Comics and cartoons are probably the most universally accessible forms of media. The entertaining format aligned with wholesome or exciting messages can give us a lot of enjoyment. We all know that we learn things from what we watch or enjoy, plenty of cartoons have given us an ear for classical music which, in most other settings, might have made us go somewhere else. We know that if we have a rewarding experience, the peripheral information can become part of the pleasure rather than a chore. So, telling important stories through this medium is a fitting way to use it. We might finally find a way that gets people to listen to each other. 
 
Genetic and linguistic evidence all points towards human beings originating in the African bush. At the time it is thought we evolved, the area that is now the Sahara Desert was a lush temperate region. It is likely that the earliest humans came from there and then fanned out across the continent, at first preferring woodland and jungle but eventually learning to colonise wildernesses too. This means that we are all related to someone who once migrated. Perhaps it was thousands of years ago, when a particular band made it to a new part of the world. Perhaps it was more recently. These days it’s common to see a range of ethnic origins mingling together, especially in cities. People from all over the world come to work, live, and take holidays in all the big locations.  
 
The world has always been connected, with trade routes and religious pilgrimages meaning people would travel from their home to faraway places. Some might have stayed; some might have returned home. Many likely died somewhere on the way, leaving their legacy where they dropped it. It might have taken months to do what takes a day or two in 2025, but people have always mixed. Considering the number of Japanese words that sound a little like European words when spoken aloud and yet have no linguistic relationship at all can only point to the idea that people have been travelling far and wide for centuries.  
 
The University of London is currently holding an exhibition that showcases a host of animated and comic-book art about migration. It’s free to enter and is running into the Spring. Marking twelve years of PositiveNegatives, the non-profit based at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), The Stories of Migration exhibition puts the years of hard work into something relatable and communal. Hand in hand with Mideq, a migration research thinktank, PositiveNegatives have collaborated and collated a list of stories and themes from international migrants including Yemeni, Philippine, Iraqi perspectives. The main event, the animated Story of Migration, is a film dedicated to telling the range of networking stories that enrich our perspective on this universal phenomenon. 
 
Along with 15 animations and comics, the seven-minute video culminates a long effort of investigation, listening, and appreciative documentation. We know that this work is never finished, however as each generation represents its own time, condensing the information into something publicly accessible is always a valiant endeavour. We can all go and find out what the stories have to say, rather than relying on Western reporters to outlay their own narrative, we can go to the source and drink the natural water.   
 
Open until 22nd of March, The Stories of Migration exhibition at the SOAS Gallery, London, is free to ​enter.

Via The Guardian

Love comics and graphic novels? Find American and Imported editions at great prices. You reward this journal with your happiness. 

What is the point of an NFT when you just own a picture on a hard drive? Surely you want something physical or at least tangible for the real world to perceive. Maybe I’m missing the point somewhat, it’s not unknown, however when I read about this it all seemed to fit. A new exhibition from ARTIZM COLLECTIVE is showcasing a whole host of contemporary art and design that not only has a physical presence but is associated with blockchain technology. Every piece is registered, like a vehicle logbook, to ensure the legitimacy of the ownership, the piece itself, and any other data the board may wish to include. Nifty.  

 

Featuring fashion design by the iconic Luxury Promise, beautiful jewellery from Love Bullets and Annabel B, a whole host of visual artists including Jolene Henry, Carl Cashman, Dr Greedy, and Ioana Elecfi, the 3-day event is made even more exciting with a run of live performances. Entertaining the people alongside Next Door Records, Soul Quest, and Josh Parkinson, visitors can also experience an exclusive film screening of Antony Petrou’s The Fight, a film about rejection and determination. Fashion and Jewellery workshops top off the agenda, so there’s always something new to do if you want to see the artworks twice or more. 

 

ARTIZM is a collective run by a trio of ingenious and industrious talents. Contemporary artist Dan Pearce works with Love Bullets founder Martin Jegede and film-maker Antony Petrou to bring together a host of desirable, adventurous, and enjoyable works of art for like-minded people to soak in and take home. The free to enter 3-day event begins on the 23rd of January and finishes on the 25th. You can find the exhibition at 28 Cavendish Square in London. It is completely sold out this time, which is to be expected, so perhaps you can think of how something similar can happen under your own umbrella? 

​Via Fad Magazine

Claim Your Free ROX tokens with ROBOX, then swap them for other coins. Build your portfolio over time. 

