Latest news with #FranciscoGoya
Time Out
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Tai Shani: ‘The Spell or The Dream'
'The sleep of reason produces monsters'. It's a perpetually instructive aphorism that artists have repeatedly returned to. Francisco Goya used it to name one of his most well-known etchings from the late 18th century, depicting a character whose head rests on a desk, surrounded by shadowy creatures. Centuries later, in 2008, British artist Yinka Shonibare borrowed the image and title for another body of work. And now, the Turner Prize-winning artist Tai Shani's new commission for Somerset House takes the ongoing sleep of reason as its starting point. In the grand Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court, she has installed a ten-metre-tall blue figure, who lays supine, gently breathing with closed eyes. We're told that this ethereal, childlike giant has slept through 'warnings of present and imminent catastrophes, political and social disaster and environmental collapse.' Watching its stomach peacefully rising and falling, it's easy to believe that ignorance is bliss. Here is a deft balance of content and form Encased in an illuminated casket-like glass box, the figure – the dreamer – is clothed in white lace and mesh. Visitors are invited to step onto its plinth for a closer look at the beautiful hand- painted sculpture, which is both imposing and delicate. On one end, its feet are each the size of a toddler; on the other, flushed cheeks and pink lips give the impression of a fairy tale princess. The Sleeping Beauty parallel is emphasised by an otherworldly, subtly swelling soundscape by the composer Maxwell Sterling, the son of the mononymous artist Linder, whose first London retrospective recently took place across the river at the Hayward Gallery. Though the figure lies alone in the courtyard, it's actually just half of Shani's commission. The Dream Radio is an accompanying online broadcast co-curated by the artist, including newly commissioned work by a diverse array of artists, writers, musicians and thinkers, including poet Eileen Myles, fellow Turner Prize winner Mark Leckey, musician Brian Eno and the ex-Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. In this second section, Shani moves beyond a hand-wringing depiction of sleep as a symbol of ignorance. Here, she is joined by a chorus of voices in celebrating its radical possibilities: dreams. The commission is further accompanied by a busy events programme, highlights of which include panel discussions on environmental and economic future models and philosophy seminars for children. Public sculpture often enriches the urban landscape, but rarely does it amount to the kind of engaging flashpoint that The Spell or The Dream will be. Shani's work is neither embittered nor unimaginative – two criticisms that have become fashionable to level at political art. In fact, it's the opposite. Art with a message often risks being didactic, prioritising its statement over its aesthetic experience. Here, though, is a deft balance of content and form: a nuanced message, contained within immediately impressive and accessible art.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greece's National Gallery temporarily closed following arrest of lawmaker after artworks damaged
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek police detained a member of parliament Monday after he allegedly attacked art works which are part of at an exhibition in the country's National Gallery in Athens. Nikolaos Papadopoulos, who is a member of the small ultra-religious Niki party, allegedly smashed glass cases and attacked works he considered blasphemous. The gallery has been closed. The works were reportedly part of an exhibition of Greek artists titled 'The Allure of the Bizarre' that included caricatures of religious icons and themes. The exhibition, which opened in January and is scheduled to run until September, accompanies a parallel display of 80 works by the late 18th century and early 19th century Spanish master Francisco Goya. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. The National Gallery issued a statement saying its operation was being 'temporarily suspended due to the attack on works of art.' It did not give any details of which works were attacked and what damage was caused. Papadopoulos, whose right-wing Niki party holds 10 of parliament's 300 seats, had previously said in parliament that the exhibition was blasphemous and against the Virgin Mary and Christ. Formed in 2019, Niki, or Victory, offers a mix of Orthodox Christian traditionalism and nationalism. The Culture Ministry responded that it acts 'with the aim of protecting the country's cultural and artistic heritage in general' and that it 'never engages in acts of censorship.'
Associated Press
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Greece's National Gallery temporarily closed following arrest of lawmaker after artworks damaged
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek police detained a member of parliament Monday after he allegedly attacked art works which are part of at an exhibition in the country's National Gallery in Athens. Nikolaos Papadopoulos, who is a member of the small ultra-religious Niki party, allegedly smashed glass cases and attacked works he considered blasphemous. The gallery has been closed. The works were reportedly part of an exhibition of Greek artists titled 'The Allure of the Bizarre' that included caricatures of religious icons and themes. The exhibition, which opened in January and is scheduled to run until September, accompanies a parallel display of 80 works by the late 18th century and early 19th century Spanish master Francisco Goya. The National Gallery issued a statement saying its operation was being 'temporarily suspended due to the attack on works of art.' It did not give any details of which works were attacked and what damage was caused. Papadopoulos, whose right-wing Niki party holds 10 of parliament's 300 seats, had previously said in parliament that the exhibition was blasphemous and against the Virgin Mary and Christ. Formed in 2019, Niki, or Victory, offers a mix of Orthodox Christian traditionalism and nationalism. The Culture Ministry responded that it acts 'with the aim of protecting the country's cultural and artistic heritage in general' and that it 'never engages in acts of censorship.'
