I, Aeronaut ‘Symbol, You Hold Onto The Wrong Things’
The first piece of music to enter this edition of Sound Selection is by I, Aeronaut who delivers tuneful vocals with equally ear-pleasing production in his latest track ‘Symbol, You Hold Onto The Wrong Things.’ With this song released, we are excited to see what’s next for I, Aeronaut. This one is for the playlists.
Tom B. ‘Someday’
Another melodious track to enter our Sound Selection is by Tom B. named ‘Someday’ who presents us with dramatic-driven melody and dynamic production that will have you listening for a fortnight to come. ‘Someday’ is faultless and one for your playlists.
The Rocket, a Belgian pop-punk band, has presented us with a music video for their latest single ‘Lost At Sea,’ which comes from their upcoming album ‘Another Reason Not To Fear The Sky,’ which is scheduled to be out on the 30th November.
Talking about the single ‘Lost At Sea’ the band said “Lost at Sea might be one of the most personal songs our singer Tom has ever written. Although he’s this great charismatic dude who fills every room with joy, he’s not always great with expressing his feelings and thoughts. When he does so in lyrics like these, it’s always so poignant. He went through a bad breakup when we were writing the album, and Lost at Sea is about coming to terms with his own feelings.
We’re really proud of the clip we did for this one too; we fully directed and edited it ourselves, which was a painstaking process with lots of post-production and effects. For not being a high budget production, we really feel like we were able to stay true to our original concept and idea and the images just complete the song so well. The video shows a kid astronaut getting stuck on a planet without people, which to us seemed like a great metaphor for the loneliness depicted by the lyrics.”
When Elsie, an orphan on the streets of Victorian London, hears about the mysterious Ice Monster – a woolly mammoth found at the North Pole – she’s determined to discover more…
A chance encounter brings Elsie face to face with the creature, and sparks the adventure of a lifetime – from London to the heart of the Arctic!
Jack Reacher plans to follow the autumn sun on an epic road trip across America, from Maine to California. He doesn’t get far. On a country road deep in the New England woods, he sees a sign to a place he has never been – the town where his father was born. He thinks, what’s one extra day? He takes the detour.
At the very same moment, close by, a car breaks down. Two young Canadians are trying to get to New York City to sell a treasure. They’re stranded at a lonely motel in the middle of nowhere. It’s a strange place … but it’s all there is.
The next morning in the city clerk’s office, Reacher asks about the old family home. He’s told no one named Reacher ever lived in that town. He knows his father never went back. Now he wonders, was he ever there in the first place?
So begins another nail-biting, adrenaline-fuelled adventure for Reacher. The present can be tense, but the past can be worse. That’s for damn sure.
In the bestselling How To Be Right, James provides a hilarious and invigorating guide to talking to people with faulty opinions. With chapters on every lightning-rod issue, James shows how people have been fooled into thinking the way they do, and in each case outlines the key questions to ask to reveal fallacies, inconsistencies and double standards.
Alexander Karpenko is no ordinary child, and from an early age, it is clear he is destined to lead his countrymen. But when his father is assassinated by the KGB for defying the state, he and his mother will have to escape from Russia if they hope to survive. At the docks, they are confronted with an irreversible choice: should they board a container ship bound for America, or Great Britain? Alexander leaves that choice to the toss of a coin . . .
In a single moment, a double twist decides Alexander’s future. During an epic tale of fate and fortune, spanning two continents and thirty years, we follow his triumphs and defeats as he struggles as an immigrant to conquer his new world. As this unique story unfolds, Alexander comes to realize where his destiny lies, and accepts that he must face the past he left behind in Russia.
Pete Banning was Clanton’s favourite son, a returning war hero, the patriarch of a prominent family, a farmer, father, neighbour, and a faithful member of the Methodist Church. Then one cool October morning in 1946. he rose early, drove into town, walked into the church, and calmly shot and killed the Reverend Dexter Bell.
As if the murder wasn’t shocking enough, it was even more baffling that Pete’s only statement about it – to the sheriff, to his defense attorney, to the judge, to his family and friends, and to the people of Clanton – was ‘I have nothing to say’.