Out of all the nations of the European Union, and you can roll Britain into this too, Poland has the worst record for gay rights and equality for alternative sexualities. What many consider backwards and based on mythology rather than reality, others want to protect themselves from when God asks them how they promoted a good biblical life. Religious expression is protected, and if someone wants to believe things written by bronze-age theologians from thousands of miles away and apply them to their own lives, they are free to do so. So there is an understandable conflict of interest. People who have natural feelings and no desire to cause harm are given the impression that they are wrong for being who they are. Usually, sins come from extreme emotional responses to hurtful activity or strong desires. Love between two consenting people can’t be put into this label. Whatever you believe, LGBTQ people are here to stay and no amount of prayer or preaching can change the way nature made them. Healing people is about preventing suffering in the patient, not the doctor. 
 
A huge collection of artefacts collected from the LGBTQ rights movement have been gathered and put on display. In pre-Roman Catholic times, homosexuality was not seen as problematic. In fact, the Roman society who inhabited much of Europe during much of the iron age have plenty evidence left over that prove homosexuality was a normal part of society. The need for gay rights therefore had only emerged in post-Christian times, and during their earliest years it was simply too dangerous to argue with the Church. They could legally burn you alive and have crowds gather to insult you while it happened. It makes sense then to find that the earliest example of gay rights material in the Polish exhibition is from the 16th Century.  
 
The story is told from these early examples and is led right up into the 21st Century, where the laws in Poland still do not protect the rights of gay people in consensual relationships. It’s a remarkable step for the Eastern European nation, who have given the green light for the venue and show in the capital city. They’re not trying to hide the struggle at the top. Perhaps it’s the citizens themselves who demonstrate the most confusion as to whether people with different feelings to them have a right to express themselves. Visitors to the museum can expect to find plenty of material that helps build the holistic picture of the gay rights movement in Poland. Letters, photographs, pamphlets, posters, and more. When the opening ceremony happened, two of Poland’s most significant gay rights activists showed up, Andrzej Selerowicz and Ryszard Kisiel. Known for fighting for the cause during Soviet-era Poland, they risked personal danger in speaking out.  
 
The collection is mainly the culmination of the donations of various collectors, including two prominent names. Because of the shadowy nature of the issue in days gone by, many of the evidences and materials have been discarded and destroyed over the years. Usually, there are always one or two people who make an effort to preserve things that may be contentious however remain valuable in the eyes of historians and sociologists.  

​A great book about history and humanity:Roman Homosexuality: Second Edition (any purchase rewards the journal)
​

For the eleventh year running, the Salford Lightwaves Festival is wooing onlookers for free. The popular walk along the riverside boasts a great atmosphere and a generous dose of culture all year around. For a handful of days this December, the popular promenade will showcase 14 illuminated installations designed by local, emerging, and internationally-acclaimed lumiculators (I did make that up).


From the 5th to the 8th of December the illumination exhibition designed by Quays Culture will be on display after dark. With regular guided tours including a BSL version at 7pm on the 7th, visitors can either have a mosey along at their own pace and discover what they find in their own way or can be shuffled along and given all the inside scoop. Perhaps both sounds like the best option.  

No booking is required so you can show up when you like and see what it has in store. There are bound to be some interesting messages and thought-provoking ideas for you to take home with you.

Via BBC
    
Get your glowsticks, Every dad needs em, hand em out and keep the kids safe. Support the journal with every purchase!

​

When we think of art sculpture we probably think of marble and bronze. The uniform colour of solid materials always offers a fresh lighting and can even magnify certain characteristics and mannerisms. We’ve probably all laughed at some of the modern sculptures, especially of football players, that seem to miss the mark. A cartoonish sense of impressionism has taken over the agenda with a lot of modern homages. Perhaps in years to come the seemingly skewwhiff expressions will become a source of endearment and something to remember these historical characters for. The ancient statues from antiquity are usually much more lifelike, with attention to detail reflecting the reality of the human form. We don’t know if they really looked like that, or the model at least, but we can still admire the beautiful forms offered today. 
 
When you think of painted statues, you might think of Games Workshop. The adult's and children’s war gaming phenomenon involves buying your characters and painting them before using them in the game. The setting isn’t the same as other sculptures, after-all the mass produced and plastic figurines can hardly compete with an artist’s handiwork. Yes, they are fun and it can be something for everyone to enjoy, we don’t play chess to admire the king. Painted sculpture in the art world is often termed polychrome sculpture, which means multicoloured. The art of painting and the art of sculpting can unite in the form of vivid and three-dimensional objects. 
 
In Prado, Spain, the art of polychrome sculpture is taking the forefront in a new exhibition. The Roman Catholic culture in Spain is renowned for its iconography. Images of religious figures are used to help people connect with their ideas of God and faith. Some churches see these as so-called graven images, which are forbidden, however other churches see them as essential tools for bringing people closer to the creator of everything. As the artist creates the shapes then uncovers their reality with life-like colour, the people from stories and history are almost brought back to life. 
 
