Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

download

This week, another in the series of interviews Duncan and Christian did at the Banff Centre while they were on art vacation, Jonathan Watkins!

Jonathan Watkins (born 1957) is an English curator, and is currently Director of the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. Watkins emigrated to Australia with his family in 1969 and studied Philosophy and History of Art at the University of Sydney, where he later taught. He was curator of the Chisenhale Gallery in London during which period this relatively small local gallery became an internationally known centre of excellence – many of the Artists shown at that time later going on to major acclaim including a number of Turner Prize winners, Watkins later moved to the Serpentine Gallery from 1995 to 1997 and worked in a freelance capacity as curator of the Biennale of Sydney in 1998. Watkins now lives in Birmingham, England. He currently directs the Ikon Gallery, and recently unveiled plans for a new museum of modern art in Birmingham. [Read more]

Photographer Richard Prince’s photo “Spiritual America” was removed from the upcoming Tate Modern exhibition “Pop Life” (opening tomorrow) after a warning from Scotland Yard that the nude image of actress Brooke Shields aged 10 and heavily made up could break obscenity laws.

The officers spoke to the Tate after seeing promotional material in the newspaper and not via complaints that were issued to the office.

Read more about the history of the photo and it’s background at the Guardian article.

Over the last week the music file sharing debate has found new fodder to play with in the form of Pop singer Lily Allen. Lily Allen started a proactive discussion on the net complete with website to address her concern with the negative effects of file sharing. In only a few days the site and most of her postings have been deleted but you can read much of the archives here.

As with any good debate it’s in the light of opposite views that you find informative and interesting contrasts and in this case one of the better opinions came in the form of a new song by artist Dan Bull who sampled Ms. Allen’s song “22″ to make an open singing letter titled “Dear Lily”

The City Museum and Art Gallery in Bristol has been taken over for an exhibition by home-grown graffiti artist Banksy. More photos can be seen here

Next Page »