L’abbé Breuil and Bisonte cigarettes

Henri Breuil (1877-1961) has been called the father of prehistory. Little known in the UK, he should really take a place alongside Freud, Darwin and Marx as one of the scientists who sent shockwaves through 20th century thought; he changed the way we see our place in the world for…

Phil Collins, dűnya dinlemiyor (2005)

Dűnya dinlemiyor is Turkish for The World Won’t Listen, which as you may know is a 1987 compilation album by The Smiths. At the time of release, the world was listening. The album was a chart hit. And that was just in the UK. As this work by artist Phil…

Mark Leckey, Affect Bridge Age Regression (2017)

In hypnotherapy, an affect bridge is a way of linking feelings in the present with feelings in the past. But if an affect bridge were a bridge in real life what form would it take? Mark Leckey has free associated a bog-standard graffiti strewn motorway crossing. It’s an icon we…

Christopher Gray, The Dumas Complex (2017)

In recent times, most things have been considered an art. There is, for instance, the art of baking, the art of conversation, and, for sociopaths everywhere, the art of the deal. But at J Hammond Projects in North London, one applied art form is proving to have enough legs to…

Richard Deacon, Never Mind (1993-2017)

Does a ship replaced beam by beam remain the same vessel? Does a broom with 17 new heads and 14 new handles remain the same broom? Does a refabricated sculpture remain an original? Never Mind once looked like a hull. So it is apt that Richard Deacon’s long running artwork…

Chris Burden, Beam Drop Antwerp (2009)

I once knew a live music review to open with the following line: “Blur used the minimum of props to the maximum of effect. Damon was lowered from the roof in a giant TV set.” The author, who was a colleague on the student newspaper I wrote for, accosted me…

Larry Achiampong and David Blandy, Finding Fanon 2 (2015)

If you play Grand Theft Auto you may be closer to understanding this piece than me. So far as I gather, both artists have had to play their way into all the footage which accompanies this film. There’s not a stolen car in sight, mind you. The duo wear suits,…