Hand In Hand- Sculpture And Colour In The Spanish Golden Age is a new exhibition in the Spanish area of Prado. Including the work of Luisa Roldan, the first female polychrome sculptor in the Spanish royal court, the exhibition demonstrates the exquisite and iconic imagery multicoloured sculpture has to offer. The scenes depicted are varied, with many religious figures from various cultures making up the majority. This showing of art wants to highlight the discrimination the medium has received in recent years. Not only the gender of the artists but the art form itself has often been dismissed as not proper or an imitation of the real masters. Hand In Hand wants to put this concept to bed and show the true mastery behind the empathic and narrative depictions.  ​

In its fourth year, the Egyptian art festival that takes place at the feet of the Pharoah's resting place, Forever Is Now showcases some of the best contemporary art the region has to offer. As the inspiration arises from the creativity of their ancestors, and the constant influx of ideas from around the world, a moment of awareness is made material by trusted artisans who best represent the movement.  
 
As the cartography of the sand can change overnight and the patterns nature designs can reveal stunning novelty and inventiveness, the output of the day’s artists can shift and fold over on itself as various ideals and motivations make themselves known, needed, and open for exploration. For the first time in the Forever Is Now open-air exhibition, Asian participants have been included in the roster of talent to showcase their ideas and messages.  
 
The artists have been given the setting and the wealth of imagery it entails to work with, and as usual they have not let Egypt down. In their clever and intuitive reflections of the culture, aspects of the ancient civilization meet the modern day as locals and visitors can enrich themselves in the extra layers of transient time. Autumn is a great time to visit Egypt, as the summer sun has fallen back, temperatures are more reasonable. Africa is famous for being hot before anything else, so exhibiting the world’s talent during the milder months makes a lot of sense.  
 
The painstakingly produced and thought-through work of fourteen internationally renowned artists have made the cut to be exhibited this year. These include sculptures, paintings, and installations. A partially submerged chariot by Khaled Zaki, stylistically designed with a steel interpretation of a struggling horse, a clay constructed Vessel of Time by Jean-Marie Appriou, multicoloured hieroglyph temples adorned in ancient Egyptian and Modern-day Korean scripts by Ik Joong-Kang, and many more intriguing and surprising displays are situation in the UNESCO heritage site.  
 
As Egypt has been playing a role in reducing tensions between Likud in Israel and Hamas in Palestine, both of which want to destroy each other's culture, the nation’s tourism has suffered genuinely because of this. Polarised minds from both sides will see Egypt as a thorn in the side of the agenda when it comes to ironing out the creases and putting a stop to the senseless and murderous campaigns of both parties. A nation as ancient as Egypt, with its fair share of ups and downs, can stand proud and experienced in the field of international politics. We should listen to ancient cultures, especially ones that have been so successful. Although there are only a few days left for this year’s Forever Is Now exhibition, we can assume that next year will see something just as grand and equally as inspiring. Maybe it’s a good time to visit the land of sand and Pharaohs. 

​Via The Guardian

Looking to get some seasonal shopping done? You'll help out this journal at no extra cost. Here's Amazon's Deals page. Thanks.​
​

If you were in possession of a once looted piece of antique culture from Nepal, would you give it back? What if there was nothing stopping you from keeping it? Put yourself in the shoes of a collector, who values their possessions on a scale that actually measures up to the “right thing to do” and often wins. It’s a tough one, we know that in the harsh reality of this world, most people would not give their antique back. After-all, Nepal is not in a position to enforce or pay for the return. So, what’s next for the rightful custodians of local heritage? A deal. A battle between the part of us descended from apes, reptiles, amphibians, and fish and the part of us descended from heaven.  
​

Nonsense, I can imagine some of you thinking. Let’s look at it another way. Freud spoke of the subconscious and the id. The subconscious is the bit of us descended from nature, it wants and needs, it desires. The id is the part of us we have built ourselves from the most powerful wisdom we can find. Our morality and our notion of what is right comes from this, it’s in the brain because as we learn through life, our brain creates the proper connections. Pitting these brains against each other is exactly what Nepal are doing with their new exhibit.  


