John Clare (1793-1864) is today - after a century of almost total oblivion - widely admired and celebrated as one of the most important pioneers of nature writing and lyrical ecocriticism. He became the prototype of the "peasant poet" who, on the threshold of the industrial revolution, developed a language of nature exploration of unique precision and touching immediacy. All info here.
Now Neu NI: Contemporary Writing from Northern Ireland. The British Council Literature Seminar 2022 will connect a new generation of writers and readers. Join the conversation and engage with new and established writers from Northern Ireland first hand in workshops, discussions and readings. Read more and register here.
Spoken word performer and poet Verity Spott has produced an impressive range of simultaneously experimental and engaging texts. In this reading, Spott will present Hopelessness as well as other new poems from her diverse work. In conversation with Lisa Jeschke, the two will talk about alternative British poetry: Forms of publication, performance and reading, trans* and queer poetics, form and form-busting, poetry and activism and last but not least hope. Join on YouTube.
Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes, conducted by Edward Gardner (recently appointed conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra) will premiere on 28 February at the Bayerische Staatsoper, with the main roles featuring top British opera talent such as Iain Paterson, Jennifer Johnston and Robert Murray. Get your ticket here.
The UK-German artist collective Gob Squad will be presenting two productions at HAU Berlin: ‘Creation (Pictures for Dorian)’ and ‘1984: Back To No Future’. Gob Squad’s work encompasses ‘everyday life and magic, banality and utopia, reality and entertainment…set on a collision course. Bear witness to performative science-fiction and imaginary time travel! Creation (Pictures of Dorian) & 1984: Back to no Future
Haus Mödrath presents the largest exhibition by Welsh artist James Richards to date. Combining Richards’s sound, video works and sculptural works, the show charts the relationships and influences around the artist’s practice, including a number of collaborative artworks made with long-term interlocutors, artworks by close friends and influential figures such as Isa Genzken, Steve Reinke or JX Williams. Have a look here.
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (b. London 1977) makes figurative paintings drawn from a variety of source materials including life studies, photography and scrapbooks of found images. The figures are fictitious, inhabiting enigmatic settings that are often abstract or nondescript. The exhibition has been organised by the Tate Britain in cooperation with the Moderna Museet, Stockholm, the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, and Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean.
Simon Fujiwara’s celebrated solo exhibition is running until 26 February 2022 at Esther Schipper Galerie in Berlin. Fujiwara is a real multi-talent delivering impactful work across different media. Have a look here.
Inspired by the increasing fusion of nature, humanity and technology, Tony Cragg creates sculptures of subtle sensuality.
Lehmbruckmuseum presents its collection of his works in a new arrangement until 18 April 2022. All info here.
With sculptures in nature as well as the urban space, such as skyscrapers in cities, Antony Gormley has gained worldwide recognition. The exhibition at SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen will be the most significant survey of the artist’s work ever to take place in Germany, offering a comprehensive overview of Gormley's artistic work. The presentation comprises some 30 works from the artist's studio and the Schaufler collection, including works on view to the public for the first time. More here.