This episode of The Art Newspaper's podcast 'The Week in Art' covers three main stories. Host Ben Luke discusses the traveling exhibition 'Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica' at the Barbican in London with curator Elvira Dyangani Ose. He also speaks with researcher Daisy Fancourt about her book 'Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health', which was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction. Digital editor Alexander Morrison discusses Barbara Hepworth's sculpture 'Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red (1943)' with curator Alexandra Gerstein, tied to the exhibition 'Hepworth in Colour' at the Courtauld Gallery.
The episode matters because it highlights the intersection of art with social history and health science. 'Project a Black Planet' brings a Pan-Africanist perspective to London, adapting its content to local contexts, while Fancourt's research provides evidence for the health benefits of engaging with the arts. The focus on Hepworth's work underscores ongoing scholarly attention to modernist sculpture and color, demonstrating how podcasts can make specialized art-world conversations accessible to a broad audience.