Blake Matich
Monocle’s digital sub editor and a regular contributor.
There’s a place for your backpack on the train – it’s not your back
If Dante’s journey through the underworld had been conducted on the London Underground, he would have reserved a special circle in hell for people who wear backpacks on a crowded Tube. And yet if…
The biggest contest of the 2026 World Cup is off the pitch
Spread across Canada, Mexico and the US, this year’s tri-nation tournament is the stage for a clash between multilateralism and unilateralism.
Off the wall: How Frank Bowling painted his way to prominence
Frank Bowling has spent seven decades doubling down on colour. Now, despite an ever more achromic age, the nonagenarian artist is celebrating exhibitions at Hauser & Wirth Hong Kong and Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Australia wants tech giants to fund journalism – but is it too little, too late?
The country’s efforts to rein in the tech giants and safeguard journalism for the sake of democracy is a noble endeavour – but the dice are stacked in the social-media giants’ favour.
Mark Carney’s Davos address put world leaders – and their speechwriters – on notice
The Canadian prime minister’s speech stood out not just for its polish but also its provenance. In an age of outsourced language, Carney showed leaders why writing for yourself is worthwhile.
Is New York’s scaffolding getting a glow-up? Expectations are low – but rising
Scaffolding, or sidewalk sheds if you want to get technical, is as much a part New York’s fabric as flooded subways or breakfast bagels. But does it have to be so ugly and ubiquitous?
A letter from Magdeburg to Sydney: terror, grief and the road to justice
Writing in the wake of a terror rampage in Sydney, and one year after a deadly car attack shattered Magdeburg’s Christmas market, Blake Matich reflects on grief, resilience and how communities restore order.
The art of ageing: Inside the studios of seven in-demand artists in their eighties and nineties
As we all too easily forget, ageing is a gift – and what gifts these artists continue to give the world.
Course correction: How restaurants are rebelling against performative dining
From phone bans to surprise menus, new collabs and extended late-night dining, restaurants are pushing back against the homogenisation of hospitality, one real meal at a time. No filter, no wi-fi, no problem.
Tray bien: Canteens make an upscale comeback as Londoners invest in lunchtime
Dining al desko is done and dusted. Office workers are reclaiming their lunch hours with the help of canteen-style restaurants that are healthy, a little smug and suddenly ubiquitous.
