October 11 – December 17, 2022

November 4 – December 17, 2022

February 12 – December 11, 2022

November 6 – December 18, 2022

November 4 – December 18, 2022

October 22 – December 18, 2022

James Cameron's sequel is vapid and slow

November 17 – December 18, 2022

October 20 – December 17, 2022

How the designer's 1970s, boho-luxe aesthetic still influences interiors today

How artist Amy Sherald blazed a trail with her portraits depicting black America

How grief, fear and addiction helped shape the 30-year-old film

Why Pinocchio is still so disturbing – 150 years on

From Better Call Saul and Abbott Elementary to Andor and Top Boy

Close to nature and beautifully minimalist – five Zen-like Japanese interiors

12 min read

Mass grave of murdered Vikings sheds light on King Aethelred’s doomed reign

A mass grave is unearthed

In January 2008, Thames Valley Archaeological Services began excavations near St John’s College, in preparation for the construction of a new accommodation building. They quickly discovered the remains of a 4000 year old neolithic henge, one of the largest ever found in Britain. Upon further investigation, broken pottery and food debris were found, indicating that the henge had been effectively used as a landfill site during the Middle Ages, thousands of years after it was constructed. However, it quickly became apparent that the site contained something far more significant, when human bones began to appear. It was a mass grave, bodies piled unceremoniously on top of each other. After a month of digging, the team concluded that they had unearthed the skeletal remains of 37 people.

Radiocarbon dating showed that the bones dated from AD 960 to 1020, the late Anglo-Saxon period. But, although mass executions were not unheard of in this time period, the remains were not consistent with those found at previously discovered mass execution sites.

The skeletons were all of fighting age men, ranging from their late teens to mid-thirties, and were unusually tall for the period. Analysis of atomic variations within the bones revealed that the men’s diets consisted largely of fish and seafood, which was not typical of the Anglo-Saxons, strongly suggesting that these were the remains of Vikings.  Given the evidence, it seemed probable that this mass grave might be archaeological evidence of the St Brice’s Day Massacre of 1002, in which the Anglo-Saxon king of England, Aethelred, ordered the extermination of all Danes living in England.

How were the victims killed?

It was concluded that the bodies had suffered extremely violent deaths. They had been brutally stabbed, with puncture marks in their vertebrae and ribs, and had suffered multiple blows from simultaneous attackers. One had been decapitated, with others showing evidence of attempted decapitation. Among the 37 victims, 27 had broken or fractured skulls, indicating traumatic head injuries. A detail that stood out as particularly significant to the archaeological team was the charring on some of the remains.

If context is everything in art, how does placing an art show in the middle of the sea change our experience of the work? That’s the obvious question posed by New York’s Half Gallery, which hosted the second iteration of one-day Miami Art week pop up Stiltsville Thursday. 

If nothing else, it made for quite the adventure for the 130 collectors, artists, and art world hangers-on (including yours truly) that braved the two-hour sea journey to the Bay Chateau, one of six houses still standing in Stiltsville. With guests traveling throughout the morning, the weather alternated between clear, bright sun and a steely downpour with gusts of powerful wind, until the boat reached its far-out destination for a genial afternoon of art, swimming, and sun. 

Stiltsville is a collection of houses built in Biscayne Bay, off the coast of Miami, in the 1930s. For decades, the houses, of which there were 27 at peak, were a major nightlife attraction, featuring restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and gambling houses. Illicit activity hidden from prying eyes was the allure. The surviving houses have become landmarks in Biscayne National Park.

“I think traveling via boat with a small group of other art lovers is more unique than bumping into someone at a fair,” Half Gallery’s director Erin Goldberger said in a statement. 

That’s an understatement. Between the mildly treacherous sea journey, a healthy amount of cocktails, and the convivial air from the many friends and family of the artists and gallery present, it was a unique experience indeed.

November 4 – December 17, 2022

October 20 – December 17, 2022

On a Tuesday evening last month, just before Thanksgiving, artist Ted Hartley was at a dinner to celebrate his recently exhibition of new paintings at Keyes Gallery in Sag Harbor, New York. As the dozen oysters he’d ordered were laid out in front of him, he was prompted to explain the inspiration for his latest body of work.

“It’s about walls,” Hartley said. “When you run into a wall you either have to get over it, go under it, get around it, or break it down. Life is about dealing with walls. It’s about not letting fear get the better of you” he said. After a moment to himself, he picked an oyster, swallowed it down, and placed its shell upside down on the tray of crushed ice. 

Apart from its zip code, an exhibition opening in Sag Harbor is not unlike one at a smaller gallery in Tribeca or Chelsea, or any in Brooklyn. The main difference, however, is the complete lack of pretense or cynicism, noticeable upon entering the gallery. 

The atmosphere was quite nonchalant for one of the chicest enclaves on Long Island, and by proxy in all of New York State. About 20 people filled the room, for a night full of conversation, appreciation, and very good wine served out of thin plastic flutes.

On view in the exhibition, which runs until December 5, was Hartley’s “Ukraine Series,” a collection of three punchy abstract works in blue, red, black, and yellow that bring together the influences of Post-Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism.