Monocle on Culture

In the course of her 50-year career, British artist Maggi Hambling has made a name for herself with her dynamic, expressionist paintings and often controversial public sculptures. Hambling joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss everything from her new show in Hong Kong and her very first cigarette to the elusive nature of the muse. 

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Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, the sisters behind English indie-folk band The Staves, join Robert Bound in the studio. Their John Congleton-produced fifth LP, ‘All Now’, is lyrically rich and full of moments of euphoria. They discuss how to work with your siblings, finding the confidence to make bold decisions and why they always return to an early influence: ‘Sister Act’.

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Cultural critic and novelist Lauren Oyler’s essays and reviews have caused a stir online. She joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss her new book of essays, ‘No Judgement’. Oyler muses on gossip, Goodreads, expat life in Berlin and her experience of trying ‘jaw yoga’ to ease her anxiety-fuelled teeth-grinding.

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We head to the Spanish capital for a special edition of the programme from Arco Madrid. As well as being a major contemporary art market platform, the fair has a strong curatorial core and deep connections with the Latin American scene. We meet the fair’s director and one of its leading curators. Plus: we find out about a major merger in Spain and hear from the artist representing the country at this year’s Venice Biennale. 

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 We meet the director and script consultant of ‘Io Capitano’, the stirring Oscar-nominated film that follows two Senegalese teenagers as they try to make their way from their homeland to Europe. Plus: we catch up with the Palestinian-American singer Lana Lubany, and find out about a computer program that used AI to create artworks 50 years ago. 

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Ahead of the release of ‘Dune: Part Two’, we speak to the legendary film score composer and music producer, Hans Zimmer. He discusses his love for Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, his approach to world building and how he was once fired by the BBC. Plus: ‘Monocle on Culture’ contributor Leila Latif shares her thoughts on the new film. 

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We head to London’s Tate Modern gallery for ‘Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind’. The UK’s largest-ever exhibition on the work of the artist and activist, it brings together her performances, films, music, photography and more. Robert Bound speaks to its curator, Juliet Bingham, arts journalist Andrew Male and broadcaster Jennifer Lucy Allan.

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We explore the world of Cymande, a 1970s jazz-funk group that is the subject of a new documentary, ‘Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande’. Robert Bound meets band members Patrick Patterson and Steve Scipio, and catches up with the documentary’s director, Tim Mackenzie-Smith. Plus: as ‘Nelken’, Pina Bausch’s signature work of contemporary dance, returns to the stage, we hear from dancer Christopher Tandy. 

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We meet Abigail Morris, Georgia Davis and Lizzie Mayland from UK indie band The Last Dinner Party. After signing with Island Records, the group won the Rising Star Award at the Brits and topped the BBC’s Sound of 2024 list – all without having released an album. Now that their debut, ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’, has arrived, Robert Bound meets them to discuss their influences, outfits and penchant for guitar solos. 

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We discuss ‘The Zone of Interest’, the latest film by UK film director Jonathan Glazer. Loosely based on Martin Amis’s novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Rudolf Höss, camp commandant at Auschwitz-Birkenau, and his wife as they build an idyllic life for their family as the Holocaust unfolds. We speak to Christian Friedel, who plays Höss, and film critic Jason Solomons.

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