This month’s staff pick theme ‘Reclaiming Magic’ was inspired by the 2021 Summer Exhibition opened at the Royal Academy by Yinka Shonibare.
October’s Staff Pick: How to Enjoy Art
Acquisitions Editor of Art and Architecture, Sophie Neve recommends How to Enjoy Art: A Guide for Everyone by Ben Street
Yonki Shonibare calls for “a return to the visceral, joyful aspects of art-making” in the RA’s ‘Reclaiming Magic’ Summer exhibition. Ben Street similarly calls for a return to the visceral, joyful aspects of viewing art in How to Enjoy Art – his book shows that you don’t need to have art historical knowledge or know-how in order to enjoy and experience an artwork.
So often, contemporary art is seen as exclusive, only accessible to a select few. Ben Street breaks down these barriers and shows us that contemporary art in fact communicates with us in just the same ways as historical works of art do. In his book we encounter the work of artists such as Zoe Leonard, Rasheed Araeen and Yin Xiuzhen, among others, who use space, colour, scale and material to speak to their audiences. How to Enjoy Art therefore not only introduces us to a number of exciting and intriguing contemporary artists, but also introduces us to a new way of thinking about art.
Find out more about How to Enjoy Art here.
You can also watch the book trailer here.
Other Recommendations
Academic Marketing Manager, James Williams recommends Nonconformers: A New History of Self-Taught Artists by Lisa Slominski et al
If we’ve inspired you to reclaim the magic and keep exploring art, then you might want to look out for Nonconformers in spring 2022 – a global history of self-taught artists and their contributions to modern and contemporary art, written by Lisa Slominski with an exciting group of contributors.
You can read more about Nonconformers here.
Photo by J A N U P R A S A D on Unsplash
