Artsdesk: Always Becoming – Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman’s radical legacy as a painter, writer, set designer, gardener and political activist is explored in his largest retrospective to date.
Artsdesk: Under The Wrong Star – Michael Robinson
Blending original and found materials, Michael Robinson creates collaged films exploring the emotional mechanics of popular media, the nature of heartache, and the instability of the reality we inhabit.
Cinema Review: Jojo Rabbit
Basing the film around Jojo’s blinkered perspective allows Waititi to sidestep the most odious aspects of Hitler’s regime, letting him have his cake and eat it.
The Darling Buds: Dublin’s Street Flower Sellers
The street flower sellers of our city came under threat last month but they are resilient in more ways than their detractors may think. We talk to them about their role in the city, their favourite memories and their fears about what the city is becoming.
Cinema Review: Motherless Brooklyn
“What happens to poor people in this city wasn’t news yesterday, and it won’t be tomorrow.” Laura Rose (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) fights gentrification in Motherless Brooklyn, Edward Norton’s directorial adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s 1999 novel.
Artsdesk: Stone Cold Imitations – Jason Ellis
When asked why he enjoys the medium of stone, Ellis calls it “unforgiving.” It might seem strange for someone to love something because of its severe qualities, but that’s very much the attraction for Jason Ellis.
Artsdesk: Quiet At The Back! Mandy O’Neill
Taken over a four-year period in different schools in Dublin, O’Neill has captured stark images of children going to school in the midst of austerity measures.
Cinema Review: A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
“Farmageddon is perfectly fine Sunday afternoon entertainment, but anyone expecting anything as transcendental as Wallace and Gromit is better off watching The Wrong Trousers for the 30th time.”
Artsdesk: In The Shadows – Shadowplay at the Kerlin Gallery
The new group exhibition in the Kerlin brings together works by a prestigious roster of artists on the theme of shadows.
STONEYBANTER: Maureen McGuinness and Ray O’Neill Manor Place Dublin 7
Ray and Maureen make an odd couple straight out of some tired sitcom: she’s the elderly Dublin shopkeeper with a pessimistic streak; he’s the exuberant gay blow-in with a fancy café next door. We sandwich in between them.
Cinema Review: Gaza
Gaza certainly doesn’t romanticise conditions on the strip, but it also strives to put a human face on an area that is often considered a mere warzone.
Artsdesk: Mere Anarchy – Kendell Geers at Rua Red
A séance with William Butler Yeats at the Hellfire Club inform the latest work by Kendell Geers.
Artsdesk: Onwards at MART Rathmines
As the space squeeze continues, the plight of artists is often be shaded by larger-scale crisis. Mart Studios persists in trying to provide affordable spaces for a disparate range of artists across its network of studios.
Cinema Review: Late Night
A comedy about race and gender that strives to be as inoffensive and toothless as possible.
Artsdesk: Causes for Concern – A Vague Anxiety at IMMA
The latest group show in IMMA, A Vague Anxiety, is an immediate portrait of our time. Curator Seán Kissane offers further insight.
Cinema Review: Amazing Grace
If only going to church was always this good.
Artsdesk: The Last Great Album of The Decade
The Last Great Album of the Decade underscores the myriad social connections and creative expressions that are made possible by music.
Cinema Review: Greta
A maternal riff on Fatal Attraction.