MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
Latest editorial
An artist of our time for our time
Neurodiverse painter THOMPSON HALL speaks to Michal Boncza about what inspires him, how he works and what his hopes for the future are
Thompson Hall at Autograph
New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott
ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
THOMPSON HALL’S paintings are a head-turner, graphically succinct, of strong composition and illuminated by vivid colours. They are powerful, symbolic tableaux that shed light on issues of urgent concern including social change and marginalisation.
Reminiscent, in their intention, of Mayakovsky’s Rosta posters, or the interventionist spirit of Keith Haring’s it is the lucidity of their proto-political messaging that is so arresting and intriguing.
When asked where he draws his inspiration from, his is a matter of fact list: “Watching the news, reading newspapers, talking to people and find out what they are interested in
going to galleries and museums, learning about the history of people and places.”
Hall’s paintings resemble board games where segregation and exclusion surround centrally placed British institutions. Is he expressing a discontent experienced personally, among relatives, friends, etc?
More from this author
MICHAL BONCZA recommends a compact volume that charts the art of propagating ideas across the 20th century
MICHAL BONCZA reviews Cairokee gig at the London Barbican