And so the murder of the esteemed Reverend Bell became the most mysterious and unforgettable crime Ford County had ever known.
Few mere mortals have ever embarked on such bold and heart-stirring adventures, overcome myriad monstrous perils, or outwitted scheming vengeful gods, quite as stylishly and triumphantly as Greek heroes.
In this companion to his bestselling Mythos, Stephen Fry brilliantly retells these dramatic, funny, tragic and timeless tales. Join Jason aboard the Argo as he quests for the Golden Fleece. See Atalanta – who was raised by bears – outrun any man before being tricked with golden apples. Witness wily Oedipus solve the riddle of the Sphinx and discover how Bellerophon captures the winged horse Pegasus to help him slay the monster Chimera.
Filled with white-knuckle chases and battles, impossible puzzles and riddles, acts of base cowardice and real bravery, not to mention murders and selfless sacrifices, Heroes is the story of what we mortals are truly capable of – at our worst and our very best.
Martin Chorley, aka the Faceless Man, wanted for multiple counts of murder, fraud and crimes against humanity, has been unmasked and is on the run.
Peter Grant, Detective Constable and apprentice wizard, now plays a key role in an unprecedented joint operation to bring Chorley to justice.
But even as the unwieldy might of the Metropolitan Police bears down on its foe, Peter uncovers clues that Chorley, far from being finished, is executing the final stages of a long term plan.
A plan that has its roots in London’s two thousand bloody years of history, and could literally bring the city to its knees.
To save his beloved city Peter’s going to need help from his former best friend and colleague – Lesley May – who brutally betrayed him and everything he thought she believed in. And, far worse, he might even have to come to terms with the malevolent supernatural killer and agent of chaos known as Mr Punch . . .
Beginning eight years ago on the outskirts of Birmingham, where car factories have been replaced by Poundland, and London, where frenzied riots give way to Olympic fever, Middle England follows a brilliantly vivid cast of characters through a time of immense change.
Its very existence is controversial, and to the demonstrators who barricade the building every day, the service it offers is no different from legalised murder.
Now life and death decisions are being made horrifyingly real: a lone protester with a gun has taken the staff, patients and visitors hostage.
Starting at the tensest moment in the negotiations for their release, A Spark of Light unravels backwards, revealing hour by urgent hour what brought each of these people – the gunman, the negotiator, the doctors, nurses and women who have come to them for treatment – to this point
Once in a blue moon, a book comes along that changes the world. The Origin of Species. War and Peace. 1984. The World According to Danny Dyer. And now, Cunk on Everything: The Encyclopedia Philomena, by Philomena Cunk.
Taos is back with another chart-promiser ‘Control.’
Aaron Taos, the US-based artist, has just recently put out his latest song ‘Control,’ which is part of a bigger project named ‘Birthday Boy.’ The song drives on its monotonous theme and relatable lyrics that will have you listening from the get-go. Additionally, the song features a video which focuses on an odd-creature as he goes through his daily life, even look-wise reminding us of the creature from The Shape of Water. Patrick Golan directed the music video.
Talking about the song Aaron Taos said “‘Control’ is about the monotony and malaise of daily life in the suburbs. It’s about going through the motions day to day and falling in a pattern where you lose some agency… a “Truman Show” type situation.”
JOLYN, a highly-talented independent artist, has joined us to premiere her brilliant song ‘Millennial Blues’ which features an eye-catching music video. Jolyn and gifted videographer James Polley directed the video which features striking visuals and poetic editing that will have you watching and listening for weeks to come.
“An eye-pleasing video to match equally wonderful music”
It took a while, but after a few dozen hours within the Red Dead Redemption 2 campaign I finally managed to reach the end-game. I’ve been burned before, but even so, my hype for this one was the highest I’ve had since Doom 2016. Although the game is not without its hiccups, I’m happy to report that this is one well worth the purchase.
Story
RDR2 is a prequel to Red Dead Redemption, following alongside Dutch’s gang as they do their best to escape the authorities, and attempt to establish themselves as free-folk in an increasingly lawful world. Players who remember the original will note a few of the characters who were mentioned or appeared playing an important part. Chief among these are the leader Dutch Van Der Linde, the loyal Bill Williamson and Javier Escuella and, most importantly, the former playable character John Marston.
