Reviews of Habibi Funk 031, Kayatibu, and The Good Ones
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Modest exhibition interrogates unsavoury past as V&A offers a ‘mea culpa’
(L to R) Gold pendant; a brass weight is in the form of an antelope with extended horns; brass shield; a pectoral gold disc, akrafokonmu
[V&A]
SIMON DUFF relishes the cross contamination of Damien Hirst’s greatest hits by street artists from France and the US
In view of the grooming gangs inquiry, SIMON PARSONS feels the relevance of this powerful examination of trauma suffered at Medomsley Youth Detention Centre
JOHN GREEN doubts the motivations of a US war photographer who never questions why, or for whom, she is producing images of imperialist conflict
MARIA DUARTE reviews Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, Hedda, The Mastermind, and Regretting You
TONY CONWAY welcomes a thrilling and concise history of Hope not Hate, that is also a manual full of tactical advice
PAUL DONOVAN welcomes an inspiring account of living with deafness that has important lessons for the treatment of deaf people in today’s UK
ASANTE GOLDWEIGHTS
Victoria and Albert (V&A), London
IN THE Metalware Gallery (Room 116) at the V&A a humble display of Asante Goldweights has acquired a significance far beyond the modest number of the items on display.
“It reflects the developing discussions in museums around decolonisation and the need for us to be open about the V&A’s history as both an expression and a driver of 19th-century imperialism,” writes V&A senior curator Angus Patterson in a companion piece.
This honesty needs to saluted as it marks a significant step in a process that would hopefully lead to a significant restitution of art treasures hoarded in British museums which are, more often than not, of great social, cultural and political significance to their original creators.
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