Galleries | Westminster World

Nov282023 by Agne GaldikaiteNo Comments

Beyond the surface: The Cult of Beauty exhibition explores the depths of beauty standards

Art, Breaking News, Culture, Explainers, Galleries, London

Masks. The Cult of Beauty. Photograph by Malavika Pradeep Reminiscing our recent visit to The Cult of Beauty exhibition in Wellcome Collection London, we saw the dialogue between beauty, age, gender, race and status through history in more that 200 artworks. To get the whole picture, let's explore the background of these artworks. Beauty standards in different eras With the first object of the Bust of Queen Nefertiti greeting exhibition visitors, the Wellcome collection says that her full honorific name, Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti, translates to "Beautiful are the beauties of Aten: The beautiful one has come". Nefertiti. The Cult of Beauty. Photograph by Malavika Pradeep According to National Geographic, beauty standards changed dramatically when N...

Nov212023 by Agne GaldikaiteNo Comments

The Cult of Beauty questions the demand for looks throughout history

Art, Breaking News, Culture, Explainers, Galleries, Gender, LifeStyle, Women

Idolino and Esquiline Venus at The Cult of Beauty. Photograph by Malavika Pradeep Beauty patches for syphilis and smallpox scars, windmills for husbands to transform their ugly wives. The Cult of Beauty exhibition at The Wellcome Collection showcases dialogue between beauty, age, gender, race and status through history. The exhibition challenges conventional notions of beauty, urging a more nuanced understanding beyond binary differences. It explores diverse perspectives, particularly from marginalised communities, on what beauty means in our world. Sophie, 26, The Cult of Beauty visitor, said: "It is nice to go through time in this show. I like the layout and the colour palette of this exhibition." The exhibition discusses a variety of differe...

From virtual tours to online exhibitions: How Covid-19 is challenging London museums and galleries

Covid-19, Culture, Galleries

Photo: Alejandra Angulo Covid-19 restrictions have forced museums and galleries to reinvent for survival. Online platforms have been an alternative for cultural institutions, but are they enough to compensate for the financial sequels of the second lockdown? Westminster World talked to representatives of the London Transport Museum and Branch Arts project about the sector’s challenges, transformations and future. Chris Nix, Assistant Director for Collections and Engagement at London Transport Museum, believes that the pandemic is not causing only financial losses, but is also transforming the way people seek out cultural experiences. “Our shop has just done a refresh of the website and we were relieved to find that more people switched on to things online, but that was now

Dec102017 by Sreelakshmi VachasapthyNo Comments

Imaginarium: the next ‘go-to’ place for Christmas

Art, Culture, Entertainment, Food, Galleries, London, Music, musicians, Theatre

An underground hothouse in the centre of Borough Market, the Imaginarium welcomes Christmas with a different outlook. Opening up a creative hub for artists from all fields such as storytelling, painting and live performances. Photo Credits: Sreelakshmi Vachasapthy I was able to make it on the very first Sunday, where I witnessed the opening of these feasts, ideas and theatrics. It also gave me a chance to interact with the owner of the place- Naomi, who gave an insight about the events happening over next couple of weeks. She said: "It is a six-week long program which consists of theatrical events, music, arts, dinning and workshops for people to join." The place stands out for its interior work and atmosphere. It also has stores set up which marks London’s independent artists, d

Who Wears the Skirts?

