Ithell Colquhoun: Between Worlds

The Surrealist art movement grew out of the lingering horrors of the first ever World War. Artists who dedicated their lives to philosophy and beauty were sent to war, where they witnessed the lowest crimes of humanity and the arrival of death machines like the Gatling gun which could wipe out a whole battalion in moments. They were searching for meaning in the world and their art changed to reflect it, incorporating symbols and mysteries which mirrored the contradictions of real life.

Dance of the Nine Opals, 1942

Hiroshige: artist of the open road

Utagawa Hiroshige was, with his contemporary Hokusai, one of Japan's greatest artists. He came from a noble but impoverished samurai family in the last decades of the Tokugawa period, one of the most violent and dangerous times in Japanese history.

The Silk Roads: blood and gold

"No man is an island." Globalism, the interconnectedness of distant cultures, is not as modern a concept as it sounds. For millennia humans have been sharing treasures, ideas, food - and other humans, which is far less spoken of when reminiscing about the romantic past. 

First part of the exhibition: China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia

We cannot forget that the brutalism of the ancient world always accompanied its greatest beauties. That is one of the threads woven into the story of Silk Roads, the new exhibition at the British Museum.

Yoko Ono: kindred spirit

wonder | wander | women love birthdays, especially our own. Crossing the threshold of every year gives new cause for celebration, reflection, and inspiration. And as we toast ourselves and prepare for the year ahead, we look back on our collective experiences, absorbing them and creating our new, future selves.

Entrance and Wish Trees

Cute Exhibition at Somerset House

The viral exhibition Cute was in its last week a few days ago at Somerset House. wonder | wander | women have always been fascinated by kawaii culture since Hello Kitty and FRUITS Magazine, so we joined our friends and their excited kids for a wander through Cute land.

Cute exhibition header from Somerset House, created via AI

Ainu Stories at Japan House

The Ainu are a Japanese indigenous people living mainly in Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of Japan. They have lived for centuries in the north of Japan, not only in Hokkaido but also in northern Honshu, Karafuto (which the Ainu call Sakhalin) and the Kuril islands. Their language is unrelated to Japanese and Ainu culture is very distinct from Wajin, or ethnic Japanese.

Trailer for Ainu Stories at Japan House