Expressive art

Is it better to be poor in the US or India? What does living below a country's poverty line mean for the way people sustain themselves? We speak to photographer-economist duo Chow and Lin about their book "The Poverty Line", a decade-long project that explores what living with limited resources means for the dinner plates of different communities around the globe. Their exhibition "Summer of Fireflies: The Poverty Line Solo Exhibition" will be showing at the Rencontres d'Arles festival from July 4.

Two filmmakers escape to Ingmar Bergman's island home, in search of inspiration and a quiet place to write. Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth play the creative couple at the centre of Mia Hansen-Løve's "Bergman Island". And then, another film starts. This Russian doll of a drama explores the very nature of art, life and creative relationships. We hear more from the French filmmaker and her leading man about the sacred monsters of cinema. We also discuss different approaches to the creative process.

Japanese art collective teamLab launches a visually spectacular exhibition, propelling a forest in the southwest island of Kyushu to come alive with lights and colourful projections.

An Algerian woman uses upcycled coffee capsules that she collects from cafes to create her jewellery. She also distributes coffee grounds to farmers for compost.

 

Governments and companies worldwide pour a lot of time and energy into projects that aim to champion diversity: a direct response to citizens demanding that their cultural and ethnic realities be reflected in the institutions that represent them. So what are the best ways to foster genuine diversity, without falling into the trap of vacuous virtue signalling? We speak to British-Nigerian art historian, curator and broadcaster Aindrea Emelife about the power of art to change perceptions, as well as how to ensure that Black subjects can claim their rightful place in the art history canon.

Giant artworks adorn buildings in the German capital once again as the Berlin Mural Fest resumes after its 2020 edition was cancelled due to Covid-19. The festival has been controversial in the Berlin art scene because it is supported by the large property group Deutsche Wohnen, which plays a leading role in the German market, but in Berlin, where its housing stock is concentrated, Deutsche Wohnen suffers from an unsavoury image as a speculator that fuels rising prices.

A fascinating new book links art, the mentally ill and Adolf Hitler. It tells the story of how modern art was originally inspired by the work of psychiatric patients and how Hitler – twice rejected from art school – turned first on modern artists and later on those who had inspired them. The Nazis murdered thousands of psychiatric patients, in a chilling forerunner of the Holocaust. The book is entitled "The Gallery of Miracles and Madness: Insanity, Modernism, and Hitler's War on Art". Its author Charlie English joined us on Perspective to tell us more.

A wander through Rabat's avenues and alleyways reveals an array of freshly painted works, in which larger-than-life fantasy creatures co-inhabit with realistic portraits and scenes of daily life. Their creators flocked from across the North African kingdom and beyond to Rabat for Jidar -- Arabic for "wall" -- a festival dedicated to street art.

From an image of Hulk who suddenly leaps over your head to a painting that changes its colours, one Berlin street art exhibition offers visitors a chance to experience paintings in 3D. Called "Game Over", the exhibition inspired by video games is housed in a former casino stretching over 2,000 square metres (21,500 square feet) which is due to be torn down.

Waning demand and the impacts of the COVID pandemic have pushed Kashmir pottery to the brink of extinction. But some artisan families are continuing the craft in exchange for rice just to survive.

The future is now: Today, a virtual Mona Lisa or a cat meme can be worth millions. Welcome to the world of NFTs. Fraudulent — or the future of the art world?