We don’t want to run any spoilers for those who have not played the original but suffice to say that those who did should understand going a little about the inevitable attitudes and fates of these key players. While this does give a greater appreciation of how their characters evolve throughout the experience, it also runs the issue of many prequels have of laying bare a somewhat predictable path for these known few.
Not that this is inherently problematic, as it also gives an interesting case of giving depth to those whose fates we know, those who have changed, and those who remain fundamentally the same throughout both games.
In RDR2 the player controls Arthur Morgan, a founding member of Dutch’s growing family of gangsters, and one of his most dedicated and trusted followers. Morgan understands his place as an outlaw and a killer, and while he doesn’t consider himself a good man by any means, he still strives to rise about the chaos of the worst examples of the Old West.
This runs an interesting dichotomy, with Morgan doing his best to stick to his moral code among the ever-worsening situations he and the gang find themselves in, and the growing unpredictability and occasional brutality of Dutch himself. As the gang start the game just having failed in their attempt at their one last big score, Morgan’s weariness is a driver of his character growth throughout the game, as each twist along the path makes it increasingly difficult to hold himself to his code, testing his loyalty both to Dutch and the supporting members of the gang who rely on his guidance and leadership.
Aside from the main story, players will find themselves given side-activities from both camp members and strangers out in the world. These run the gambit from heartbreaking to hilariously ridiculous, and some can be tied to camp locations, so completionists should be sure do all they can before continuing the main story. Also included are little random events which players will stumble across in the world, the range of which continued to surprise even into the endgame.
There was some concern going into this game that the characters might end up going the way of GTA, as more ridiculous caricatures rather than relatable people, but this concern has largely proven moot. Of course, there are still issues of the dreaded ludo-narrative dissonance, with Morgan racking up a body-count reaching into four digits, but this is aided by his established nature as a self-conscious outlaw. Morgan knows he isn’t a good man, he knows he’s a killer, and that makes it so much easier to consider story-action consistency that that many other popular heroes.
Gameplay
RDR2 is huge, and I don’t just mean the map itself. Relying on many of the same systems as the original, and taking evolved aspects from GTA 5, RDR2 is full of major gameplay features which many will find initially overwhelming.
The gunplay itself is fantastic, with a variety of old-timey revolvers, rifles, and shotguns, among many others, allowing for players to choose their own loadout for their preference, or for the mission ahead. The shooting here relies on a lock-on mechanic, which allows for faster and easier precision shots, but which might prove overly aggressive for some players. This can be amped up or down or turned off completely in the options at least, so those unhappy with this system can change it to their preference.
There is an issue here, however, in that your weapons are saved to your horse. As this will be your primary mode of transport throughout the game you will usually always have your horse nearby, but getting off a horse means manually selecting two weapons to carry, alongside your auto-equipped pistols. It’s easy at first to forget this in the carnage or in surprise action, and the game sometimes forgets what you have equipped or changes your loadout without warning. It would be nice to have a loadout which you could set as default at all times, but so far the game seems lacking this feature.
Speaking of horses, these play a huge part, and can be customized to suit your preferred look, and upgraded with various tack. These can be purchased, broken in from the wild, or even stolen from others. It’s hard not to form a bond with these fella’s and ladies, which makes it all the more devastating when you lose one to a tree, cliff, or gunfire.
Just be careful, otherwise, you might end up like me, losing a great new horse the first time you leave a city to an ambush. $500 I’ll never see again.
The supporting aspects of this game come in the form of RPG-lite features which can be more frustrating and distracting than anything else. Some, like hunting, tie in well, with each creature being able to be reduced to useable parts. Even better, or worse depending on your perspective, is that these require methodical tracking, and the use of clean shots and the correct weapon and or ammunition to retrieve the best quality components. There are even a few legendary versions out there which can net special gear and trinket bonuses, though these can be safely dispatched with any overwhelming firepower.
Other additions, like hunger and stamina, come across as more busywork than anything else. Aside from the standard health, stamina, and slow-mo deadeye meters, these three aspects also have cores. These will regenerate your meters whenever they are completely or partially filled but ultimately offer little in the way of enjoyment. Your horse also has the health and stamina cores, which brings us to the next point.
