, Mina hopes to accomplish something meaningful, among the abundance of Western volunteers who pose for selfies with beached dinghies and the camp’s children. Soon, a boat crosses bringing Sumaiya, a fiercely resolute Syrian matriarch with terminal liver cancer. Determined to protect her children and husband at all costs, Sumaiya refuses to alert her family to her diagnosis. Bonded together by Sumaiya’s secret, a deep connection sparks between the two women, and as Mina prepares a course of treatment with the limited resources on hand, she confronts the circumstances of the migrants’ displacement, as well as her own constraints in helping them.

Travel & Culture: The Bordeaux Wine Region

The world’s finest wines, sweeping vineyards and fine food couple with a river valley dotted with castles. We sample the best Bordeaux then cruise the lovely Dordogne and Lot rivers with stops at chateaux, ancient watermills, and perched villages.

The wine regions of Bordeaux are a large number of wine growing areas, differing widely in size and sometimes overlapping, which lie within the overarching wine region of Bordeaux, centred on the city of  Bordeaux  and covering the whole area of the  Gironde  department  of  Aquitaine.

The Bordeaux region is naturally divided by the Gironde Estuary into a Left Bank area which includes the Médoc and Graves and a Right Bank area which includes the Libournais, Bourg and Blaye. The Médoc is itself divided into Haut-Médoc (the upstream or southern portion) and Bas-Médoc (the downstream or northern portion, often referred to simply as “Médoc”).

Front Covers: Romeing Magazine – April 2022

Previews: Times Literary Supplement – April 8, 2022

Short Films: ‘The Legend of Ñaymlap’ – An Andean Origin Story Of Peru (2022)

In the Denver Art Museum’s Art of the Ancient Americas galleries, we worked with Mexico City-based animators Hola Combo to create animations to help tell the origin stories that explain the relationship between ancient American communities and the their environment. For the Andes, we chose a story that loosely relates to the works on display. “The Legend of Ñaymlap” is an ancient story from Peru’s northern coastal communities and supposedly records the origins of the Sicán or Lambayeque dynasty (about 750–1375 CE). Within this origin story, there is a moral about the relationship between the deities and the land. As the ruler turns away from the deities, rain and floods devastate the land, starving the community.

Morning News: Russian Attacks On Citizens, EU Calls To Cut Russian Oil

Ukrainian journalist Iryna Matviyishyn gives us the latest from Lviv as more reports of Russian attacks on civilians emerge. Plus: Anna Rosenberg of Signum Global on calls for the EU to cut off Russian oil imports, a review of today’s papers and aviation news.

Previews: Smithsonian Magazine – May 2022

FEATURES

 

There’s Plenty of Juice on Block Island

Block Island, off the New England coast, overcame political strife to lead the way on energy independence

 

Welcome Back

A hunting ban has fostered the return of a nearly extinct species

 

Why Did the Salamander Cross the Road?

To reproduce, of course. And a band of volunteers gathers at night to help it—and countless other amphibians—get to the other side

 

Making the Connection

In the sparse Utah desert, the vital contributions of these 19th-century laborers are finally coming to light

 

Italian Renaissance

Take a photographic tour through the country’s effort to revitalize its rural towns

Analysis: Ukraine Victory Importance, Anti-Media In China, Social Influencers

A selection of three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist. This week, why a Ukrainian victory would transform the security of Europe, a terrible plane crash prompts a revealing anti-media backlash in China (11:20) and the serious business of social influencers (18:30).