April 2020 - Slow Culture Magazine

WHERE TO BEGIN WITH… Niki de Saint Phalle

28 April 20203 May 2020Visual arts, Where to begin with... Aurélie Lemaire

Strong and fragile, feminine and feminist, Niki de Saint Phalle keeps on marking spirits as we reach the 20th anniversary of her passing. In this article, I invite you to dive into the rich and complex universe of this cult artist.

Here are my three reasons to immerse in her engaged, occult, colorful and laid back world.

Forte et fragile à la fois, féministe et féminine, Niki de Saint Phalle continue à marquer les esprits près de 20 ans après sa disparition. Je vous propose un plongeon dans le monde riche et complexe de cette artiste culte, intemporelle et iconique.
Voici mes trois raisons pour vous immerger dans son univers engagé, ésotérique, coloré et décomplexé.

Samantha Fish (Kill or Be Kind now available) – ITW #18

23 April 20204 May 2020Interviews, Music & Records Marc Louis-Boyard

Blues vocalist and guitarist Samantha Fish released the incredible Kill or Be Kind album in September 2019. Almost nine months after the initial release, the album lost nothing of his attractiveness and cultural value.

Since 2016, we interviewed many musicians, from dream pop to jazz to americana to post-punk. You get the idea: blues was terribly missing from our range, and we are honored to have exchanged a few words with Samantha.

Samantha is a talented, ambitious, down to earth musician and we all have to learn from her discipline, openness and honesty.

Platypus Press (two books) – THIS WEEK IN ARTS VOL.5

20 April 20203 May 2020Literature, This Week in Arts Marc Louis-Boyard

Platypus Press is an independent publisher that has been on the back of our heads for a moment now. This This Week in Arts follows another volume highlighting The Emma Press, and let us assure you that the coup de cœur is made of the same intensity.

We picked two books to justify and report this excitement: a poetry anthology entitled Islands Are But Mountains and a collection of thirteen short stories by Sam Reese entitled Come the Tide.

NB: all the pictures used for this article are courtesy of the publisher. Considering the current health situation, we wouldn’t have risked the life of a postman for the sake of literature, as precious as literature is right now. As for reading and not taking fancy pictures, Kindle saved the say once again.

Laila Biali, Out of Dust (jazz) – ALBUM REVIEW #21

12 April 20203 May 2020Album Reviews, Music & Records Marc Louis-Boyard

Out of Dust is a rare tailor-made jewel, as our interview with Laila Biali already suggested. The eleven tracks comprising this album are uplifting stories you can’t miss.

We took our time to review Out of Dust. Intense laziness? No. Lack of time? No. Blank page syndrome? We don’t think so. We at Slow Culture write with the aim of highlighting impressive work the best way possible. Laila Biali’s album is such a showcase of generosity and talent that we couldn’t allow ourselves to write hurriedly.

Already critically acclaimed, Out of Dust is here to stay. Let us tell you why!

Benjamin DeVos (Human Fish now available) – ITW #17

9 April 20203 May 2020Interviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

Keep your friends close, and your friends closer, as they don’t say. We followed that principle anyway because having Benjamin DeVos around is something pleasant.

Before welcoming here Kevin Jackson again for his Why I Write, we are very pleased to share with you our interview of the writer of Human Fish, one of our major 2020 book discoveries (read our review here) Here’s the review, in case you’d like to see.

Kevin Jackson (Greta and the Labrador, out now) – ITW #16

8 April 20203 May 2020Interviews, Literature Marc Louis-Boyard

Writer, broadcaster, filmmaker, pataphysician: Kevin Jackson expressed his curiosity and his fierce desire for creation through more means that you could imagine in a lifetime. A few lifetimes could be necessary, to be honest. Kevin Jackson must be a cat. A cat who wrote a story with a dog. Yes, you read that right.

His last book Greta and the Labrador (Holland House) is a poignant tale of getaway, loyalty and love. One drop in the ocean of a critically-acclaimed career, but a beautiful and remarkable one.

Kevin Jackson is a generous, thoughtful character himself. He agreed to share some of his colors with us and we couldn’t be happier to share them with you today.

This is an interview, but the rumor says that a Why I Write could be on the works.