Monocle on Culture

What does contemporary arts practice look like across the Middle East and North Africa? We head to Morocco to find out from an actress and theatre practitioner, a pop star and an arts facilitator about the challenges and opportunities of creating their work in the region – and whether one of them can help Robert Bound find a cocktail bar in Casablanca.

Contemporary arts in the Mena region

Robert Bound is joined by Kate Hutchinson and Christine Ochefu to take you through this summer’s hottest music releases. From the biggest names to the less well-known, find out which artists should be providing the backdrop to your summer.

Summer soundtrack

As the man who signed Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell is credited with bringing Jamaican music to the masses. He talks to Robert Bound about his upbringing on – and love for – the Caribbean island, as well as the breadth of his musical legacy, which includes playing an instrumental role in the careers of Grace Jones and Nick Drake. Blackwell’s new book, ‘The Islander: My Life in Music and Beyond’, is out now, published by Bonnier.

Chris Blackwell

We visit Norway’s new National Museum on Oslo’s harbour, which aims to cement the city’s position as an emerging cultural capital. Plus: we go behind the scenes of Barcelona music festival Primavera Sound and hear from the founder of the Bali International Film Festival.

Norway’s new National Museum, behind the scenes of Primavera and Indonesia’s ‘Balinale’

Tom Cruise is back as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell for another sky-high adventure in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. Robert Bound is joined by critics Clarisse Loughrey and Simran Hans to ask whether this legacy sequel takes off.

Sofia Coppola has been applauded as a filmmaker ever since ‘The Virgin Suicides’ in 1999. In the two decades since, her films have touched on everything from an 18th-century queen on the eve of the French revolution to a group of thieves notorious for stealing the property of Paris Hilton. We take a deep dive into her work with critic Hannah Strong, the author of the new book, ‘Sofia Coppola: Forever Young’.

We meet Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker for a tour of the objects that catalogue his rise to stardom, found in a loft and now forming the basis of his new memoir and exhibition. Plus we head to another exhibition, ‘Once Upon a Time’, that explores folklore, myth and fairytales through the ages. 

Robert Bound is joined in the studio by Jennifer Lucy Allan, a musicologist, writer and radio presenter, who also has a PhD in foghorns. Her book ‘The Foghorn’s Lament: The Disappearing Music of the Coast’ has just been published in paperback. It charts the history of the foghorn, its poetic role at the boundary of land and sea, and how its bellowing sound captures the imagination.

Robert Bound is joined in the studio by one of the UK’s most celebrated writers, Ali Smith. Her latest work, ‘Companion Piece’, is an addition to Smith’s seasonal quartet. Through her typical playful use of language, it brings together the specific hardships of the coronavirus pandemic and mythic history. It is a celebration of companionship and an exploration of how, after being locked down, we might open up again.

Critic and broadcaster Scott Bryan and Inkoo Kang of ‘The Washington Post’ talk all things TV with Robert Bound. We discuss the best shows on the small screen today, as well as what’s coming up. Expect everything from crime, cooking and comedy to dinosaurs.

The world’s most prestigious art event is back in full force. Monocle’s Chiara Rimella and Alexis Self chat about their week in Venice, and how the Biennale has responded in times of conflict. Plus: we hear from some of the most talked-about artists at this year’s event, including Stan Douglas and Golden Lion winner Sonia Boyce.