Art

The return of the surreal 

Mythical, dreamlike, phantasmagorical, and absurd: Surrealism, which took the art world by storm in the early 20th century, has enjoyed a huge resurgence in the past decade.  The original pioneers...

Between beer gardens and picnics: Climate Culture Care at the Ashmolean

When I returned to Oxford this term, just as England teased us with the sixth heat-wave of the year, I found myself at a loose end. With the deadline for two vacation essays still far in the distance, the sun lit up the sign for Soma Surovi Jannat’s Ashmolean Now exhibition, Climate Culture Care.

Art as protest on university campuses

CW: rape. This week, Cornell University has made headlines as prosecutors reopened an investigation into...

Hag, Nag, Harpy, Hen: Olivia Plender’s ‘Little Fennel’s Complaint’

It is the examination of archaic methods and attitudes surrounding women’s bodies, and the idea of the ‘nagging’ woman, which runs through Olivia Plender’s exhibition.

Hertford Archaeology Open Day: Medieval Oxford laid bare

You may have spent the last year wondering what has been going on amongst all the scaffolding and construction noise at Hertford College. The...

Architectural and religious fusions in Andalusia and Oxford

Oxford is a city deeply entwined with religion. With the first of its colleges founded as Christian institutions, a college without a chapel is...

Beyond the binary: Leigh Bowery’s radical individuality

Tate Modern's "Leigh Bowery!" refuses easy categorisation—much like its subject A fashion student from Sunshine, Melbourne, rocks up to London in 1980, writes 'wear makeup...

Reviving the symposium at the Ashmolean Krasis programme

Dara Mohd, herself a Krasis Scholar, converses with Dr Jim Harris about his object-centred symposium program, Krasis, at the Ashmolean Museum.

‘This Room Their Lives’ in Magdalen College’s Waynflete building

Every Magdalen member remembers their first encounter with the Waynflete Building. Sticking out a little obtrusively amidst the serenity of Addison’s Walk and the...

From classic to controversial: Religious imagery’s bold evolution

Religious imagery has evolved – from an appreciation of spirituality to a damning critique of religion’s role in society. Significant contributions have been made...

Form, function, and art in the cultural weight of architecture

With roughly 55% of the world’s population living in cities, the urban world – the brainchild of architects – has become what most people...

Reframing Oxford’s controversial portraits

“All art is quite useless,” declared Oscar Wilde in the preface to The Picture of Dorian Grey. It’s a provocative claim, inviting us to...

Gregory Crewdson: How to remain relevant in the world of fine art photography

For anyone embarking on their photography journey now, the world of image creation can seem very daunting. The market is oversaturated with photographers, all...

Film photography: How I went from believer to sceptic

I’m far from the first person to point out the recent revival of analogue technologies. Ever since the late 2010’s, both vinyl records and...

‘Anselm Kiefer: Early Works’ review

I still remember the first time I saw Anselm Kiefer’s work. I was in the Pompidou Centre, Paris, and I’d been stumbling around the...

From cloisters to concrete: Oxford’s architectural evolution

As a proud member of one of Oxford’s younger colleges – one that didn’t make it into the set of Saltburn – the magnetic...

Exhibition 004: Oxford artistry across all mediums

When I first walked into Exhibition 004, my gaze was immediately met with Magda Adamczyk’s Nightmare. A demon, swirling with hellish strokes of red,...

Ancient Echoes, Modern Forms: Cheung Yee and contemporaries exhibition at the Ashmolean Review

Cienna Jennings explores the Ashmolean’s Reforming Abstraction exhibition, where abstract expressionism meets East Asian folklore and spirituality in the work of Cheung Yee and his contemporaries.

If walls could speak: Lessons from Cowley’s street art

Just a five-minute stroll from the imposing spires of Magdalen College lies Cowley Road, the heart of Oxford’s urban culture. Oxford, renowned for its...

Who is Oxford’s Coffee Shop Artist? In conversation with Julia Whatley

Julia sees herself as the conduit through which an artistic vision is realised. Where does this vision come from? “Somewhere else.”

Doubts on Banksy

What is so enticing – and infuriating – about this mystery man’s slapdash approach to political commentary?

From the Chrysler to the Weston: 100 years of Art Deco

Florence Wolter explores the impact left by Art Deco on Oxford and European Culture. A century on, should we be looking forward, not back?

Celebrating two centuries of the National Gallery

Flo Wolter reflects on the impact and legacy of the iconic institution, now in its 200th year.

The art of rowing: In conversation with Emily Craig

After a formidable finish in the Lightweight Women’s double sculls at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August, Team GB’s Emily Craig and Imogen Grant...

Follow us