Cultural commentary Archives

Artists during lockdown: Visual artist Clanny Mugabe talks pandemic’s impact on practice

Written on April 8, 2021. Posted in Arts.

Clanny Mugabe, Art Sci ’23, is a second-year student who explores themes of decolonization, mythology, and speculative fiction in her artwork. Like many artists, Mugabe has struggled to continue creating art as quarantine and lockdowns continue in Canada. “COVID-19 has affected me for the worse,”...

Commentary: The art of adapting literature to television is strategic

Written on January 22, 2021. Posted in Arts.

Adapting books to television is not a new phenomenon, but in the past couple of years, the popularity of series based on bestselling novels seems to be heightened. From The Handmaid’s Tale to You and Bridgerton, there is now a distinct correlation between the bestseller list and the stories production...

The weird world of copyright law

Written on January 15, 2021. Posted in Arts.

Copyright law originated as a way to protect artists from intellectual property theft, but in today’s context, copyright is too often used as a tool by powerful corporations to supress creativity. The first codified law on copyright was the Statute of Anne which received Royal Assent in Britain in...

'A Mind Spread Out on the Ground' is a stunning meditation on trauma, decolonization, and love

Written on November 13, 2020. Posted in Arts.

Tuscarora author Alicia Elliott starts her debut book, A Mind Spread Out on the Ground, by comparing depression to colonialism. The feelings of death, mourning, pain, and loss are present in both experiences; she uses her personal journey with depression, layered with intricate metaphors and poetic...

The Journal puzzles out recurrence of hilarious art restoration fails

Written on November 13, 2020. Posted in Arts.

Eight years ago, in Spain, a well-meaning elderly lady made a disastrous decision to paint over a beloved painting of the son of God, transforming the work into what’s been dubbed Potato Jesus by some, Monkey Christ by others. The Monkey Christ fiasco drew international attention to Borja, the...

Muslim International Film Festival makes history in October debut

Written on November 6, 2020. Posted in Arts.

The Muslim International Film Festival (MIFF) had its inaugural debut in Toronto on Oct. 30. The festival, a celebration of Muslim excellence in the filmmaking industry, was a compilation of eight short films and two feature films presented at the Ontario Place Drive-In. MIFF was launched and founded...

Music has the capacity to make climate resistance feel more personal

Written on September 25, 2020. Posted in Arts.

As individuals around the world grapple with the realities of the climate crisis, some artists are addressing it in a more emotionally charged manner—through music. Songs about climate resistance differ from news headlines because information or anxiety is relayed through an artistic medium. Because...

Commentary: Theatre and film are increasingly merging mediums

Written on September 18, 2020. Posted in Arts.

As COVID-19 forces theatre companies around the world to innovate and adapt to a new virtual forum, the lines between theatre and film continue to blur. For some critics, this means losing the aspects of theatre which make it such a moving art form. “Streaming and recording has been a gigantic ad...

Memes have replaced the political cartoon

Written on September 11, 2020. Posted in Arts.

The political cartoon has been a means of speaking truth to power since the 18th century, but now print media is in its death throes, and internet memes are spreading misinformation in place of satire. James Gillray, a British caricaturist born in 1756, is credited as the father of the political...

Art is integral to Black Lives Matter: a conversation with Dr. Kristin Moriah

Written on June 29, 2020. Posted in Arts.

While social media activism is surging in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, art can be more crucial to the Black Lives Matter movement than Instagram stories. Floyd was publicly lynched on a street in Minneapolis by the police on May 25. The scene became a horrific tableau for the reality of...

Peaks and pits of 2018-19 pop culture

Written on April 4, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

The 2018-19 year in pop culture has been nothing short of eventful. From band reunions to star-studded scandals, each week has brought something new to gab about. It’s time we break down the year’s most important moments in pop culture, both good and bad. Peaks Jonas Brothers are back Ally: Like...

Ariana Grande’s “MONOPOLY” is just plain fun

Written on April 4, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Ariana Grande’s penchant for releasing music whenever she feels like it has blessed us with another bop. The singer took to Twitter last Wednesday and announced the unplanned release of a new single through a series of tweets with Victoria Monét, a singer and songwriter who collaborated with Grande...

What went wrong with 'Riverdale'?

Written on March 29, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

I have trouble pinpointing the exact moment I realized Netflix’s teen hit, Riverdale, was no good. It might’ve been the episode Archie got attacked by a bear, or when Betty publicly strip-teased to join a gang. Or maybe my disenchanted attitude formed all the way back in season one, during Jughead’s...

Lamenting One Day at a Time’s cancellation

Written on March 22, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

This past week saw 2019’s most devastating TV casualty to date: Netflix’s One Day at a Time. Despite its three seasons receiving critical acclaim and garnering a cult following, Netflix announced on Thursday they wouldn’t be renewing the show for a fourth season due to low viewership. One Day at a...

