The Easel

12th December 2017

Lubaina Himid – the Turner Prize winner on art and why it matters

How important is Britain’s Turner Prize for contemporary art? It boosts a particular artist, but beyond that? Himid, widely seen as a deserving recipient, thinks its significance is that it’s a celebration of culture. “I think ordinary people understand how important culture is to our lives, it’s policy makers that try and strangle it, cut it, or ignore it. But people on the street get it.” More images are here.

Art Riot: Post-Soviet Dissidence In Russia

What is the significance of protest art coming out of Russia? Is it reflecting a popular mood of dissatisfaction or only the Moscow intelligentsia chafing (understandably) under limited freedom of expression? Perhaps optimistically this writer concludes that this show reflects “a certain spirit of extremism that has historically played a part in Russian culture. The ghost of Dostoevsky hovers somewhere just out of sight.”