Art of Now

Documentaries exploring the latest worldwide cultural issues, trends, celebrations and rebellions.

Radio 4,74 episodes

Episodes

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Brazilian Art Under Bolsonaro
Brazilian artists and thinkers explore cultural life under a far-right president.
10 Sep 2019,28 mins
Hostile Design
Artist Stuart Semple on unwelcoming street design meant to deter anti-social behaviour.
05 Sep 2019,28 mins
Sell Out
The art world is awash with corporate money and brand partnerships. Should we be worried?
03 Sep 2019,28 mins
The World in Their Hands
In a London studio, the ancient craft of globemaking finds a modern spin.
29 Aug 2019,28 mins
Cymru Rising
DJ Huw Stephens looks at the rise of Welsh-language pop music.
27 Aug 2019,28 mins
Tin Roof Symphony
Take shelter from the storm, as rain comes down on the humble tin roof.
20 Aug 2019,28 mins
Jeremy Deller’s Peterloo
An in-depth look at Jeremy Deller's new People's Monument to the Peterloo Massacre.
15 Aug 2019,28 mins
Hairy Art
Can art help us unpack our emotions about body hair? Keisha Thompson investigates.
13 Aug 2019,28 mins
Batter! Batter! Boom!
How are some of Scotland’s newest noise-makers discovering the joys of sound art?
08 Aug 2019,28 mins
An Orchestra of the Rainforest
Music and trouble, in the Brazilian rain forest - a race against time for the Wauja tribe.
01 Aug 2019,28 mins
Hands
Psychotherapist Philippa Perry asks what our hands reveal about ourselves and our world.
30 Jul 2019,28 mins
Migraine
Exploring migraine and creativity through a specially commissioned musical score.
25 Jun 2019,28 mins
Music of the Kaka'i
Hear the secret, ancient music the Kaka’i people of Iraq risk their lives to play.
20 Jun 2019,28 mins
Istanbul's Factory of Tears
In Istanbul, Isobel Finkel explores the kitsch, melancholy, forbidden music of Arabesk.
18 Jun 2019,28 mins
Art Surgery: Anxiety
Elizabeth Alker and Nikesh Shukla explore art and anxiety.
10 Jun 2019,28 mins
Karaoke Rage
Gabriel Ebulue investigates a deadly karaoke curse concerning Frank Sinatra’s My Way.
28 May 2019,28 mins
Puerto Rico
The creative response of Puerto Rican artists to Hurricane Maria and economic crisis.
21 May 2019,28 mins
Afghan Stars - the Women's Story
Sahar Zand is in Kabul to meet women musicians who are defying the Taliban.
14 May 2019,28 mins
Afghan Stars
Sahar Zand is in Kabul for the finals of the TV talent show Afghan Star.
07 May 2019,28 mins
Race and Fashion
Kenya Hunt celebrates black designers and explores conversations around race in fashion.
23 Apr 2019,28 mins
The Return of Voguing
Clara Amfo looks at the UK voguing scene, a unique subculture currently in the spotlight.
16 Apr 2019,28 mins
A New School for New Orleans
Clara Amfo meets the staff and artists at a groundbreaking music studio in New Orleans.
04 Mar 2019,28 mins
Recombinant Rhymes and DNA Art
Anna McNamee meets the artists and poets using genetic science to create stunning works.
25 Feb 2019,28 mins
Visual Assault
Zoe Buckman meets female artists responding to sexual discrimination around the world.
11 Oct 2018,28 mins
Women Who Walk
Doon Mackichan wanders, falls and loiters with just a few of the women making walking art.
08 Oct 2018,28 mins
Border Wall
Art on the US-Mexico Border
04 Oct 2018,28 mins
Nick Danziger's Shutter Stories
Photographer Nick Danziger travels to Armenia, revisiting isolated elderly people.
01 Oct 2018,28 mins
Surveillance
Artist Nye Thompson asks how the creative world is reflecting the state of surveillance.
27 Sep 2018,28 mins
The Joy of Text
Artist Bob and Roberta Smith examines how text and language are used in art.
24 Sep 2018,28 mins
Inbox
The Inbox is open - a unique platform for the creativity of Radio 4 listeners.
20 Sep 2018,28 mins