カテゴリー: Art and design
Peng Shuai is latest in long line of artists, officials and celebrities to have vanished in recent yearsWhat happened to Peng Shuai?The Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai has not been heard from publicly since she accused a former vice-premier of sexual …
From a mosque that breathes to innovative bamboo houses, Marina Tabassum has won the prestigious Soane medal for her humanitarian buildingsFor the people of coastal Bangladesh, the monsoon can bring untold torment – and, occasionally, unexpected joy. E…
Multibillion-dollar M+ struggles to find a balance between artistic expression and political censorshipA senior Hong Kong cultural official said freedom of expression was not above a China-imposed national security law, on the eve of the opening of a c…
When it was built in 1972, it was the capital’s only example of the metabolism architectural movement – but time has caught up with the structureIt is an architectural curiosity that attracts admirers from around the world, an asymmetric stack of ident…
The photographs of Marilyn Stafford, who has died aged 97, set an example for female photographers across the world. Her pictures – many of which lay undiscovered for years – covered fashion on the streets of Paris to the Algerian war of independence, …
A new exhibition captures the changing face of Shanghai through the past two centuries and the development of the past 30 years, from street photography to fashion shoots, from the intimacy of the lilongs to the grandeur of public facades. The exhibiti…
Buildings higher than 250 metres to be banned in cities with fewer than 3 million peopleChina has said it will restrict smaller cities from building “super skyscrapers”, as part of a broader crackdown on “vanity projects” and to reduce energy consumpti…
The Taliban has whitewashed Kabul’s political murals – and those who created them have fled into exileNegina Azimi felt shock and fear like never before when she heard that Taliban fighters had entered Kabul on 15 August. As an outspoken female artist…
Meenakshi Amma, 78, lives in Kerala, southern India, where she teaches the ancient practice of kalari, or kalaripayattu, to new generations Continue reading…
Award-winning artist Maqbool Jan is one of a handful still practising the ancient artform, but without government help he fears it could be lostKashmir’s ancient papier-mache artworks are famous throughout the world. The art form is a staple of the lux…
Fitzwilliam Museum, CambridgeFrom their astounding burial mounds to their dazzling horses dressed up as mythical beasts, this exhibition about Kazakhstan’s ancient nomads shows the power of archaeology to revive the deadA young archer was buried around…
This year’s contenders include a violin-shaped church and a ‘welcome to hell’ glass bridge joining two mountainsAn infamous “hall of shame” listing of China’s top 10 “ugliest” buildings has kicked off with 87 bizarre designs in the running, including a…
Following the Taliban’s military takeover of the country, westerners continue to leave. Afghans hoping to escape Taliban rule have gathered in Kabul, with many making desperate attempts to flee. There was chaos at the airport, where troops used guns an…
The photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was shot dead last week while documenting the Taliban offensive in Afghanistan. His award-winning work for Reuters spanned some of the world’s most era-defining crises. He said: ‘I shoot for the common man who wants …
Nepal celebrated National Paddy Day on 29 June. On this day, known as Asar Pandhra, farmers begin the annual rice planting season and mark the day with various festivities such as preparing rice meals with muddy water; mud being a symbol for a prospero…