“Give Us Back Our Gods” is an exhibition that recreates a batch of artefacts that was looted between the 1960s and 80s. Each piece has been meticulously recreated and includes a description, just like the real thing would in a museum. The collection is about to go on display in Nepal, with the one purpose. To offer each highly crafted exquisite replica as an exchange for the original, no questions asked. Now, you might think that surely the real thing is much better but remember what Machiavelli said, “A man of good character is difficult to conspire against”. Imagine the replica and the story of how upon discovering the history, the family decided to exchange the piece. The story is worth a lot more than the artefact.  


Well, we can only hope. At least the rest of us can visit Nepal any time we like in the next few months to catch a glimpse of what could have been. A mirror image of reality, but it’s the spirit that is backwards. Or is it? If the originals were intended to appeal to Gods and these new pieces are intended to appeal to the God within us, is there much difference after all? The Museum of Stolen Art is set to open in 2026. 
 
Interested in the scene? Check out this book: The Nepal Festivals:: Articles on Nepalese Art, Culture and Deities
​

Finding the solutions to the problems we have and those that others share with us often requires a creative approach. It’s not often that we have an instinctive and no-brainer answer to a genuine problem, mostly because by the time we get to this point we’ve likely solved it or made it a lot worse. We take the tools of the moment, the ideas surrounding the moment, and make something useful out of it. If you remember MacGyver, he’d often construct something out of little bits and bobs in a technical engineering way. The A-Team would do something similar, building various machines and traps that usually made use of their indestructible van and a cunning disguise.  
 
Creativity is the process of taking what we have and using it to make something new, for a purpose, or simply for the pure enjoyment of it. We can apply this principle to nearly every aspect of life, with an infinite number of dimensions that can be aligned to the process of finding something new. The various disciplines of life make use of time-served techniques and methods that become the solid foundations for new ideas, novel practices, and particular answers to very specific one-off problems. The more dynamic and shifting an industry is, the more creativity is required to stay in the centre ground. To be at the top of the league, creativity and technique must work together to the point of excellence. The more honed and experienced a technique has become, the more polished the individual components of it will be for creative uses.  
 
Although creative processes can take place in every walk of life, there are some people who are more suited to creative activity than others. As we all come with different personalities, each one with its virtues and weaknesses, creative individuals are more likely to seek out new paths and better ways. Rather than shying from problems, they like to solve them. The creative process can be summed up simply as listening to ideas and problems, applying what we know to them, and then acting on the problem with our application. Often, it is our own problems that we listen to or those in our family. Professional creativity involves listening to the recurring problems of the wider world. Sometimes we are asked to provide bespoke answers and sometimes we’re asked to solve problems with an answer already given but not working.  
 
Human creativity is about the governance of the line between reality and fantasy. An idea that doesn’t have substance can be turned into a material object or process of value in a cultural context with the applied creativity of one or more people. It might sound simple; however, this is an incredibly powerful part of our toolkit that has enabled us to progress from the canopy. Finding purpose in our creativity means listening to the issues that matter and the desires that are relevant. When we have linked our process to the tangible reality the real work can begin.   
 
To create things that have intrinsic value, the result needs to have a clear purpose. Not only this but the purpose has to resonate with human needs. These stem from mind, body, and spirit. We need to keep all three of these things happy, mental, physical, and emotional nourishment are important for all of us. Creative processes tap into these fundamental requirements to offer new and interesting ways to sustain and improve the wellbeing of these aspects. From practical things like a new way of banking to spiritual things like a book about God, the human being is sustained and nourished with a continual diet of beneficial creativity.  
 
Many people are psychologically motivated to be the best they can be, to make the most of their given attributes, and become successful by doing the things they enjoy and are particularly good at doing. We like getting good at being good. It is rewarding for us and gives us a sense of self-esteem that may have been lacking before we applied ourselves. Even if we don’t rank in the top of the group, winning little battles against our previous selves makes the art of progress beneficial. Some of us are better at pure creativity and can apply it to whatever is put in front of us. Innovators, entrepreneurs, inventors, (the decent) supply teachers, they all have highly creative jobs. Creativity by its nature changes the social and economic landscape. Depending on your own level of reach, the level of reach of your creativity will follow. If your idea is valuable, then it’s likely to travel beyond as more people adopt it or at least come up with something based on it.  
 
It isn’t a simple thing to be creative. The whole process requires not only a strict process but a strict mental regime. Things that put a stop to creativity are the things that put a block between our subconscious and our conscious mind. Stress, anxiety, fear, and monologue all stand between you and your brain’s inner computer. The idea is for the two to talk to each other in ways that make the subconscious conscious. Naturally, the inner landscape of our subconscious mind is not fit for purpose when it comes to conscious expression, however the motivation is on our side, and it can offer insights and missing pieces that we feel make sense out of the situation. Once we consciously process the various concepts and ideas that come to mind, we can put them into physical use. Our evolution is as ancient as life itself so when it has a good idea, if it really is a good idea, then you should listen to it. You know you can’t maul your problems in a dark cave, so you can be the judge of your own ideas and once they’re out in the world, it’s up to the rest of us.  
 
