Thoughts for the Void #04

Hello Void People!

I hope this finds you well. It is the final day of August 2025 and late evening skies are beginning to shift from warm and breezy soft pinks into cooler, mellow blues. This blog is a place for creative optimism so let’s talk about nice things.

August is my birthday month and so rather than face my aging visage with acceptance and joy, my favourite thing to do every year is to fuck off and go somewhere where no-one can remind me of this fact. This year, we fucked off to France for a road trip and it was lovely - driving through Boulogne, Amiens, Paris, Dijon and Reims - eating all the cheese and bread, drinking all the wine and visiting more cathedrals, basilicas, and churches than I can count.

It was all bloody lovely, but I’m here today not to write a travelogue, but instead to talk specifically about one of the highlights of the trip - a visit to see the David Hockney 25 exhibition at the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris. This huge retrospective of David Hockney's life work featured all of the good stuff - from the early art school paintings, through to the bright L.A swimming pools, and on to the more recent Yorkshire landscapes, portraits and iPad paintings - and it blew me away. I’ve been a fan of Hockney for years since reading Spring Cannot be Cancelled, both for his joyous paintings, but also because this wonderful Yorkshireman is a constant source of optimism and enthusiasm - a reminder that painting and making is a joyous way of living and being. Every Hockney interview and exhibition exudes this warmth for living as an artist - drawing, painting, photographing and making things as a way of existing in the world.

I won’t give a step by step breakdown of the show, but hopefully the pictures here give a sense of the thing. Big, big paintings and rooms crowded with canvases - a fab journey through a life of painting, looking and seeing.

Anyway - all I can say is - if for any reason you get a chance to see it, go! But if you can’t make it to Paris, then hopefully the interviews and clips below might help inspire nonetheless. I highly recommend his book Spring Cannot be Cancelled too!

“What an artist is trying to do for people is bring them closer to something, because of course art is about sharing: you wouldn't be an artist unless you wanted to share an experience, a thought.”

David Hockney

David Hockney - A Bigger Picture

A fab documentary following Hockney’s return to Yorkshire.

David Hockney’s Sketchbook

Hunting for Hockney

On a related note, this short film by Alice Dunseath is a favourite of mine. A film about Hockney, friendship and grief.

Before I leave you, here are a few things I’ve spotted recently that look like they could be interesting.

• Bugonia - Yorgos Lanthimos is back, this time with a conspiracy fueled rollercoaster.

• Self-Portrait as a Coffee Pot - William Kentridge - I’ve not quite finished this yet, but have watched some episodes via Mubi and found it rather lovely.

• Sentimental Value - After recently watching (and loving) The Worst Person in the World, I’m excited to see Joachim Trier’s latest - releasing in the UK later this year.

Ok - that’s all from me for now! If you enjoyed this post, please do subscribe, or share with a friend! It’s free. Until next time, loveyoubyeeeeeeeeeeeeee.