Ascott Living April - June 2015 | Page 24

Events Van Gogh in the Borinage, The Birth of an Artist ART You may never be able to unleash your inner Picasso, but 2015 is filled with dozens of creative attractions around the world. It’s time to get your art on 22 Ascott LIVING We were all young once — even the man considered one of the greatest painters ever to have lived. In 1878, a 25-year-old Vincent Van Gogh arrived in Mons, a small area in Belgium, where he preached and lived with coal miners. Catch Van Gogh in the Borinage, The Birth of an Artist, and find out how this time affected the Dutch maestro. Mons, Belgium Until May 17, 2015 Photos: Agefotostock (Main photo); studioMilou Singapore 2013 / National Gallery Singapore (National Gallery), Cedric Arnold (Tatouers, tatoues) Ever heard of the elephant test? Like the big grey pachyderm itself, it pertains to something that is hard to describe, but instantly recognisable when spotted. That’s art, in a way – we’re all bad at describing it, but we know it when we see it. So as 2015 rumbles at a furiously forward pace, what should you go and see? You could start with an artist who is one of the world’s most visible – and also the world’s least. Banksy, the cheeky graffiti artist known only by his moniker, is one of the stars of a street art tour by Alternative London. Stroll the streets of East London guided by a graffiti expert, and you’ll see many of his pieces. Freshly inspired, you can then nip back to Alternative London’s workshop and go mad with a can of spray paint. The company must be doing something right: Alterna ѥٔ