Monocle on Culture

We report from Spain’s biggest contemporary-art fair, Arco Madrid. Every year, exhibition space Ifema Madrid plays host to a rich variety of galleries, curatorial presentations and many beautiful works. It’s here that the art worlds of old Europe and Latin America are brought together under one roof, with the rest of the globe invited too. We hear from one of the curators behind the ‘Amazofuturism’ section, leading gallerists from around the world and Arco’s leadership. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head to ‘The Face: Culture Shift’, a new exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery celebrating the magazine’s photography and effect on popular culture. The show is a who’s who of contemporary cool and an ode to the power of print media. We discuss the legacy of the publication with the exhibition’s curator, Sabina Jaskot-Gill; former editor of ‘The Face’ Johnny Davis; and Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert Bound highlights select nominees for the 97th Academy Awards. We hear from ‘Sing Sing’ director Greg Kwedar; lead special make-up effects designer for ‘The Substance’, Pierre-Olivier Persin; ‘The Wild Robot’ director, Chris Sanders; and co-directors of the documentary ‘No Other Land’, Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We find out how to design a dance venue from the inside out at Sadler’s Wells East in London. Also in the UK capital, we immerse ourselves in ‘Masterpieces of the Iranian New Wave’ at the Barbican. Plus, art and architecture at Provence’s Château La Coste. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We visit two new exhibitions in London by two very different US artists. First, we’ll hear from the curator of the UK’s first Noah Davis exhibition. The  glorious, sweeping show at the Barbican serves as a worthy tribute to the late, great painter. Then: we’ll hear from high-spirited octogenarian Joseph Kosuth, whose show at Sprüth Magers features works from his six decades spent as a pioneer of conceptual and installation art.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan is celebrating her 80th birthday with a new edition of her 2005 record ‘Lookaftering’, including added demos, live versions and sleeve notes from its producer, Max Richter. The lyric booklet features paintings by Bunyan’s daughter, which beautifully brings to life the wistful, dreamy tracks. Robert Bounds sits down with Vashti Bunyan to discuss the cult reception to her work and how a new generation breathed new life into her music.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eddie Chacon shot to fame as part of the duo Charles & Eddie, alongside the late Charles Pettigrew, with the release of their enduring 1992 single ‘Would I Lie to You?’ In the years after Charles & Eddie amicably split in 1997, Chacon explored another passion of his: fashion photography. But music called him back and, in 2020, he released the solo album ‘Pleasure, Joy and Happiness’, followed by ‘Sundown’ in 2023. Now he has returned with the gorgeous new record ‘Lay Low’. On today’s show, Chacon joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss his unique, heartfelt strain of R&B and the inspiration behind the dreamy tracks on his new record. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nancy Durrant and Matt Wolf join Robert Bound in the studio to discuss the best theatre shows coming to the stage in 2025, including a new production of a West End classic, a play about the experiences of the Windrush generation and a critically acclaimed performance by an Olivier award-winning actress.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look ahead to the most exciting books, films and exhibitions in 2025, from the first international retrospective of a beloved US artist to a political thriller so potent that its director was forced to flee his home country. John Mitchinson, Francesca Gavin and Simran Hans join Robert Bound in the studio to let you know what should be on your cultural radar in the coming months. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We start the year off with a bang by celebrating the release of two fantastic new films. We hear from director RaMell Ross about ‘Nickel Boys’, a formally inventive and beautifully rendered adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Colson Whitehead. Then: erotic thriller ‘Babygirl’, starring Nicole Kidman, depicts a lustful affair between a CEO and an intern. Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco sits down with director Halina Reijn to find out more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.