There are parts of RDR2 which bring up the question of whether realism is preferable if it is not enjoyable. Sure, eating is realistic, but managing five different cores is not what many of us would consider enjoyable, so does it really warrant inclusion? The same could be said of the limitations which are often imposed on movement speed when inside camp or within mission locations. Again, sprinting around camp or up to a person before talking to them is silly, but being forced to move around at a snail’s pace sacrifices playability in favor of realism, and that is something which I and many players take issue.
Of course, many players won’t mind this, but it would have been nice to be able to at least toggle this, or simply allow it anyway. People who want to role-play could still walk around slowly if they wanted, and it wouldn’t come at a cost to those of us after a little more speed. The same can be said for skinning and harvesting. These are incredibly well animated and are actually very impressive the first couple of times you see them, but tenth? The hundredth? Not so much.
This also ties into the weight which is so synonymous with Rockstar games characters. This gives a great deal of realism when it comes to movement, that is undeniable, but it also means that rapid adaption to an unpredicted scenario can be unfortunately difficult. While some of this can be alleviated by switching to the fantastic first-person viewpoint, it is still an issue which is harsh on beginning players and held my performance down a dozen or so hours in.
Presentation
RDR2 is the best looking multiplatform game so far, that much I can state with confidence. In fact had I not experienced it for myself, I would have doubted my humble standard PS4 capable of such feats. While the standard Xbox One version lacks behind somewhat, the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X stand as even more impressive achievements.
Draw distance here is especially impressive, aided by a fantastic LOD scaling systems which is second to none. Distracting pop-in is almost invisible to all but the most eagle-eyed players, which is probably helped by the fact that there is little in the way of air-based viewpoints, creating easier viewpoints to predict. Also among the most impressive here are the fog effects which, while I am not usually a personal fan of, are so amazingly managed that I couldn’t help but stop in some areas in awe.
Animations are similarly impressive, as you would expect from Rockstar Games. Sure, I messed up my horse a few times by crashing it into a tree or ten, but watching Arthur come tumbling off and down a hill was a hell of a spectacle to behold.
Aiding in all the amazing atmospheric work is the range of environments available within the game. From deep snow to the desert, into lush grasslands and even alligator-infested swamps, the graphics engine in use by Rockstar has plenty of room to flex its muscles, and it rarely disappoints.
In fact, the only real disappointment I had with RDR2 when it comes to graphics is the framerate in the game’s major city. While this area tended to avoid taxing action-heavy gameplay sequences, it was disappointing to see drops in what was otherwise a fantastically stable 30 FPS experience. It really makes me hunger for what the inevitable (though not announced, I would place good money on this) PC release could look like, whenever it eventually hits shelves.
Conclusion
RDR2 is a rare game which upholds the early promises of what this generation could manage. Offering a story which sits among the top tier of open world games, and gaming in general, engaging gameplay which draws the player into the experience, and presentation at the very top of its class, this is an experience which proved well worth the wait. While it is not without a few issues, in overall scheme of things these annoyances are minor, though they could detract more easily frustrated players from the fun.
Not done yet, players still have the open world of Red Dead Redemption 2 Online to go. Hopefully not ruined by hackers and gameplay creep as GTA Online was, I’m personally so happy with the base game that I care little about the online portion performs.
A must have for any gamer’s library, and one which should find a place of honour high in your current-gen gaming stack.
Imperial Daze, now a four-piece quartet after originally starting from three members, has released a tuneful single under the name of ‘Man Out Of Myself.’ The song features ear-pleasing vocals with matching production that will have you listening for weeks to come. Luckily for us, the song also features a recently released music video which was directed by Nathan Sam Long starring Sylvain Levitte and Nahel Tzegai. The video has some striking and genuinely unique visuals.
“A terrific music video for an ear-catching song”
‘Man Out Of Myself’ is available to be streamed via Spotify here. The song was premiered on Clash.
Watch the music video for ‘Man Out Of Myself’ below.
