World Art Dubai (WAD), the region’s largest contemporary retail art fair, returns this Spring from 2 – 5 May at the World Trade Centre. The tenth edition will host over 4,000 artwork pieces from 400 renowned galleries and solo artists. It’s an acclaimed event that promises inspired thinking with live art performances, invigorating talks, workshops, and a creative lab inviting participants to immerse themselves in mixed creative disciplines. As the art world is poised at a crossroads of innovation and tradition, WAD explores new dimensions of expression. It continues a legacy of a rich cultural ..read more

The annual World Press Photo Contest recognises and celebrates the best photojournalism and documentary photography produced over the last year. Today, the four global winners, selected from the regional winners were announced at the Flagship World Press Photo Exhibition 2024 at De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Photo of the Year has been given to Mohammed Salem, Palestine, Reuters for A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece. The harrowing image depicts a woman cradling the body of her niece who was killed, along with her mother and sister, when a ..read more

“Prospect Cottage is the last of a long line of “escape houses” I started building as a child at the end of the garden.” Artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman’s (1942-1994) Dungeness home is instantly recognisable: a cottage composed of black wood panels offset by its vibrant yellow frames. The traditional fisherman’s cottage was bought by Jarman in 1986, becoming a workspace and sanctuary for him and actor Keith Collins (1966-2018), until the artist’s death. In 2018, the photographer Gilbert McCarragher, a friend and neighbour, was tasked with creating a visual record of the space: an artwork in ..read more

In today’s rapidly changing world, sculpture stands as a poignant reflection of our shifting realities. Explore the intricate forms, evocative narratives and diverse perspectives showcased by 10 global sculptors from our Aesthetica Art Prize. Each work offers a unique insight into the human experience, contemplating our connections to the environment, desires, and interpersonal dynamics. From serene monuments mimicking punctuation by George Andric to intimate figurative works based on the human body by Hugo Harris, these physical forms beckon viewers to engage and reflect on the scale and pers ..read more

Pictures saturate our world, from selfies to social posts, advertisements, and commercial content – the medium has undergone true democratisation. It’s a reflection of our current era, capturing opinions and aspects of contemporary life. Meeting the increasing demand for this visual language is The Photography Show, presented by The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD), the longest-running and leading fair dedicated to photography. The 43rd edition returns to its previous home, the Park Avenue Armory in New York for the first time since 2016. From 25 – 28 April, 77 exhi ..read more

There’s something deeply satisfying about DRIFT’s Shylight. The piece, inspired by flowers that close at night, comprises illuminated silk structures which descend, unfurl, then fold up and tuck themselves away. They bounce in tandem, causing the room to light up and dim in a cycle. It would be easy to sit and stare for hours, but Shylight is the first thing you see when entering Hayward Gallery’s When Forms Come Alive. It sets the stage for what’s to come: a dynamic spectacle of sculptures that move, glisten, bounce and vibrate. The visual feast continues with Teresa Solar Abboud, whose tanta ..read more

“Filmmaking and writing are also very intimate and creative, but the thing about art – whether it’s performance or an app or a sculpture – is its ability to fit into odd spaces in my life and be a little more built on the relationships that happen in the moment.” These are the words of author, filmmaker and performance artist Miranda July (b. 1974), who is known for a continuously growing number of projects that include Kajilionaire (2020), No One Belongs Here More than You (2007) and New Society (2015). Instead of staying within one craft, she has cultivated an admirable ability to flit betwe ..read more

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, millions of people have been displaced, with over 6.3 million Ukrainian civilians seeking refuge worldwide. Alarmingly, nearly 80% of this displaced population comprises women and children, highlighting the disproportionate impact of conflict on vulnerable groups. In response to this humanitarian crisis, documentary photographer Polly Braden has dedicated herself to documenting the personal narratives of Ukrainian families who have fled Europe in search of safety. Braden’s latest exhibition, Leaving Ukraine, currently showing at the F ..read more

“Your dreams will never, like so many, meet reality.” These are the opening lines to a break-up letter from Austrian architect Rudolph Schindler to an unnamed lover. Who was this person? This question marked the jumping off point for Mona Kuhn’s (b. 1969) series Kings Road. For over 25 years, the Brazilian-German photographer has used the lens to explore the human figure in terms of both its physical and metaphysical presence. She does this in Kings Road by bringing to life this anonymous figure through solarised prints. Here, we see Schindler’s mysterious addressee as a ghost haunting his Wes ..read more

@AccidentallyWesAnderson is a phenomenon. With nearly 2 million Instagram followers, the platform has grown to produce travel guides, exhibitions, merchandise and even a book – all dedicated to real-life places that seem to be plucked from Anderson’s storyboards. Hallmarks of its style are whimsy, symmetry, pastel colours and retro styling. The PUB series from Berlin-born, London-based Simone Hutsch, aka heysupersimi, fits perfectly into this conversation. Traditional British alehouses, taverns and inns – many centuries old – are cut and pasted in front of surreal gradient backdrops. “I w ..read more