"Today, Western imperialism is the imperialism of relativism, of the 'it all depends on your point of view'; it's the eye-rolling or the wounded indignation at anyone who's stupid, primitive or presumptuous enough to still believe in something, to affirm anything at all."

This quote, at the start of an article by Mark Fisher in the current Frieze, reminded me of a book [1] I was reading over Christmas. The quote is a translation from a French,...more


Gemma Tipton's blog
Killing the love (Tuesday 8 December 2009)

As statements go, I think "Capitalism Kills Love" is rather a nice one, if a little intellectually slight. I certainly wouldn't go so far as to take it that seriously - after all, both Capitalism and Love are tough old birds, and both will fortunately / unfortunately (depending on one's perspective and current situation) endure.

They weren't so sanguine at Art Basel Miami Beach last week, when Paris-based James Thornhill and Fulvia Carnevale, ...more


Hilary Murray's blog
A lively start to the year (Thursday 28 January 2010)

There appears to be a dichotomy in the Dublin art scene. Mark Garry's Another place at Kerlin, and Gallery 126's Video killed the radio star, shown alongside Nevan Lahart's A lively start to a dead end at the RHA all serve to demonstrate this divide. It opens one's eyes to the current gallery-artist predicament. The gallery in straitened times wants to show the piece that they know is a winner - in Garry's case this is his string piece, recently and...more


David Brancaleone's blog
Godard and revolution, now: Socialisme (2010) and then: La Chinoise (1967)

Go to Youtube and you'll find an intriguing four-minute trailer of Jean-Luc Godard's latest film just about to be released: Socialisme. It's exciting and at the same time it resists any easy putdown: there's just enough to see the close relation with all the video essays, including the monumental six-hour Histoire(s) du Cinema (1998) which took him ten years to develop out of nowhere and, what is more, Socialisme is shot with that same Kino eye. Let...more


Rayne Booth's blog
Towards the other side (Wednesday 9 December 2009)

I have been off radar for a while due to a complete lack of time after taking up a new job. Anyway, I thought I would dip my toe back into the blogging waters with a general reflection on what it happening in the art world and general Irish sphere at the moment. Yesterday, Adrian Duncan for the Someblindalleys blog wrote a review of Circa's new ...more