Creatures of Culture

Marco Sanges Success!

2012-02-17T17:17:00.000Z

Creatures of Culture has been a longtime supporter of the photography of Marco Sanges, since we first met back in 2009 at Art London. We are delighted to announce that a portrait by Marco was acquired by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the US to form part of the gallery's permanent collection. The gelatin silver print from Portrait Series 12 n'3 (2005) is a black and white photograph

A Dangerous Method

2012-02-16T18:22:00.000Z

Olivia Nairn is disappointed by David Cronenberg's rather static and slow-moving film I first read an article about A Dangerous Method some months ago, and when it was finally released last week, I couldn’t wait to go. The film promised to combine the dramatic talents of Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley, in a story of love, sex and psychoanalysis against a beautiful

The Shepherd by Ethan Cross

2012-02-12T19:36:00.000Z

Ethan Cross' horror novel leaves Roland O'Leary rather unnerved... I read The Shepherd after a friend told me he found the first chapter terrifying. He was right. First-time novelist Ethan Cross has created one of the nastiest villains I've encountered in a while in Francis Ackerman Jnr. He's a serial killer on the loose who has deeply studied all of the famous serial killers of the past,

"Company Paintings" - National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi

2012-02-04T14:09:00.004Z

Milly Blair reports from the hubbub of New Delhi."Company Paintings" is a beautiful collection of nineteenth century Indian art which, as indicated by its name, showcases art commissioned by the East India Company who wished to document all they saw and experienced in this wildly different and intriguing country. Indian miniature art, a tradition which ran from the tenth through to the twentieth

BRAZIL FOCUS PART II: Fayga Ostrower e Alex Gama: Díalogos

2012-01-31T23:34:00.000Z

Olivia Nairn takes to the streets of Downtown Rio to explore a vibrant exhibition of two Brazilian artists In the former Post Office headquarters building in Rio de Janeiro, a lively cultural centre, known as the Centro Cultural Correios, is a must-see for tourists and residents alike. Other similar centres exists across Brazil, where post offices of a bygone era play host to a series of

BRAZIL FOCUS: Eliseu Visconti: A Modernidade Antecipada

2012-01-29T12:47:00.000Z

Olivia Nairn takes a tour of the famous São Paulo gallery and uncovers an excellent exhibition of Eliseu Visconti's greatest works São Paulo’s Pinacoteca art gallery, to the north of the city centre in the bairro know as Luz, holds a real treasure of an art collection. Housed in a beautiful 19th century building, the gallery relishes its claim to be the oldest museum in the modern metropolis

Secret 7" Competition

2012-01-13T13:43:00.000Z

Creatures of Culture is delighted to announce our participation in Secret 7”, a unique project in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust. We are hosting from this website a competition to design the artwork for the sleeve of artist Ben Howard’s track ‘Black Flies’. If your artwork is selected, it will go on display in the Idea Generation Gallery in London in April 2012. Please see more information,

Exhibition of the Month

2012-01-08T18:02:00.002Z

JANUARY: John Martin: Apocalypse at Tate Britain Roland O'Leary is impressed by the fantastical, mythical and biblical landscapes of John Martin I will confess that I knew nothing about John Martin (1789-1854) or his work before stepping into the Tate Britain's Apocalypse exhibition. However, one of the themes of the exhibition, to my mind, is that his works are imprinted on the popular

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2011

2011-12-19T12:05:00.001Z

Olivia Nairn returns to the National Portrait Gallery for this year's portrait photographer prize The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize is a particular favourite exhibition of mine. Recalling the delights of 2010's photographic efforts, I was excited to see what this year had to offer. Amateur, student and professional photographers are invited once again to submit their work- be it a

Modern Art Oxford: Abraham Cruzvillegas: Autoconstrucción: The Optimistic Failure of a Simultaneous Promise and Kerry Tribe: Dead Star Light

2011-12-14T15:26:00.002Z

Olivia Nairn enjoys two exhibitions as part of Modern Art Oxford's autumn programme Modern Art Oxford’s popular gallery space is a testament to the way in which contemporary art can complement a town steeped in tradition. In an interesting pairing, the respective exhibitions of Kerry Tribe and Abraham Cruzvillegas offer opposing takes on truth, reality and fiction. An American national, Tribe

RCA Secret 2011

2011-11-25T10:18:00.001Z

Olivia Nairn returns to the Secret postcard exhibitionThe guessing game is on once again at the Royal College of Art. Its annual Secret exhibition, now in its nineteenth year, displays almost 3000 postcard-sized works to the public, with no explanation or credits: thus, the artist remains unknown until the final buyer turns over the work to reveal a signature. So now is your chance to

One Man Two Guvnors

2011-11-13T22:25:00.004Z

One Man Two Guvnors is a much celebrated show – after a successful season at the National the play has been moved to the Adelphi for an extended season – and I could sense the anticipation amongst the audience as we filed into our seats.The play unfolds into a Fawlty Towers-esque farce as the dim witted but impulsive Francis (James Corden, sporting a suffocatingly tight, tweed suit) finds himself

