Contents

News UK arts news

5

Features Alex Wheatle

Holding up a mirror to society

30 years of Bloodaxe

Diversity, creativity & charisma

12

15

Art loves fashion & fashion loves art 24 But do they really get along?

Common humanity

Shirazeh Houshiary — new works

Free range 2008

The country’s student art talent

28

30

Contemporary art from Korea

Gwon Osang — UK debut

Want to see more of me?

Black Acting Talent

32

36

Malcolm Middleton

Away from the mainstream Free Kitten

Kim Gordon’s side project

40

42

Gonzales

A musical athlete & world class entertainer

Born Ruf fians

Heading for the British charts

Take

The debut film from Charles Oliver

The Escapist

Debut film from Rupert Wyatt

Rushes Soho Shorts Festival

A preview to this year’s event Born in Bethlehem

Theatre that tackles a 60 year conflict

Live on stage summer 2008

Theatre round-up

44

45

46

49

50

53

56

New books Bethan Roberts

Excerpt of new book The Good Plain Cook

18

Reviews Books

Music

19

41

Aesthetica 

15 30 years of Bloodaxe

36

Want to see more of me?

49

The Escapist

The Aesthetica team are:

Cherie Federico: Managing Director/Editor Dale Donley: Production Director Bruce Corrie: Director Shona Fairweather: Development Officer Chloéé Doyle: Media Sales Executive Alexis Smith: Finance Officer

Interns Rachel Nardiello, Pauline Bache, Rachel Booth, Belle Crawford, Jon Falkingham, Emma Valenghi.

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24

Art Loves Fashion

42

Free Kitten

53 Born in Bethlehem

Aesthetica Magazine is trade marked worldwide. © Aesthetica Magazine Ltd 2008. All work is copyrighted to the author or artist. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced without permission from the publisher. Published by Aesthetica.

ISSN 1743-2715.

Aesthetica Magazine PO Box 371 York YO23 1WL, UK 01904 527560 info@aestheticamagazine.com www.aestheticamagazine.com

Cover image: Knee slider by Gwon Osang, 2007, C-print, mixed media, 60cm x 60cm x 97cm. Photograph by Osurc Kwon. Part of the Deodorant Type: Sculptures by Gwon Osang exhibition on display at Manchester Art Gallery. Used with kind permission.