There is a lot of stuff on the internet, and in real life, and it’s hard to know what’s good. Every month, we’re sending a list of stuff we have encountered digitally or physically that is worthy of a recommendation. You’re welcome.
Eliza:
Sophie Smith’s haunting and beautiful essay in the London Review of Books on Gisele Pelicot and, strangely, Kate Atkinson’s deeply problematic “lovable sleuth” Jackson Brodie.
The Safe Keep, by Yael van der Wouden, a novel that kept me up past my bedtime and manages to be both a timeless and intense lesbian love story and a new and disturbing WWII historical tale.
The cocktail “Naked & Famous” : mezcal, aperol, chartreuse, and lime (wow)
Ranunculus flowers
Parallel Lives by Phyllis Rose, an oldie but a goodie: 5 Victorian marriages, all highly dysfunctional in their own ways, and absolutely riveting to read about
Theresa Pagowska at Thaddaeus Ropac in London – the first UK show for the late Polish artist, who explored blues and whites and fuschias with incredible depth (now closed, sorry)
My Friends by Hisham Matar, a novel about the intangible profundity of friendship and the meaning of home
Jess Allen’s paintings of shadows
Isabella:
Isla de las Tentaciones: I’ve always loved reality TV, but I never knew what I was missing by only sticking with the Americans and the Brits. The Spanish have no fear of getting crazy messy on television! This meme of “Montoya, Por Favor” is only the tip of the iceberg.
I Paint What I Want to See by Philip Guston is a book I continue to return to when I feel uninspired. While Guston can sometimes be rather self-indulgent, it showcases the artist's career as a lifelong pursuit. Guston spent a whole year just drawing! Imagine!
Besos Hasta Agotar El Stock by Tomás Pintos, a dance performance centered around the kiss. It was sexy, thought-provoking, radical, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Barcelona-based painter Madison Tyrell
Barcelona’s most fabulous party, Latineo, is back for its second anniversary. Latineo is always and will always be cool as shit and a testimony to the vibrant underground queer scene in Barcelona.
Gildas: Anchovy, guindilla peppers, and olives on a toothpick. AMAZING.
I can't stop listening to the Grammy-winning song "El Día Que Perdí Me Joventud" by Nathy Peluso and Blood Orange.
Coming next: a series of interviews with queer artist couples about creative collaboration. Subscribe to get it straight to your inbox.