The best creativity happens when you're relaxed and stress free. A good start might be browsing this awesome comic and toy shop, it's safe for grownups and kids.
​​

Many people will remember the devastating fire that ripped through the historical York Minster back in 1984. The building boasts some of Britain’s finest period architecture outside of London with roots dating back to pre-Viking times. The Minster of today was built over a staggering 250 years during the early Middle Ages, when life expectancy was around half as much as it is today. Designed to fit the needs of the Entire North of England when the nation was still under King and God, the magnificent Gothic building represents the first example of the style ever built in the land. Westminster, Exeter, Sheffield Town Hall, they all take the second row.  
 
When the fire blazed through the South Transept, the right-hand side of the cross shape, the pulpit area and the priceless artifacts were destroyed. Thankfully, work was able to begin immediately to repair the beautiful and hardy structure. Now, with 4 decades behind them, the Minster are ready to recreate the entire experience with a fantastic light and sound show called Phoenix. The Nave, where the congregation sits, and the entrance area at the West Wing, will be illuminated with flickering orange and yellow firelight. The sound of a raging fire and the voices of firefighters will sing out from speakers to complete the effect.  
 
Exhibition creators Karen Monid and Ross Ashton have deliberately put the disaster into vivid detail, incorporating the story of the fire and the continuing work to rebuild the world-famous building. Visitors today may not be able to tell that there are pieces missing and that several traditional elements may not be in their rightful place. Millions of pounds and four long years were spent to get the place back to usability. However, with the full story told alongside the exciting visual and sonic effects, modern-day Minster goers will discover how much is still needed to be done.  
 
From the 2nd of November, visitors can witness the display for themselves and learn all about how human endeavour conquers chaos with the provision of time, effort, and of course money. Ticket prices for this event raise funds to help continue the vital repair work that no-doubt will take place over this generation and the next. With a history such as the one York Minster carries on its shoulders, we can all afford to wait a while to see its completion.   

​Learn about the Gothic Architecture style: ​The Gothic Cathedral: The Architecture of the Great Church 1130-1530
​
​

I love looking through these Aladdin’s Cave stores, with all kinds of so-called junk and unwanted things. The idea of searching through the mishmash of former belongings and sensing the history within each piece as they pass from tabletop to hand to tabletop is magical and captivating. Where some of us see a future bin lorry haul, others see a collected history of modern and retro style, represented in every kind of imaginable way. Books, comics, magazines, furniture, electronics, ornaments, clothes, music, toys, they all come from somewhere and some place in our time. One thing we can usually be certain of, though, is the fact that nothing is worth much. It’s cheap.  
 
Luigi Lo Rosso is one such purveyor of timeless artifacts and mismatched collectibles. Back in 1962, he acquired a canvas depicting a man and a woman. He hung it on his wall in a cheap frame while living in Pompeii. Now in Capri, with plenty of things still packed away in his basement, the junk shop owner’s son happened to mention the painting to someone who knew more than he did. The signature looked a lot like that of Picasso and the image seemed to show the artist himself with one of his many lovers. The unusual image was then shown to real experts who authenticated the painting as genuine.  
 
The esteemed and sought-after graphologist Cinzia Altieri spent months comparing the writing to that on known works by the famous painter. Every little detail was studied and compared, taking into account for the freedom of human writing and the common aspects that run through every example, enough points of reference were found to determine the painter’s true hand. Luigi Lo Rosso must be very proud, and glad he left his business in such capable hands. Imagine how easy it would have been to simply buy the painting for a few Euros, with its retailer unaware of its real worth? Thankfully the due diligence of his son Andrea was enough to uncover this brand-new example.  
 
The painting is said to resemble Picasso’s 1938 work, Bustede femme. Featuring the French photographer Dora Maar with his famous cubism style. Stolen from a Saudi Sheik’s luxury yacht in 1999 and recovered two decades later, Buste de femme has entered cultural repute thanks to its exciting journey through the underworld. This newly found piece appears to be a pairing to the image thought to have been painted slightly earlier and shows the couple appear to melt into one another in an embrace. Valued at over 6 million Euros, the recently discovered Picasso is sure to have interest from all sides of the equation.  

Fancy browsing through vintage brand new second hand clothes? You might find a missing masterpiece. Support Alternative Fruit with any purchase, or just look and see. (WELCOME for 10% Off)