Music Video credits
Starring – Sylvain Levitte & Nahel Tzegai
Director – Nathan Sam Long
Producer – Gareth Williams
Cinematographer – Aaron Rogers
Colour – Simona Cristea and Katie Dymmock (Coffee and TV Post)
Art Direction / Wardrobe – Thibault Maas
1st AD – Luis Issermann
Focus Puller – Andrej Rybar
1st AC – Tanmoye Khan
Gaffer – Kupa Warner
Spark – Joel Ward
Gimble Tech – Ibrahim Serra-Mohammed
MOVI Op – James Yeomans
Production Design – Héloïse Perignon
Make-up Artist – Kirsty Graham
Looking at the media these days, things can get rather depressing. When thinking of American culture, you might be forgiven for getting lost in a darkness of school shootings, wars and more politicians’ blunders or boasts. However, while the States are certainly not the only major player on the global playing field, they’ve had some huge and positive influences on the world.
TV & Movies
Hollywood may well have its flaws, but there’s no denying that the studios there make some of the best stuff for the big and little screens. Whether you’re into big blockbusters or small indie flicks, a lot of the world’s top creators venture to LA to make their name.
No matter where you live, you probably count Hollywood movies among your most-loved. They’re responsible for franchises, stand-alones and series and for launching the careers of some of the most talented and well-known actors around.
If you’re ever in the area, you can even take studio tours available to the public, to learn a bit more about your favorite movies and what went on behind the scenes.
Food, Glorious Food
Most countries simply don’t do food like the USA does. Each nation across the globe has some incredible offerings – as anyone who’s ever tried Italian, Japanese, Indian or Greek can tell you – but the USA has made waves in this respect of its own.
Let’s talk for a sec about portion sizes. Most countries might serve a modest amount. But America? Oh no. Order the steak and something’s coming out the size of your head. Luckily, getting a box is the norm in the USA, so you can take what you can’t finish home.
We’re seeing these trends spreading and, for years, the food styles have influenced what people eat in all corners of the world. Burgers, mac and cheese, steaks, fries and more can be ordered no matter where you are, making sure that when people get takeaway, they’re often having it the American way.
Music to our ears
From the jazz and blues of the American South to the top pop, rock and R&B artists of today, the USA has been responsible for some of the biggest names in music that the world has ever known. So many different cultures in the nation’s melting pot have contributed to the sounds on the world’s airwaves.
It’s difficult to know where to begin when talking about this subject, but no matter your tastes, America has an artist for you. These styles have spread worldwide, influencing talented musicians everywhere. And, thanks to the rise of the Internet, it’s now even easier to listen to music from even the smallest towns in the USA or even to have the people behind it come to play your city.
Like most countries, the USA isn’t perfect by a long way. But when you consider the realms of lifestyle and entertainment, it really can be called the Land of the Free.
We were hoping to have a Red Dead Redemption 2 review up this week, but attempting to complete every little side-quest has revealed just how immense the game is. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the biggest gaming news coming into November 2018.
Diablo Immortal
One of the most hilariously ill-fated reveals in gaming came out of BlizzCon this week with the announcement of Diablo Immortal. Far from the Diablo remake or sequel which so many have craved for years, Diablo Immortal is a dedicated mobile game. As Diablo has long been held as one of the best examples of PC gaming, and one of the series with the most hard-core dedicated audience, a mobile game was never going to go down well and, as it turns out, it didn’t.
Now having reached the status of an international meme, with one of the most downvoted YouTube trailers we have ever seen, Diablo Immortal is shaping up to be a fine example of a mobile cash-in.
Not the lines Blizzard was hoping for
For those out of the loop, aside from the overwhelmingly dedicated fanbase on the originating platform of the PC, a lot of this contempt comes from recent Blizzard practices and the increasing avarice which they have displayed in the recent years. Even Overwatch, one of their best received and modernly popular games, has seen its fair share of controversy. Remember that Blizzard still involves a slot-machine gaming system with loot-boxes in this game, and even went as far to disagree with Belgian interpretation of Belgian law when they were listed as such.
