Journal
‘It sounds fucking cool!’ Thus pronounces London-based Australian Leif Podhajsky in response to my initial question about the name of his recent Paris show Synaesthesia. Opening with that quote may be a little unfair — he also gives me...
Journal
You know Richard Wilson’s work — even if you don’t think you do, you do. He’s perhaps best known for 20:50, his piece from the late 1980s that filled a gallery space with sump oil and invited viewers (via a partly submerged walkway) into the...
Journal
In one shot, barricades are scattered across a deserted downtown Manhattan street; in the background a policeman appears from behind a neoclassical pillar, hardly there but sinisterly there all the same. Turn the page and somebody — a threat? we,...
Journal
‘There must be some consistency,’ Samantha Wall insists. ‘There must be something that remains resistant to change.’ What I Can't See, conté crayon, charcoal and graphite on paper, 60" x 41", 2014 The fact that this needs to...
Journal
Toronto artist Jenn Liv makes no bones about her pop culture inheritance. Whereas some artists are keen to establish their credentials through lists of canonical and well-respected influences, Liv goes the other way: when I ask her about the...
Journal
Did she know the camera was there? She’s got an unguarded look in her eyes that’s on the verge of something — maybe anger, maybe slightly weary disaffected amusement, maybe just a turning away. Unspeakably hip, she’s everybody’s perfect LA...
Journal
Against the black background of a nightclub a cluster of comic-book hands wave in the air; the revellers’ bodies aren’t shown, but it’s clear even with our limited view that one is a skeleton, another an android, one kind of lizard-creature,...
Journal
Alana Dee Haynes doesn’t take her own photographs any longer. That’s not for want of ability: a browse through the photographs on her website reveals that she’s quite capable of turning her lens to any number of styles and approaches. That...
Journal
An unassuming cobble-floored storage room in Martell’s Cognac headquarters, just north of Bordeaux. It’s not very warm in here. It’s also dark, which leads to much tragicomic stumbling as we enter — and perhaps even a little more as we...
Berlin
Good news for those in the know about Berlin, and even better news for those who aren’t: two of the city’s favourite boutiques, Schwarzhogerzeil 1 and II, have come together to form a single outlet that will finally allow these two fashion...
Journal
Pictures of Felix Treadwell receiving his Hix Award last year piqued my interest. Next to a grinning Tracy Emin, the young artist’s hesitant, friendly, low-wattage presence was striking, reminding me of Elliott Smith’s immortal white-tuxed...
Dispatches
One of the strangest works in literary history is 150 years young this year — and a designer/fashion house that’s always been outlandish, confrontational and off-beat commemorated it memorably on Conduit Street recently. The book? Alice’s...
City Notes
Chefs Karina Mejía and Israel Montero combine the tradition of Provençal cuisine with the soul and passion of Mexico in Saint Jacques Bistrot, their new gastronomic spot in the capital city's affluent Polanco neighbourhood. Allowing diners to...
City Notes
Located next door to Hotel Wilmina, which is housed in a former Berlin-Charlottenburg women's prison, Lotta Tagesbar has opened its doors, the café cum deli and bar designed by the same team behind Wilmina and serving an exquisite menu of healthy...
City Notes
With an enviable seafront location close to Barcelona and its airport, and having undergone a recent refurbishment, AC Hotel Gavà Mar is a 69-room hotel that is ideal for the business traveller, but also a surprising destination for the discerning...
City Notes
With interiors inspired by the Art Deco of Palm Beach County in Miami, and serving delicious ice cream on a newly pedestrianised street just off Barcelona's renowned Passeig de Gràcia, Amiko is not simply a 'heladería', rather it's a sensory...
Dispatches
Minimalism and elegance, too, are gaining fast as popular choices for serene, sophisticated interiors. Simplicity, clean lines, and curative approaches to decor are all that these two styles are made of, bringing home really calm and clarity within...
Dispatches
Finding the best Botox experts in Toronto can feel overwhelming, given the many options available. To focus your search, consider professionals with extensive experience and positive client reviews. A key step in identifying top specialists is...
Dispatches
Wellness Trends for 2025: A series of posts designed to uncover the most progressive concepts in wellness for the year ahead. Number Eight: Restorative Home Design. In the pursuit of wellness, many people are turning their attention homeward....
Dispatches
Austin’s housing market has seen a significant boom in recent years, with many homeowners looking to boost their property’s value through home improvement projects. In a city where home prices continue to rise, updating key areas of a property,...