Captain Marvel shows necessity of female critics for female stories

Written on March 15, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

This past week, Marvel released its newest film, Captain Marvel, with Brie Larson as its titular hero. And while the film’s generated a lot of hype, it’s largely been met with mixed reviews. Captain Marvel is the 21st motion picture to feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, yet it’s the first...

Netflix’s 'Tidying Up with Marie Kondo' makes organization spiritual

Written on February 14, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

“My mission is to spark joy in the world through cleaning.” These are among the first words guru, author, and internet sensation Marie Kondo says on her new Netflix series, Tidying Up, released Jan. 1, 2019. Kondo has taken the organizational and minimalist décor world by storm since the release...

Ariana Grande bares her soul in new album 'thank u, next'

Written on February 12, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Ariana Grande’s new album, thank u, next, dropped last Friday and is full of depth, lyricism, and perfection—to nobody’s surprise. The album, which features previously-released songs “7 rings,” “imagine,” and the titular “thank u, next,” is an ode to singledom, luxury, and truthfulness. It’s...

'Big Mouth'’s Valentine’s Day special thrives in messiness

Written on February 12, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

The first two seasons of Big Mouth operated on the understanding that puberty is the most shameful period of our lives, which means we can and should laugh about it. The Netflix show’s Valentine’s Day special looks into what happens when its child-aged characters try to bundle up their...

The Good Place’s Jameela Jamil is the body-positive celebrity we need

Written on January 25, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Jameela Jamil is about to be your new favourite badass. Joining the ranks of empowering female celebrities like Serena Williams, Chrissy Teigen, and Lorde, Jamil is the unfiltered, unedited, and unapologetic media presence the world needs right now. She’s the rare celebrity who challenges social expectations...

Emo rap needs to end

Written on November 23, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

The emo music genre of the early 2000s was defined by eyeliner-donning men stalking around a stage and lyrically releasing pent-up rage. Today, emo music dominates pop culture as emo rap: joylessly auto-tuned rap songs about numbing pain with drugs, and often sung by face-tattooed men with more criminal...

A Star is Born romanticizes toxic relationships

Written on November 9, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

via GIPHY, by Josh Granovsky Although Bradley Cooper’s A Star is Born achieved widespread praise for its heart-wrenching story and talented cast, its reaction risks glossing over the conspicuous presence of toxic relationships. The film follows two characters—Ally, a talented singer and musician,...

The royal wedding of Princess Eugenie showcased celebrity glamour

Written on October 24, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

A lot of people—my peers included—think the royal family doesn’t deserve all the press attention. As someone who woke up before sunrise to make tea and scones for Princess Eugenie’s recent royal wedding, I’m here to tell you the fashion, drama, and romance of the royal family is more entertaining...

The Predator earns its name

Written on September 18, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle, Pop Culture.

Director Shane Black’s decision to hire his friend, a convicted sex offender, as an actor marred the glitz and glamour of the red carpet opening for his film The Predator at TIFF. At 28 years old, Steven Wilder Striegel was convicted and served time for a sex crime involving a minor who was also his...

A case for realistic female characters

Written on March 9, 2018. Posted in Arts.

On International Women’s Day, it’s time for us to reevalute what we call a strong female literary character. Even in recent years, the image of a strong female character connotes an unemotional robot who’s skilled at shooting arrows or some other physical activity and despite having no personality,...

Why I didn't let myself go to Hedley's Kingston concert

Written on March 2, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

Imagine if your hero, idol or celebrity crush was accused of doing something completely hateful and immoral — like committing sexual assault. While it once may have been unimaginable, this has unfortunately become more of a reality than ever before. It’s a situation I experienced when numerous allegations...

Mattel releases Hijab Barbie

Written on November 24, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

Last week, toy manufacturing company Mattel announced they would be releasing a new Barbie to their line — one that’s inspired by Muslim Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad and the first ever to wear a hijab. The reasons why this Hijab Barbie is a big deal is fairly obvious — it’s the first one of its...

#JusticeForJanet campaign is full of valid but misguided anger

Written on October 27, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

There are few times where an entire population can pinpoint exactly where they were the moment an event occurred. The halftime show at the 2004 Super Bowl is strangely one of those moments for most of its 143 million viewers. In case you have trouble remembering the Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction...

The old Taylor Swift isn’t actually dead

Written on September 8, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

Oh, you haven’t heard? The old Taylor can’t come to the phone because she’s dead — but is she actually? Swift has been laying low for the last couple of years while simultaneously being hit with waves of bad publicity. First, there was her seemingly never-ending, straight up ugly public fight with...

Commentary: a call for writing what you know

Written on May 29, 2017. Posted in Arts.

Good intentions abound as we continue to denigrate the minority experience in the arts. Earlier this month, then Walrus editor Hal Niedzviecki suggested an “appropriation prize” for authors to “write what they don’t know” — all in an issue dedicated to Indigenous writers. Fellow Walrus editor Jonathan...

Tag: Cultural commentary

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