Read, Watch & Listen

Barbican Cinema curator Matthew Barrington, explores the history behind this classic of 70s African American cinema, directed by legendary director, Melvin Van Peebles.

A Little History of Art Beyond the (So-Called) Mainstream - Charlotte Flint explores the origins of Dubuffet’s phrase ‘Art Brut’, its impact on art history, the different artists whose work he collected, alongside the importance of ‘Art Brut’ today.

Explore a collection of activities and resources, co-produced by Headway East London, inspired by Jean Dubuffet.

The Barbican Young Poets cohort of 2020 was due to present a showcase at the Barbican just before COVID-19 changed everyday life and the ability to commune together safely in person. 

This month, Young Creative Hector Dyer presents 'the sun sets' in collaboration with Jemima Yong, inspired by 'Operation Moonshot', the leaked document in the British Medical Journal in which the UK government planned to carry out 10m rapid Covid tests a day by early 2021.

Rediscover the excitement of the metropolis - this new cinema season explores cities across the world.

With lockdown easing, Natasia Patel presents 'Dream Fragments’, a poetry film based on excerpts from their journal, chronicling their inner thoughts and feelings over the last year, as we all look back on the last 12 months for how we can best move forward.

Annie Fan and Cia Mangat present a collaborative poem in response to women's safety.

Not familiar with Monsieur Dubuffet? Don’t fear, as our Research Assistant and resident Dubuffet expert Camille Houzé has written a brief biography about the artist’s life and times.

In a new interview series, we get to know some of the performers, artists and creatives from our programme. 

Leo Long presents Shinryoku (新緑) Sprouting Green Grass, a celebration of music and nature as we enter springtime in the UK after the darkness of winter and the pandemic.

This month, Young Creative Esme Allman presents 'Premiere', mourning the passing away of Cicely Tyson and exploring collective grief.