Putting Belgian music back on the map

This week we look at the Belgian-born artists who are giving the country a good name. Milow burst onto the international music scene this year with their catchy track "You and Me", and rock band Puggy is sure to follow suit with their innovative sound. Plus, we listen to Sally Nyolo who's about to embark on a live tour, spreading her traditional roots sound around the world.

CULTURE CRITICS

Jessica Michault

Fashion Critic
Amobe Mevegue

Music Critic
Sean Rose

Art Critic
Lisa Nesselson

Film Critic
Stephen Clarke

French Culture Critic

07/06/2013 - CULTURE

Erwin Olaf at La Sucrière in Lyon

Lyon’s La Sucrière stages "Emotions", a solo show of Dutch artist Erwin Olaf. Olaf combines photographic works and videos. His aesthetic deals with notions of the bizarre and the the quirky. His images look like stills from a David Lynch movie. The visitor is often thrown into the middle of a scene, and is forced into the position of a voyeur spying on somebody else’s action. The idea of peeping through a keyhole is very much at the heart of Erwin Olaf’s work.

06/06/2013 - CULTURE

Cities and Literature

Cities have been inspiring great literature for centuries – and continue to do so today. Today our book critic, Sylvia Whitman, looks at four recently published titles that explore the ways we engage with, represent, and understand our urban environments.

05/06/2013 - CULTURE

The Venice Biennale

Venice, the most Serene City, is not so serene at this time of the year! The 55th Venice Biennale that has just opened is a little like a Cannes festival of contemporary art – there are openings and parties galore and plenty of red carpet rolled out. Visual artists representative of the four corners of the earth are present. This year’s Golden Lion was awarded to the Angolan Pavilion.

04/06/2013 - CULTURE

When Bad Things Happen To Reasonably Good People

Lebanese-born filmmaker Ziad Doueiri's involving screen adaptation of the novel "The Attack" displeases Arab nations because he shot the Israel-set story in, of all places, Israel. Meanwhile, the recently restored 1982 drama "Sophie's Choice" stars Meryl Streep as a Polish woman whose experiences during WWII still infuse every aspect of her life. It will be shown as part of the Champs-Elysées Film Festival.

03/06/2013 - CULTURE

Daft Punk Gets Lucky

The masked French duo, Daft Punk, is back with a new album and a worldwide hit, "Get Lucky". Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers of Chic and the father of electro pop, Giorgio Moroder, were onboard. Next, after a difficult journey, Scottish band Texas and their charismatic lead singer, Sharleen Spiteri, are back with their first album in eight years, and it's pure Texas.