Combine this their original effort to monetize and ruin a large component of Diablo III with the original real-money auction house and fans of Diablo are wearier than ever. It should also be noted that this game comes from a platform notorious for microtransaction-based gameplay. Combine this with what appears to be little more than a reskin of co-developer NetEase’s previous microtransaction heavy games and you see where the doubt becomes overwhelming.
We are sure that in a vacuum this announcement would have made share-holders salivate, but in the middle of BlizzCon, amongst the most hardcore of fans, well we all saw how that worked out.
While I personally have no faith that this game will be worth it, I sincerely hope that Blizzard manages to overcome all expectations. It’s just that faith, especially when it comes to the recent developments of multibillion-dollar gaming corporations, is faith so often misplaced.
New Overwatch Character Revealed
With the most recent cinematic reveal, also at BlizzCon, came the announcement of the latest character Ashe. Leader of the Deadlock Rebels, Ashe is a DPS hero whose kit includes a lever action rifle (sweet), dynamite, a shotgun for damage, booping and double jumps, and an ultimate which brings in her robotic companion B.O.B.
While we were really hoping for another tank or support class at this point, seeing as how DPS characters already outnumber both of these combined, Jeff Kaplan also announced that they were aware of this issue. As he states it, another six heroes are already in the works, with one being the omnic Echo from the Reunion animated short.
The next character is not known yet, though is apparently already fully playable. We don’t know what this will mean for their regular release plan so far of three characters a year, so time will tell if this represents a monetarily accelerated schedule.
Warcraft III Remastered Coming 2019
Another of the popular announcements from BlizzCon is the confirmation that the Warcraft III remaster is on track for 2019. Already looking quite far along in development, we hope we don’t have to wait too long for this one.
Even better, this game will see a rerelease of the classic modding World Editor tool. As the flexibility of this tool already gave birth to a new genre with DOTA, we can’t wait to see what a new generation of modders could bring.
Fallout 76 Beta Getting Some Time in the Sun
Only a few weeks from its official release, Fallout 76 has entered the next biggest stage in its beta test. While many of us were waiting to see how the PC version would hold up, the answer is, well, not so good. Poor performance is still there, even on some higher end rigs, the bugs are still there, and fans will still be unable to patch what Bethesda inevitably won’t themselves.
Again, this might seem like unwarranted negative thinking to those unfamiliar with Bethesda’s work. We would answer this by saying that there are huge bugs in even the most recent ports of Skyrim which have existed since the initial game. Bugs which were patched almost immediately by fans and ignored by Bethesda themselves. Also, take a look at the current bug fix list for the Skyrim Legendary Edition unofficial fan patch (warning, several hundred pages).
Most hilarious of the bugs we have seen so far is the accidental deletion of the key item the Pip-Boy, and the fact that movement speed is tied to frame-rate. This means that players on the even more poorly performing consoles can simply look at the ground to outrun their opponents. Yikes.
Will this one be fixed in the official release? Probably. Will most of the rest? We wouldn’t bet on it.
Smash Ultimate Steps Up
Smash Ultimate is gearing up to its December 7 Switch release with the announcement of the final three characters. Bringing the roster up to 74 (though this includes clones), one of these, in particular, was rather unexpected.
Ken from Street Fighter makes an appearance, now standing alongside his buddy Ryu, as does the fire Pokémon Incineroar. The weird one though, he came in the form of the Mario enemy the Piranha Plant.
I wouldn’t have called that one, but then I only called the inclusion of Ridley sarcastically and Nintendo made outplayed me there as well. No, it’s not Goku, but the possibility of future DLC characters still stands strong. We still wouldn’t bet on him though.
PlayStation Classic
Due for release on December 3 this year, the PlayStation classic has just announced the full lineup of which games will come included on the diminutive system:
Battle Arena Toshinden
Cool Boarders 2
Destruction Derby
Final Fantasy VII
Grand Theft Auto
Intelligent Qube
Jumping Flash
Metal Gear Solid
Mr Driller
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Rayman
Resident Evil Director’s Cut
Revelations: Persona
Ridge Racer Type 4
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Syphon Filter
Tekken 3
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six
Twisted Metal
Wild Arms
So a few big ones there, but still not the list which all of us would have hoped for. No Crash, for one thing, and no Gran Turismo or SOTN, which is also a disappointment. It could be that this system can be hacked like the NES classic to include other games, however, we could only recommend this morally if you own copies of the original games.
