La giovinezza è felice perché ha la capacità di vedere la bellezza. Chiunque sia in grado di mantenere la capacità di vedere la bellezza non diventerà mai vecchio.
(Franz Kafka)
In my many trips around Asia, I never prioritised travelling to Vietnam. I was always searching for more ‘remote’ locations, and I admit that my very first impressions of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi had not been that remarkable. Therefore, this time, I gave it a second chance. My 8-day trip to Vietnam, with my travel companions Nunzia and Kathia, was quite ambitious, as we travelled from North to Centre to South.
A London-based contemporary artist, Endless is not your usual street artist. Although he likes using spray paint cans on the streets of the UK capital city, his works can also be seen in galleries and private homes. Not to mention collaborations with famous artists Gilbert & George and luxury brands such as Karl Lagerfeld.
He talks with us about what inspires him, the role of art in society, and the reasons behind hiding his identity.
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), an American expatriate painter renowned for his striking portraits, was a prominent figure in European bohemian society. I recently had the opportunity to view 60 of his works, on display at the Tate Britain Museum in London until 7 July 2024.
I connected with Anil Singh – an accomplished sitar performer – after a recital that took place at the Hong Kong City Hall Theatre. A meditative and highly calming, mesmerising experience, which rekindled reminiscences of the time I spent in India.
On Friday, May 3rd, I had the privilege of being one of the guest speakers at The Aftermath in Hong Kong for Jun Pan's presentation of her debut work The Palm Reader, a captivating collection of interconnected short stories, poems, and photos, filled with vibrant and colourful pages, published by CP Cambridge.
Prior to the debut of London Pictures at The Gilbert and George Centre, we were invited to an exclusive preview of the exhibition and engaged in a lively conversation with Gilbert & George on art, society, and the intricacies of life.
In the realm of photography, few names carry the weight and influence of Martin Parr, whose captivating exhibition Short & Sweet at Museo delle Culture in Milan beckons viewers to embark on a journey through the intricacies of everyday life. In a conversation with the world-renowned photographer, we delved into the depths of his artistic vision.
What do award-winning artists like Halle Berry, Beyoncé, Brad Pitt, Sylvester Stallone, or Sharon Stone have in common? They all use the Chubbuck technique, renowned for its effectiveness in helping actors connect deeply with their characters and deliver exceptional performances. I spoke with American actor Adam Davenport, founder and artistic director of The International Acting Studio (TIAS), who will be conducting a workshop in Prague using this technique.
Looking for Eliza is the original title, but we have a certain inclination for the Italian one - which translates Two Cups of Tea at Swinburne Road – because it conveys a more romantic, and "English", geolocation. We talk about it with the author, 31-year-old Leaf Arburhnot, assistant editor of The Week magazine and freelance journalist, whose reviews and articles have been published in magazines such as Vogue, The Sunday Times and The Spectator.
Akhil Patel is the co-founder and Director of Property Sharemarket Economics, an investment research service that teaches subscribers how to ‘remember the future’ based on leading knowledge of economic and financial cycles. We have met him to talk about his recently published book The Secret Wealth Advantage.
If I close my eyes, I’m still there, revelling in the multi-sensorial experience of Amazônia, an exhibition of photographs by Sebastião Salgado, accompanied by the specially commissioned soundtrack composed by Jean-Michel Jarre, held at the ‘Fabbrica del Vapore’ in Milan.
Fifty years after his death, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is more current than ever. But something not so recognised is his influence on music, especially Rock and Roll. Many old-school metalheads have displayed their fandom for Lord of the Rings, but one band has made it more apparent than any other: Led Zeppelin.
Entrepreneur who has always been involved in social work, as well as director of L'Indice dei Libri del Mese and former president of the Turin Book Fair, Mario Montalcini has an innate love for culture in all its forms of expression. We met him on the eve of the launch of Index Review, his new global publishing project.
Some of my friends found it amusing that I had decided to spend the Easter holidays (vacanze di Pasqua, in Italian) on an island called Malapascua. The association of ‘mala’ with ‘male’ (meaning ‘bad’) was immediate. If only I were a bit superstitious, I should have come out with another destination.
The Iron Prefect (Il prefetto di ferro, 1977), is a film that brings together the two most powerful taboos in modern Italy: fascism and the mafia. Benito Mussolini, the idolised dictator, could not tolerate that a region of Italy should be under the control of a violent rule which wasn’t his own. Therefore, in 1925 he asked his best head of police to sort it out. His name was Cesare Mori, otherwise known as the Iron Prefect.
With its 10,000 square meters and 40,000 artifacts, the Egyptian Museum of Turin is the second most important in the world after Cairo. Director Christian Greco - an Egyptologist, scholar, and lecturer trained in the Netherlands - tells us about the museum as a work in progress in which antiquities speak to the present and the future, and where written narrative remains of central importance: a narrative made of hieroglyphs which, after millennia, have spoken to us again 200 years ago.
More than 100 artworks by Lithuanian artist Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis are currently on display at Dulwich Picture Gallery in London and can be visited until 12 March 2023. Entitled MK Čiurlionis: between worlds, the exhibition sheds light on an incredible variety of interests by the artist, with a focus on humankind’s relationship to the universe and on themes and motifs placing his art in the context of European Symbolism.
Visiting the Biennale of Art in Venice is in itself an experience of wonder, as much as visiting Venice: ever-changing and yet floating in stillness, surprising, and splendid even in its most secluded corners —especially so the more you tread off the beaten path. Wherever you turn your gaze, the city offers glimpses of enchanting scenery, everlasting and lingering for a long time, even once you’ve left it to get back home.
With works published in 100 countries and more than 51 languages Jeffrey Archer is one of the top 25 fiction authors of all time. His books have sold over 275 million copies worldwide and he is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (nineteen times), short stories (four times) and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries).
To mark the publication of his latest book Next in Line, he tells us about his work, his dreams, and much more.
A few days ago, I happened to be in Ireland’s second city, Cork. The opaque prospect of a routine work trip was brightened when a colleague, friend and host, Daragh, suggested we join the closing evening of the local Italian Film Festival. They were screening Giuseppe Tornatore’s Ennio, so, I happily joined in, and in the end we knew we had seen a great film about a great man.
