Culture

Our curated articles offering new takes on the big themes and questions in our culture. Plus reviews of books, film, media and experiences. Culture is one of four key themes covered by Seen & Unseen.

Review
  1. Culture
  2. Film & TV
A journalist wearing a body armour and a helmet looks defiant

Anna Politkovskaya took on the Kremlin and she paid the ultimate price

Simon Burton-Jones
The Russian journalist who became a martyr for truth
4min read
Review
  1. Art
  2. Awe and wonder
An art gallery arch reveals a suspended crucifix and other paintings in a distant room

This gallery refresh adds drama to the story of art

Jonathan Evens
Rehanging the Sainsbury Wing revives the emotion of great art
5min read
Article
  1. Belief
  2. Community
A silhouette of a musician holding up shakers.

Oasis: it's all gone a bit biblical at this summer’s musical moments

Belle Tindall
We’re reaching for some ancient vocab to describe our experiences together
1min read
Article
  1. Books
  2. Culture
A newspaper front page shows its title and a falling sea bird

After the Salt Path revelations I’m liking it even more

Roger Standing
We edit our own reality by the stories we tell ourselves
7min read
Explainer
  1. Culture
  2. Film & TV
A film crew read old comics on set.

The old stories that shaped the Superman we know today

Giles Gough
How much messiah is there in the Man of Steel?
8min read
Article
  1. Awe and wonder
  2. Culture
A surfer carves a turn on a wave.

Surfing with Dostoevsky: what waves taught me about the journey

Rick Hansen
The water draws things out of us that we can’t see on our own
6min read
Review
  1. Books
  2. Character
A footballer is interviewed on the side line.

This football autobiography deserves its status as a Sunday Times bestseller

Henry Corbett
A refreshingly honest confession from Big Dunc
3min read
Review
  1. Art
  2. Culture
A portrait of King James VI, his eyes fix the viewer.

From witchcraft to statecraft: inside the mind of King James

Susan Gray
A new exhibition examines art the monarch commissioned and inspired
5min read
Article
  1. Belief
  2. Books
Two people sit at a table strewen with old books lit by candle light.

Waiting for George: why I am yearning for an ending in Game of Thrones

James Cary
Why does it matter so much that the series is unfinished?
5min read
Article
  1. Church and state
  2. Culture
Small huts in a crowded refugee camp.

Nigerians plead for an end to rampant murder

K.C. Nwajei
So-called ‘grazing conflicts’ need to be treated as a real humanitarian crisis
7min read
Snippet
  1. Culture
  2. Film & TV
Brad Pitt dressed as a racing driver stands with a car in the background

F1 feeds our need for speed

Imogen Ball
The high-speed life isn’t just on our screens
3min read
Article
  1. Culture
  2. Justice
Crime scene tape

Why are we so obsessed with true crime?

Jamie Mulvaney
Our prurience often mistakes curiosity for compassion
4min read