VISUAL ART: PATIENT LABYRINTH
The new artwork and exhibition from Junk Ensemble at Rua Red Galleries is both a maze and a labyrinth - exploring the delicate boundary between two worlds: the one in which we lose our way, and the one we try to find our way out of. The exhibition weaves together myth, folk magic, and ritual to explore how we navigate uncertainty, entrapment, and transformation. On Thursday 22nd January, there's a screening of a film by videographer Luca Truffarelli on the process and research behind Patient Labyrinth, followed by a panel conversation with Jessica Kennedy and Megan Kennedy (Junk Ensemble) and visual artist Jesse Jones (Rua Red, Dublin, until February 7th)
BOOK: ESTHER IS NOW FOLLOWING YOU
Esther first sees Ted walking in a park in London. They lock eyes and for a fraction of a second, she feels something she's never felt before. She starts by reading up about his life in Canada and his work as an actor. Then she watches every interview with him online. It isn’t long before she’s joined Ted’s fan site online where her and the 'Tedettes’ stalk his every move. When Ted gets a new celebrity girlfriend, Esther decides that things have gone far enough. She leaves her husband, takes all their savings, and buys a one-way ticket to Canada. After all, Ted might not know it yet, but they are meant to be together – he just needs a little bit of persuading... The debut novel from journalist-turned-author Tanya Sweeney is a timely tale of obsession and celebrity fandom - she talks to Oliver Callan below (Penguin, out now)
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FILM: NO OTHER CHOICE
Korean maestro Park Chan‑wook's pitch-black (and rather timely) comedy thriller about desperation in a brutal job market stars Lee Byung‑hun as a paper‑industry veteran made redundant after decades of loyal service, who makes a chillingly logical decision to eliminate rival candidates for a rare vacancy. Adapted from Donald Westlake’s novel The Ax, it's another movie masterclass from the director of Oldboy, The Handmaiden and Decision to Leave (Selected cinemas nationwide)
MUSIC: CHOICE MUSIC PRIZE
Now in its 21st year, the annual RTÉ Choice Music Prize once again celebrates the best in Irish recorded music; selected by the judges from another exceptional year for homegrown talent, this year's shortlisted acts for Best Irish Album 2025 include Amble, Bricknasty, Joshua Burnside, CMAT, Dove Ellis, Junior Brother, Just Mustard, Maria Somerville and SPRINTS. The overall winner will be announced at a special event at Vicar St, Dublin on March 5th, with an exclusive live RTÉ 2FM broadcast, featuring performances from shortlisted acts. Listen to the shortlisted albums here.
EVENT: SEACTAIN SAOIRSE DON PHALAISTÍN
Presented by Cairde Amharclann na Saoirse in Éirinn / Friends of the Freedom Theatre in Ireland, Seachtain Saoirse don Phalaistín is a curated week of 'celebrating cultural resistance' at Project Arts Centre bringing 18 Palestinian artists together in Ireland and presenting the Irish premiere of a trio of shows. The programme includes a new visual art process by Tuqa Al-Sarraj, the acclaimed one-man tour-de-force Palestine: Peace de Resistance by Sami Abuwardi, and music from Ahmed Eid, holding space for collaboration, connection and active cultural resistance through art. Find out more here (Project Arts Centre, Dublin, 26-31 January)
Hear The Culture 5 every Friday on Aedín in the Afternoon on RTÉ lyric fm, from 1pm - listen back here
