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David Hockney, TV drama Three Families and novelist Rónán Hession

David Hockney has captured the unfolding of spring during the pandemic, creating 116 new works on his ipad. Ben Luke reviews the Royal Academy exhibition.

David Hockney has captured the unfolding of Spring during the pandemic, creating 116 new works on his ipad which have been blown up for a new exhibition at London’s Royal Academy. Art critic Ben Luke reviews the prolific 83 year old’s new work. He also discusses the shortlist for this year’s Turner Prize; for the first time, no one on the list is an individual artist: they are all artist collectives.

A new Â鶹ԼÅÄ TV drama, Three Families, is set in Northern Ireland looks at the controversial and divisive subject of abortion. Northern Ireland was exempted from the UK’s 1967 Abortion Act and had some of the most restrictive policies in Europe. 2 years ago when the Stormont Assembly was dissolved and decision-making powers transferred to Westminster, MPs in London voted overwhelmingly to change the law and ease access to abortion. This series fictionalises the stories of three women and their personal involvement in the campaign to liberalise the law.
We speak with the writer of the 2 part series, Gwyneth Hughes.

Irish writer Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry Paul, discusses his second novel, Panenka, about 50-year-old former footballer who has spent 25 years unable to escape from one critical and very public error which made him an exile in his home town.

Main image: David Hockney

Presenter: Samira Ahmed
Producer: Oliver Jones

Available now

28 minutes

Sir David Hockney

Sir David Hockney
is at the Royal Academy of Art from 23 May - 216 September 2021.  Images:  Main image above: David Hockney                          Image to the left: David Hockney, No. 133, 23rd March 2020.  iPad painting (c) David Hockney.   
David Hockney's 90-second public art installation video: Remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long is shown on the Piccadilly Square advertising board, London and on the art website at 20:21 every day until 31st May 2021.     


The Turner Prize 2021

The Turner Prize 2021
The collectives shortlisted for the are: Array Collective, Black Obsidian Sound System, Cooking Sections, Gentle/Radical and Project Art Works.  Works from these collectives can be seen at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry, as part of the UK City of Culture 21 from 29 September 2021- 12 January 2022.  The Turner Prize winner is announced on 01 December 2021.
Image: the. Image credit: Garry Jones Photography

Three Families

Three Families
Gwyneth Hughes' 2-part series Three Families starts on Â鶹ԼÅÄ One at 9.00pm on 10 May 2021, and is on the Â鶹ԼÅÄ iPlayer.  Image: Orla (Lola Petticrew - Left), and Theresa (Sinead Keenan) in Three Families.   Image credit: Â鶹ԼÅÄ/Studio Lambert/Steffan Hill

Ronan Hession

Ronan Hession
is available now in hardback.  Image: Ronan Hession

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  • Mon 10 May 2021 19:15

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