England rugby star Maro Itoje is showcasing untold Black history through an art exhibition
Published 21st May 2021
Written by Rachel Wood, CNNLondon
As Covid-19 lockdown restrictions ease in the UK, a new art exhibition in London is shining a light on lesser-known aspects of Black history.
Celebrating everything from South African jazz to a 20,000-year-old mathematical artifact, A History Untold aims to showcase Africa s diverse contribution to world history.
The exhibition is presented by England rugby player Maro Itoje whose love of African art was formed by regular trips to Nigeria, the country of his parents birth. Itoje grew up in London but has always felt a strong connection to his Nigerian ancestry.
Museums in many countries remain closed, but at least spring has sprung. This week’s Apollo Art Diary picks out four arty gardens to enjoy…
Lord Burlington’s vast 18th-century villa at Chiswick was one of the earliest example of neo-Palladian architecture in the country. But its garden is perhaps more significant – designed by William Kent, it is considered the prototype of the English landscape garden, a style that was imitated throughout Europe. With its sloping lawns, cascades, and a small rustic folly in the form of an Ionic temple, this was a rejection of the formal French gardens of the previous century in favour of artful informality – a nod to the Arcadian visions of Claude and Poussin. From 27 May–31 October, the house and gardens will be home to ‘Bring into Being’, a show of site-specific installations by Mark Wallinger, Peter Adjaye and Jaimini Patel; the latter is presenting a durational piece that brings organic matter from the gardens into Chiswick Ho
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From a survey of national treasure Steve McQueen to the Irish premiere of Enda Bowe’s longing portraits on Belfast s ‘peace lines’, these are the year s exhibition highlights
No-one could have predicted how 2020 would unfold, nor how many symbols of British imperialism would fall along the way – both literally, with the toppling of monuments to slave traders, and figuratively, with the exploded myth of cultural unity, from homogeneous whiteness to tensions between nations. Yet, despite the tumult, some remarkable exhibitions across the UK and Ireland have emerged this year, providing a space for respite, revelation and dreaming. Here are just a few of the highlights.