Art, Blogs, Culture, Fashion, Galleries

“I want to be a man” is her dream; Dinu’s ultimate dream ever since she can remember. Struggled through school dress codes, family’s understanding, and especially her mother’s happiness, Dinu was finally given an option to at least wear trousers instead of skirts at the age of seven. You could say she is a lucky one when compared to her friend, who was labelled a “she-male” “They basically called him she-male and you are not a woman because you have something between your legs and it didn’t matter for them the way she feels inside.” Dinu relived her childhood, telling a story of a friend who shared the same dream -- A dream to live a true self. It has been twenty-five years since Dinu's mother gave her the option of clothing, and today she is eagerly awaiting the operation of her

Four alternative ways of living in London

Culture, Experience, Galleries, Housing, Media, News, Social media

With the cost of rent skyrocketing out of reach for many living in the capital, four Londoners have managed to find affordable ways to live that could prove to be viable solutions in the urban housing crisis. Meet David, a Scottish bus driver. David has endured great instability in his life over the last year. After getting deported from Canada, David found himself homeless in the UK. Until now. David just moved into his new home in a converted shipping container in Walthamstow. This affordable housing project, mYPad, is the brainchild of the YMCA. The mYPad project, as David explains, is about “moving in people and enabling them to save money to move on.” David is not alone. According to Crisis.org, the affordable housing shortage in London has left over 8,000 people “sleeping ro

Mar242016 by Jordaania AndimaNo Comments

A loo experience you will never forget

Business, Culture, Galleries, Listen, Look

Angelica Morrison stands at London’s most expensive toilet. Opened eight months ago in Covent Garden it is a fancy lavatory, owned by the trendy 2theloo Company. But it costs. As Morrison finds out, it is £1 to enter and she had no choice but to pay. Neoliberalism, which turns everything into a business, has reached London’s toilets. Since London’s first toilet, resting areas have moved on to being more than just a place to “relieve one self”. They have turned towards the same direction as the Romans after the introduction of sanitation. According to the British Toilet Association (BTA), over 600 restrooms are believed to have closed down, with another 22 more underway. Raymond Martin, Managing Director of BTA, says the closure has affected the public tremendously. “We have actuall

Mar42016 by Catherine McMasterNo Comments

Performing for the Camera: is this art or pure self-indulgence?

Culture, Galleries, Look

The first ever Instagram series presenting as art has made its debut at London’s Tate Modern. In a refined, slightly austere bathroom with plain-whitewashed walls, cream tiles and a glass of half-filled with water beside the sink, a young woman reminiscent of Botticelli’s Venus, with alabaster skin and painted red lips gazes reflectively at her self-image. Her posterior juts out provocatively, challenging the viewer while she considers her facial image, seemingly unaware of her powerful sensuality. Amalia Ulman, 27 is an Instagram artist. Using the language of the Internet in her Excellence & Perfections #itsjustdifferent, she enacts a tale of a blonde moving to Los Angeles. Playing on ideas of narcissism within social media, Ulman complicates our understanding of what is re

Tattoo in London: From the Elite to the common English man

Culture, Galleries, Look, Video

Tattoos can be done anytime, if your budget allows. However, over 100 years ago, prices were not the only concern, you also had to be royalty or the son of a Prime Minister. Out of the Exit 4 at Piccadilly Circus, on the left side, there is Jermyn Street - a quiet lane with shops on both sides. This is where the first tattooist - Sutherland Macdonald - started the business in the English capital. Fast forward 100 years later, tattoo studios are spread across every high street, particularly Camden High Street and Soho. It is easy to spot people that have been inked on their arms when they roll up shirt sleeves after work. Nearly one in five Londoners have at least one tattoo and the proportion between males and females who get inked is not such a big difference, according to a surve

Vogue 100: A Century of Style opens today

Culture, Fashion, Galleries

For the first time in history, 280 prints from the Conde Nest Archive and international collections are on display at the National Portrait Gallery. The exhibition is part of Vogue's centenary celebrations. Westminster World received an invitation to attend the exhibition’s public opening. The exhibition houses a number of recognisable English faces. Fashion icon and pioneer of the 90s 'grunge' trend, Kate Moss features in controversial underwear shots. Iconic British band, The Beatles also hang alongside photographs of the first Lady Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Despite the large variety of faces, fashion still remains the focus. The exhibition houses a series of Second World War photographs by Vogue’s official war correspondent, Lee Miller. His photographs showcase the