#DrawFor: the new charity helping artists and key workers
Spun out of the coronavirus pandemic, DrawFor is a new non-profit organisation that’s giving back to NHS key workers through artist donations, and anyone can get involved. Do you fancy yourself as a bit of an up-and-coming artist? Have some work you’d like to share on social media? Would...
Current in Design
Banksy transforms his bathroom into rat art piece
It might not be in his usual street art context, but Banksy’s still making new pieces, this time in his house amidst the coronavirus lockdown. We’re on week five of lockdown now? I think? All this time being confined to your own home can stifle your creativity – though...
Historic England launches isolation photography project
People across the UK are being asked to share images of what everyday life is like in lockdown to 'record history' for future generations. Historic England is encouraging the British public to contribute to a national collection of images in what’s being referred to as ‘a unique time capsule for...
How to turn your lockdown snacks into clothing
I’m assuming that, like most of us, you’re probably stuck in quarantine right now. So why not turn your snack cupboard into wacky, wearable fashion? Have you ever looked at the foods available in your kitchen and wondered what they’d be like as fashionable street wear? What do you...
Artist Dan Lam’s bizarre fluorescent sculptures
Dan Lam’s blob sculptures are bright, colourful works of surrealism. I’m not entirely sure where I’d put one in my own house, mind. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Dan Lam’s sculptures – a mix of synthetic materials that are hand crafted into oozing blobs – were the product...
The best entries in the World Illustration Awards
The World Illustration Awards provide a perfect platform for some of the very best talent in illustration. Get inspired with the top entries from this year’s competition. Have you picked up the pen and pad recently? Illustration is one of the most accessible forms of expression out there, transcending language...
Women’s prize for Fiction shortlist revealed
The annual Women’s prize for Fiction is just around the corner, and at long last the longlist has been revealed. Now, in its 25th anniversary, the Women’s prize for Fiction has long been the staple for celebrating and honouring female authors for creating the stories that enrich our daily lives. The novels on this 16-strong longlist will no doubt be filling the shelves of bookstores and commuter suitcases the world...
Art Fairs respond to global coronavirus worries
With the threat of coronavirus seemingly growing on a daily basis, art fairs with international clienteles are being forced to postpone their events. Here’s what we know so far. If we’re to believe what we’re told in the media, the outbreak of coronavirus in China has slowed significantly. But with South Korea, Italy, Iran, Australia, the US, and others continuing to report daily increases in confirmed cases within their respective nations, global...
Balenciaga has made a clothes-stuffed sofa
Balenciaga has collaborated with Russian interior designer Harry Nuriev to create a clear sofa stuffed with offcuts and unsellable garments for Design Miami 2019. Have you ever vacuum-packed your clothes before going on holiday so you can fit more than one single outfit into your tiny carry-on suitcase? If the answer’s yes, picture that, but make it fashun. In an effort to combat the fashion industry’s serious sustainability problem, Balenciaga have...
Fighting social injustice with graffiti
Camilo Fidel López is using graffiti to fight social injustice in his home city of Bogotá and around the world. Before travelling to Colombia in 2017, I found that many people were surprised at my decision to go there. This comes from a persisting stigma surrounding the country’s negative political reputation making it a slightly more gonzo style destination for the average traveller. Walking through Bogotá when I arrived, however, I...
