arts24

This week on arts24's film show, critic Manon Kerjean from Lost in Frenchlation joins us to explore four very different slices of French cinema – from monumental architecture to female bandits, nostalgic comedy and a sweeping national portrait. We begin with "L'Inconnu de la Grande Arche" ("The Great Arch"), a visually striking portrait of the architect behind Paris's modern landmark, La Grande Arche de La Défense. Director Demoustier turns stone and steel into emotion, capturing the tension between ambition, politics and legacy, with Danish actor Claes Bang mastering French for the role.

Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu is turning heads and bending reality. Her vibrant portraits blend women seamlessly into richly patterned fabrics, creating hypnotic optical illusions that celebrate African identity while questioning how we see beauty, culture and self-expression. Now, Muriu returns to Paris for her third solo exhibition, "Clouds Bring Blessings", at 193 Gallery. For the first time, she's created her own tie-dye fabrics, calling nature her "uninvited co-creator". In this edition of arts24, Muriu opens up about her journey from Kenya's first female commercial photographer to a global art sensation – and how fabric, light and heritage weave together in her striking visual universe.

French novelist Laurent Mauvignier has won France's most prestigious literary honour, the Goncourt prize, for "La Maison Vide" ("The Empty House"). The book "recalls the great realist authors of the 19th century, like Zola, Maupassant and Flaubert", FRANCE 24's Culture Editor Olivia Salazar-Winspear tells us from the awards ceremony in Paris.

In this edition of our arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim chats with Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka Self Esteem. She's one of the UK's most exciting breakout stars of the last decade, with Grammy and Mercury nominations under her belt. Her music is a mix of bold, genre-blending pop and razor-sharp lyrics. She’s also an actress, with roles including Sally Bowles in the West End production of "Cabaret". Self Esteem's third album "A Complicated Woman" is her most theatrical and truthful record to date, exploring the complexities of womanhood – from burnouts to depression to sexuality. She's currently on a European tour, with a stop at Paris's Pitchfork festival.

In this episode of arts24, we're at Paris Games Week, where the hit French video game "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" has gone from digital epic to musical phenomenon. Composer Lorien Testard's symphonic tour "A Painted Symphony" is taking sold-out audiences by storm across France. Next, we head to Paris's newest cultural landmark as the Fondation Cartier unveils its spectacular new home opposite the Louvre – a Jean Nouvel-designed masterpiece blending Haussmannian charm with modernist flair. Finally, Hollywood's love affair with the musical biopic continues. From Elvis to Bob Marley, we explore why rock legends' real-life stories keep striking box office gold and take a look at the latest hit, "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere".

Our film critic Emma Jones tells us why the Oscar buzz surrounding Dwayne Johnson's performance in "The Smashing Machine" is deserved and how the film deviates from the average "in the ring" biopic. We also discuss Jeremy Allen White's turn as Bruce Springsteen in director Scott Cooper's "Deliver Me From Nowhere", which zooms in on a difficult period in The Boss's career. We then discover a new talent in Laura Carreira, who's captured the precarity of the gig economy and the weight of loneliness in "On Falling", a social study with shades of Ken Loach. Plus we check out Guillermo del Toro's take on the monstrous "Frankenstein", starring Jacob Elordi and Oscar Isaac, as he revisits the gothic tale in his own unique style.

Dreaming up creations that resemble a garden of earthly delights, filled with beauty, decay and poetry: Precious Okoyomon is a Nigerian-American artist who embraces dark and light, matter and impermanence. Their new exhibition is called "It's important to have ur fangs out at the end of the world" and the artist tells us why this new work has a fairytale quality, encouraging the viewer to open up to the softness at its heart. We also discuss the wild and urban Brazilian landscapes that inspired a recent installation, and learn how the unique energy of Lagos and its people was distilled into a sound sculpture for the Nigerian pavilion at the Venice Biennale. 

Amadou and Mariam, the iconic musical duo from Mali, performed together for more than four decades until the passing of Amadou in April. Their ninth and final album together, "L'Amour à la Folie" or "Crazy Love" in English, has just dropped. It's a posthumous love letter from Mariam to her late husband, with help from their son Sam Bagayoko. FRANCE 24's Marion Chaval and Yong Chim spoke to Mariam about performing without Amadou.

In this edition of our arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim chats with French electronic producer and composer Thylacine. Travel is central to his artistry, having recorded music in unusual locations such as the Trans-Siberian Railway. He is releasing the third instalment of his "Roads" series, which had previously taken him to Argentina and the Faroe Islands. This time, he went to the Namibian desert to record "Roads vol.3", turning a 1972 airstream caravan into a recording studio. We also talk about the ultimate revenge record by British pop star Lily Allen. "West End Girl" is a deeply personal dive into her divorce from "Stranger Things" actor David Harbour.

In this show dedicated to the 10th edition of Also Known As Africa (AKAA), Dheepthika Laurent talks to Zimbabwean mixed-media artist Victor Nyakauru, known for being a “found-object” sculptor. He tells us why he is passionate about breathing new life into old objects and what messages he hopes to convey about environmental sustainability. Also on set: South African photographer and visual artist Gavin Goodman, represented by Filafriques gallery. He talks about his “Vela series” at AKAA, in which he blends African heritage with a minimalist perspective. Finally, we look ahead to Asia Now — the Parisian contemporary-art fair celebrating Asian art and artists at La Monnaie de Paris.