Now then, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to the Old West.
In the latest solo exhibition, the wonderful, Bartosz Beda showcases and exposes political issues beyond the primary face of his art. This is Beda’s third solo exhibition in the United States. Several paintings for this exhibition were produced during his three months artist-in-residence at GoggleWorks, Center for the Arts in Pennsylvania.
Bartosz Beda, a Polish-born artist, has developed and recently presented his new solo exhibition which he claims explores political and social issues through hidden meaning. While this claim is always up for a challenge, we must understand that Beda has become known for his philosophical and at times even metaphysical art over the years. Beda, who is an emerging artist exhibited twenty-four paintings at Mildred M. Cox gallery in Missouri. Beda emerged with his art in the United Kingdom in 2012 when he was selected for Saatchi New Sensation and published in the Catlin Guide as of the most promising artists in the UK. As a painter, he is often referred to Francis Bacon with his use of difficult subjects and deformed forms in his paintings but also seen by many like Frank Auerbach through the way he applies paint on the canvas.
In this latest exhibition named ‘Ten Starts from One’, Beda combines vividly harsh reds and greens with dusting greys to create a melancholic feel to his art. More so, the combinations reflect the harsh political climate we are living in. What is more exciting about Beda’s latest exhibition is the focus on one topic and emotions in several different ways. It is clear that Beda focuses on a sphere of themes and emotions which is present throughout his exhibition.
A key painting that showcases those themes is titled ‘Person of the Year’ which was directly inspired by Time Magazine cover of Person of the Year and the President of the United States, Donald Trump. This painting itself is a statement and can be controversial enough. It is his personal comment on the political scene, but also it is a reflection on the role of the individual in the society. Through this work, he suggests that every individual is an important part of the puzzle and things can go in a great direction if it is decided right in a group.
“A wonderfully relevant collection by a challenging artist”
On the painting, Beda also wrote “Moscow, ID” (which may stand for Moscow, Idaho – where Beda resided at the time of producing the painting), but fundamentally “ID” in psychoanalysis stands for the part of the mind in which innate, instinctive impulses and primary processes are manifested. Through this, we can evidently perceive that the connection reflects the Donald Trump situation in America and the wider world after he was elected.
1 of 14
Another painting of the Donald Trump is titled ‘Ten Starts From One: Monument’ which is a combination of his portrait and posters from Soviet Union times that display builders which in this painting they sculpt a monument of Donald Trump. The key focus of this painting for Beda was to display that the ideology and thought are possibly related and not far-fetched from what is present in China and Russia, today. This painting is a form of allegory that is supposed to make the viewer laugh. When you look at the painting closely, you will see on the left side of the painting three figures that actually sculpt the monument of Donald Trump himself. It is a direct correlation to regime hero and monument that were built only for propaganda purposes. The colours on this painting themselves are very intriguing and happy; in fact, The American flag is incorporated in the background which is about patriotism and which creates a balance to the allegory of the painting.
For the exhibition, Bartosz Beda has created very soft and calm lighting that invites the viewer to enjoy the metaphysical connection between paintings and the space. It calms visitors and makes them contemplate the work. Beda himself refers to the use of light in the gallery to Mark Rothko rooms in Tate Modern — that are built on the lack of light. When you enter a gallery, the focus is on the paintings, and that is where Beda wants to keep the attention. Viewers are encouraged to encounter and consider how the paintings and space around them interact with each other. Another painting from this series is based on the propaganda posters from the Soviet Union period. Posters were encouraging women to work and build the prosperity of the Soviet Union. From today’s perspective, it sounds funny, but our culture has the same purposes and values, but the way the message is delivered is different. It also comes to the idea that paintings express the painter himself.
Overall, Beda has presented us with a genuinely eye-opening exhibition, which in our opinion opens up for more discussion as the political climate shifts in the upcoming months and years. The exhibition can be interpreted in a variety of ways and will be so — depending on the audiences views and cultural upbringing. With this exhibition live and running, we are eager to see what is next for Beda, an artist truly connected through his art to the austere world we are living in today.
