Political Art – from Banksy to Weimar

A reliable source, who happens to be representing him, now informs me that Banksy is to be prosecuted over his RCJ mural. This form of artistic censorship, leads me to consider the important role that art has played in terms of political commentary, and how some of the masterpieces in this genre resonate with contemporary … Read more

Have Video Games Become a Respected and Distinct Art form?

In recent years, ‘video games as an art form’ has become somewhat of a hotly debated topic. While some argue that video games don’t have the potential to be meaningful art, others argue the opposite and favour video games being considered art because of their expressive elements, such as music, design, visuals, acting, and interaction. … Read more

Late Art and Hackney Diamonds

The theme of ‘late art’ was recently explored by the art historian Carel Blotkamp in The End: Artists’ Late and Last Works (2019) focusing on the visual arts, but in an age nonspecific way. Raphael’s ‘Transfiguration’ is central to the argument of the book. After Raphael’s death, the author notes his body was laid out … Read more

The Empty Unconscious

Banality is the byword of mass consumerism There’s a piece of public art that for a year or more languished on the edges of Union Square in Manhattan, before moving to a more innocuous location in Midtown. It’s a piece of bronze and laser cut steel in the form of a thick-waisted businessman, peering up … Read more

Featured Artist: Aga Szot & The Icon Factory

Why? A decade has passed since my individual and community artistic adventure began in Dublin. I very often hear about how lucky I am to have my own live painting studio, interactive installation in the middle of Temple Bar, but I know luck had very little to do with it. Ten years ago I walked … Read more

Artist of the Month – Maria Julia Goyena

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”62″ gal_title=”Featured Artist of the Month: Maria Julia Goyena”] ‘Inner coherence is prior to artistic manifestation.’ Maria Julia Goyena Wandering minstrels travelled through villages in the Middle Ages, telling stories with a book of archetypal images of the time in which they lived. The pages came loose and they/we continued telling the stories, with … Read more

Leopold Bloom and the Art of Loafing

What does it mean to be a loafer? Loafing as an activity has always existed. It has been carried out, witnessed, imagined and sung since the dawn of human time; from the ancient Aborigines on their walkabout, to the modern idling of the nineteenth and twentieth century dandies. Today, loafing as a mode of existence, … Read more