Seek solace in an America that IS great: the best of liberal USA in London
Find solace, or at least distraction, from Trumpism with our selection of American culture in London with liberalism and hope at its heart
The Beaten Path ahead, through the eyes of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's art exhibition, The Beaten Path - in the Mayfair Halcyon Gallery now
There was a gut-wrenching moment when Bob Dylan starting trending and internet users around the world panicked that 2016 had struck again.
Actually, the folk singer, poet and chronicler of all things Americana was awarded the Nobel Prize. Now his vision of highways and motels takes shape in a series of artworks, painted by Dylan himself.
His subject is the American landscape: "How you see it while crisscrossing the land and seeing it for what it’s worth," he has written. "Staying out of the mainstream and traveling the back roads, free-born style. I believe that the key to the future is in the remnants of the past."
Amen to that.
Read more ...American outcasts on the big screen
American Honey - in cinemas now
Journey through those states that swung red in this stunning arty road-trip movie, in cinemas now.
Taking all the tropes of long roads, red necks and motels and twisting them into a reality peopled by outcasts, American Honey has youthful rebellion and inclusiveness at its heart.
Think a clear-eyed, complex take on on Jack Kerouac and Alan Ginsberg for millennials. It may not be cheery, but there's something sublime about the America onscreen.
Read more ...Women rule in the London Festival of American Music
London Festival of American Music - on now in Waterloo
When the pant suit conceded, hope for Hilary gave way to a white-washed White House run by a man with a track record of misogyny. (From hope to grope, you could say).
Among the many alarming implications of a Trump presidency is the potential sexism of a self-confessed 'Pussy-grabber'.
We can't offer consolation. But distraction and a little sliver of feminism comes courtesy of the London Festival of American Music. There's a program made up of the best musicians Stateside, then there's the pleasing break away from classical music's traditional male dominance:
'American female composers take centre stage alongside their male counterparts,' says Marin Alsop, conductor and organiser of the Festival.
Read more ...Race, hope and freedom on stage
One Night in Miami - on now at the Donmar Warehouse
The prescience of this play about four black men rising up against racism felt potent enough at press night last month; now it's unnervingly relevant.
A real life encounter in 1964 between boxer Muhammad Ali, activist Malcolm X, soul singer Sam Cooke and American Football star Jim Brown forms the backdrop for One Night in Miami.
Race and its role in American society is explored with humanity, intelligent and wit.