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Moroi preview: A grimdark action game that's actually pretty funny
The most surprising thing about Moroi is its sense of humor. Moroi is a top-down, dual-stick action and puzzle game set in a dungeon of surreal horrors, where each cell contains a unique and grotesque vignette. In the first area of the map, there's a cell containing a sentient meat grinder that craves human flesh. In another, a dead man is strapped to a feeding tube that's still pumping slop into his bulbous, pulsing stomach. The next room over, you meet a talking duck with far too many human teeth in its mouth. One tooth would be too many, but this duck has a full, smiling set. And then he rips them all out for you, leaving behind a bloody, empty bill. And this moment makes me laugh out loud. The gore in Moroi is so ridiculous that it turns the corner into hilarity, tapping into the gruesome absurdity that makes b-horror movies so charming. You don't expect the duck to have human teeth, but what's even more surprising is their sudden removal and the duck's leftover, blood-smeared smile. These shocking moments of levity appear in Moroi at a rapid-fire pace, twisting the vibe from brutality to bizarreness and back until it feels like you're trapped in a Francisco Goya fever dream directed by Sam Raimi. It's pretty awesome. Moroi comes from creator Alex Stanescu and his independent studio, Violet Saint. Though he's now based in Switzerland, Stanescu is Romanian and Moroi is filled with grimdark takes on his homegrown fairy tales. The game's name refers to a vampire in Romanian folklore, even. Stanescu was also inspired by David Lynch, Heironymous Bosch, H.R. Giger and Little Nightmares, with a dash of Robert Sheckley and Douglas Adams for humor. But at its core, Moroi is a completely original world of creepiness, Stanescu explained during a media briefing hosted by the game's publisher, Good Shepherd Entertainment. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'There's a big pool of things in my subconscious from which I pull,' he said. 'General grotesquery, maybe carnival art, Bosch and early medieval art, and caricature. I always try to find my own style.' Stanescu later clarified further, saying, 'Creepy things. Like, for example, in a puzzle, you have to vomit blood into the mouth of someone else. And you will find reality shifting in some places, like in a room you find someone else than you expect to find, and so on. Let's say dream logic.' It's more like nightmare logic, really. Each of the cells in Moroi is connected — get the severed hand from the autocannibal so the meat grinder can make bone dust, which you can then give to the creepy wizard, who turns it into salt for the witch, who's then devoured by her own potion, and so on. Eventually in the introductory level, you find a sword, break down a door and continue your quest to escape, but the prison only grows more strange. Every now and then, a voice interrupts your progress, whispering for you to find it. The creatures in the cells seem to know who you are, even though you have no memory of this place. There's way more going on in Moroi than meets the eye. 'I tell a lot of it through the lore and collectibles, so those will carry a lot of storytelling,' Stanescu said. 'The storytelling given by the characters and by the gameplay is pretty cryptic. You have to find and pay attention to what's happening.' There are no branching storylines in Moroi, but your choices throughout the game will affect how it ends, according to Stanescu. He said the full experience should take about nine hours to complete, but this can be extended if you hunt down all of the secrets. Combat in Moroi is fast and fun, and heavy metal replaces the game's moody dungeon music at the beginning of each fight, setting an appropriate tone of chaos and carnage. Dungeon guards are the main enemies and they appear in waves of five or so at a time, some with more powerful moves than others. I ended the hour-long demo with an enhanced sword and a gatling gun in my arsenal. With a sword, you have basic and heavy attacks, plus a finishing move that builds up as you deal damage. The gun doesn't require ammo but it runs on a cooldown mechanic, and it has a basic shot and a finisher. Dodge rolls round out your moveset in the early game, and the balance in these battles feels just right. On top of dodging and attacking, there are fiery cores scattered around the environments that you can explode for AOE damage — but be warned, if you're too close to the boom, you'll get hurt, too. The end of each battle is marked by piles of intestines and busted corpses — hopefully not yours — littering the cobblestones. The amount of blood-soaked surrealism, frantic combat and body horror in Moroi's first hour is impressive, and I'm amped to discover all of the secrets in the full game, no matter how many exploded corpses I have to dig through. Or maybe even because of all the exploded corpses. Moroi is due to hit PC pretty soon — 'early 2025.'
