Monocle on Culture | Monocle
Subscribe | Sign in

Cover art for
C

Culture / Podcast

Monocle on Culture

Robert Bound and his guests discuss what has piqued their interest in our one-stop shop for lively reports and in-depth interviews on the newest and finest in art, film, books and the media business.

RSS Feed
692

Latest episode

The best cultural releases of 2025 :

We look ahead to the most exciting books, films and exhibitions in 2025, from the first international retrospective of a beloved US artist to a political thriller so potent that its director was forced to flee his home country. John Mitchinson, Francesca Gavin and Simran Hans join Robert Bound in the studio to let you know what should be on your cultural radar in the coming months. 

Play most recent
View in schedule

Latest episodes

EpisodeDateDescriptionDownloadPlay
69213 Jan 2025
36 min

The best cultural releases of 2025  

We look ahead to the most exciting books, films and exhibitions in 2025, from the first international retrospective of a beloved US artist to a political thriller so potent that its director was forced to flee his home country. John Mitchinson, Francesca Gavin and Simran Hans join Robert Bound in the studio to let you know what should be on your cultural radar in the coming months. 

DownloadPlay
6916 Jan 2025
27 min

‘Nickel Boys’ and ‘Babygirl’ 

We start the year off with a bang by celebrating the release of two fantastic new films. We hear from director RaMell Ross about ‘Nickel Boys’, a formally inventive and beautifully rendered adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Colson Whitehead. Then: erotic thriller ‘Babygirl’, starring Nicole Kidman, depicts a lustful affair between a CEO and an intern. Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco sits down with director Halina Reijn to find out more.

DownloadPlay
69030 Dec 2024
30 min

The year in review 

Laura Snapes, Toby Earle and Mia Levitin join Robert Bound in the studio to round up the best of this year’s albums, TV and books.

DownloadPlay
68923 Dec 2024
26 min

The best of 2024 

We share highlights from this year's programme, including interviews with the likes of Hans Zimmer and Maggi Hambling, and a very special session with folk duo The Staves.

DownloadPlay
68816 Dec 2024
32 min

The best Christmas music of 2024 

Georgie Rogers and Will Hodgkinson join Robert Bound in the studio for our annual review of the season’s best festive music releases, including albums and singles from Orville Peck, Kelly Clarkson and Jimmy Fallon. 

DownloadPlay
6879 Dec 2024
30 min

Takashi Murakami and Tate Modern’s ‘Electric Dreams’  

We visit two new London exhibitions. ‘Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami’ at Gagosian’s Grosvenor Hill outpost offers the contemporary artist’s interpretations of Edo-era artworks. We sit down with Murakami to discuss AI, where he finds inspiration and the atmosphere that he likes to create in his studio. Plus, we meet the curator of ‘Electric Dreams’ at London’s Tate Modern. 

DownloadPlay
6862 Dec 2024
27 min

New documentaries: ‘The Bibi Files’ and ‘Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes’ 

We cover the release of two fascinating and revealing documentaries. Both take a sideways look at men we’re familiar with from their public – and vastly different – profiles: one as a world leader and the other as an icon of Hollywood’s golden age. ‘The Bibi Files’, directed by Alexis Bloom, uses leaked interrogation footage of Benjamin Netanyahu to explore contemporary Israeli politics. Then, ‘Bogart: Life Comes in Flashes’, directed by Kathryn Ferguson, takes a behind-the-scenes look at actor Humphrey Bogart. 

DownloadPlay
68525 Nov 2024
27 min

Hank Willis Thomas  

Hank Willis Thomas is a US artist who works across media to explore themes including identity, popular culture and mass media. We meet him at his exhibition of collages, ‘Kinship of the Soul’, at London’s Pace Gallery. 

DownloadPlay
68418 Nov 2024
33 min

Steve McQueen and ‘Blitz’ 

Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen is known for his in-depth, human exploration of characters and history, which is executed with an artist’s eye. We speak to McQueen about the release of his new film, ‘Blitz’, which details the lives of 20th-century Britons during the Second World War. Then: Monocle’s Fernando Augesto Pacheco and ‘Monocle on Culture’ regular Leila Latif share their takes on the film. Plus: titles to look out for this winter.

DownloadPlay
68311 Nov 2024
31 min

20 years of Nonclassical 

We celebrate 20 years of music promoter, record label and events producer Nonclassical. Over the past two decades, the organisation has been at the forefront of classical, experimental and electronic music, leading the way with innovative and genre-defying sounds. Robert Bound sits down with composer and founder Gabriel Prokofiev and composer Tonia Ko. 

DownloadPlay
6824 Nov 2024
30 min

‘Box Office Poison’ 

We sit down with Tim Robey, author of the new book ‘Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops’. This alternative history of cinema recounts the industry’s biggest bombs, including how they came to be made and what they tell us about both the Hollywood machine and the public who eschewed them. 

DownloadPlay
68128 Oct 2024
27 min

Walla Walla Foundry, a new Italian film and French pop star Zaho de Sagazan 

We head to Rome to find out about a new film dedicated to the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s before visiting one of the world’s largest contemporary art foundries in Walla Walla. Plus: an interview with French pop star Zaho de Sagazan. 

DownloadPlay
★25 Oct 2024
26 min

Gran Turismo Folgore: A Lucca Roadtrip 

As this special episode pauses to consider elements of great design, it is important to not overcomplicate matters. Sometimes, all you need is four wheels and a beating heart. Monocle’s Italian odyssey concludes with a second roadtrip in another of Maserati’s powerful new all-electric sports cars: the Gran Turismo Folgore. Joining us for the ride are Maserati’s head of design, Klaus Busse, and food writer Luca Cesari.

DownloadPlay
68021 Oct 2024
30 min

A new ballet based on the life and writing of Oscar Wilde 

We find out about ‘Oscar’, a ballet based on the life and work of Oscar Wilde. Plus: artist Sophie Matisse tells us about designing chess sets, and writer and translator Bruna Dantas Lobato discusses her new book, ‘Blue Light Hours’. 

DownloadPlay
67914 Oct 2024
28 min

Asymmetry and Heartland at Noma 

We venture from Monocle’s Marylebone HQ to London’s Dalston to learn about an organisation looking east. Asymmetry is an unusual, forward-thinking foundation dedicated to developing cultural knowledge in and about Asia. Plus: we head to Copenhagen to find out about Danish festival Heartland’s takeover of famed restaurant Noma. 

DownloadPlay

/

sign in to monocle

Forgotten password?

new to monocle?

Subscriptions start from £120.

Subscribe now

Phone

+44 (0) 20 7725 4349
(view hours)

Email

customerservice@monocle.com

Frequently asked questions

Terms and conditions

Loading...

/

15

15

Live
Schedule
Monocle Radio

00:0001:00

  • The Pacific Shift

/
Sign in to your account

Forgotten password?

/
Change your currency