Machine Gun Preacher

2011-11-10T11:41:00.000Z

Ellie Ross reviews a shocking new film based on a former bad boy's real life story A child is held at gunpoint and forced to choose between clubbing his own mother to death and saving his brother and himself from being shot by his captors.Harrowing, violent and, at times, hard to watch, Machine Gun Preacher delivers some powerful punches. It is based on the true story of former bike gang

2Faced Dance: In the Dust

2011-11-04T16:45:00.003Z

Creatures of Culture returns to The Place for another mesmerising contemporary dance display. By Victoria Hill It is a great time to see 2Faced Dance. The all-male company, under the direction of Tamzin Fitzgerald, has just been awarded National Portfolio Status by the Arts Council England, following a successful stint at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The triple bill In the Dust showcases the finest

Rosenblatt Recitals: Marius Brenciu

2011-11-02T14:14:00.000Z

Ray Murphy enjoys the sounds of Romanian opera star Marius Brenciu in another Rosenblatt Recital Earlier this autumn, Creatures of Culture was kindly invited to attend the opening of the 2011/2012 Rosenblatt Recitals season at St Johns, Smith Square. Helping to cut the ribbon on this year's series, Romanian tenor Marius Brenciu returned to the stage after nearly a decade since his last

Zeus’ Pamphlet

2011-10-30T17:22:00.000Z

Olivia Nairn enjoys a bit of mid-week comedy The imaginatively named Zeus’ Pamphlet is a five-piece comedy act, comprising three girls, and two boys. The group, fresh from a run at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, perform sharp and amusing sketches, often playing on inverted scenarios, where what is usual in an everyday situation is turned on its head. I caught the group at the Hen &

Grayson Perry - The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman

2011-10-30T16:48:00.005Z

Grayson Perry's The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman is a tour de force. It is easily one of the most exceptional shows London has to offer. The British Museum gave Perry the free rein to curate his own exhibition, in which he places his own works alongside anonymous treasures found stowed away in the museum. Perry’s imaginary world is a poignant exploration of our notions of craftsmanship and

Contagion

2011-10-28T13:48:00.000+01:00

New film release Contagion has Amanda Magill very worried...Rating: 8/10 – brilliant but chilling. You’ll probably want to stock up on vitamins afterwards. I got on the tube today and the man I was pressed up against coughed. I froze and felt mild panic start in my stomach. I tried to shuffle as far away from him as I could (only about 3cm before bumping into the person on my other side) and then

Exhibition of the Month

2011-10-21T18:20:00.000+01:00

OCTOBER: Affordable Art Fair Olivia Nairn hunts out some low-cost (ish) art It is that time of year once more, when the Affordable Art Fair sets up shop in Battersea Park, and offers all art lovers something to take home from £40, right up to £4,000. This year, the fair is expanding, and will be at Hampstead Heath later this month: do try to catch it at one of the venues if you can. Whilst this

The Minotaur at The Old Vic Tunnels

2011-10-15T17:50:00.003+01:00

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The Faith Machine

2011-10-08T12:21:00.006+01:00

The opening scene of The Faith Machine, a row between two lovers, the self-righteous Sophie giving her New Yorker boyfriend a last minute ultimatum – either he ditches his hard-won and long fought for advertising client, a pharmaceutical company with a dubious record of ill-fated experiments made on Ugandan children, or she leaves him – had me feeling vaguely apprehensive. Preaching should come

A Midsummer Night's Dream

2011-09-30T19:41:00.001+01:00

Ellie Ross heads to The Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, for a mixed Midsummer Night's experience...It is no mean feat to pull off an adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s best-loved plays. A successful variation must overcome preconceptions by ripping apart the original and reconstructing it in unexpected ways. Jagged Fence's version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream began promisingly. I had read online

Exhibition of the Month

2011-09-16T16:46:00.007+01:00

SEPTEMBER: 20/12 British Art Fair, Royal College of ArtUntil Sunday, the Royal College of Art is playing host once again to one of the most exciting art fairs in London. Championing British-produced art, whether it be sculpture (which is a big focus this year), paintings, collage or any other medium, the fair holds a wide range of more classic pieces, as well as vibrant contemporary

Grasses, Arses and Trees: drawings and prints by John Bird

2011-09-15T10:38:00.008+01:00

Olivia Nairn enjoys the company and work of John Bird at the recent private view First and foremost, John Bird’s new exhibition is shamelessly honest. Taking inspiration from nature and the outdoors (grasses and trees), and a love of the shapely feminine form (arses), Bird’s works are bright, bold, and certainly good to look at. Perhaps better known as the founder of The Big Issue magazine

The Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh

2011-08-21T18:58:00.007+01:00

Amanda Magill returns to review the newly released novel of love and friendship...The Victorians used to use the language of flowers to express emotions and send secret messages to a beloved. A pink carnation could mean ‘I’ll never forget you’ and the classic red rose ‘love’. A mixed bouquet could therefore send a complex message to its recipient, as well as providing a beautiful