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The Observer
25.08.19 Agenda- Art
Nandipha Mntambo
Born in Swaziland , now living
in Johannesburg, Mntambo’s
sculptures and fi lms explore
the boundaries between
human and animal, femininity
and masculinity, and so much
more. I saw an exhibition
of her work in January this
year at the Zeitz Museum of
Contemporary Art Africa in
Cape Town and was blown
away. Most memorable is a fi lm
installation about colonialism
and machismo, in which the
artist poses as a solo female
matador in an empty, sun-
parched arena. It’s an artwork I
want to look at every day.
- Film
Pain and Glory (dir. Pedro
Almodóvar, 2019 )
I am a big fan of the
exuberantly emotional and
surreal sensibility in all the fi lms
of Pedro Almodóvar. Th e title
of his new fi lm, Pain and Glory,
just about sums up the last
fi ve years of my life. What’s up
with you, Pedro? I can’t wait to
fi nd out. It stars Penélope Cruz
and Antonio Banderas, who
have long been Almodóvar’s
cinematic avatars. It’s about
a fi lm director in some sort of
medical and existential crisis,
fi guring out what gives life
meaning, hope and value. As
usual, Almodóvar asks all the
most interesting questions.- Hobby
Swimming
Is swimming a hobby? I always
carry my Speedo and goggles
around with me just in case
I bump into a swimming
opportunity. Preferably wild
swimming, but I’ve long been
doing the lengths in Brockwell
lido and the Oasis in Holborn.
I was once signing books at a
literary festival in Norwich and
two women in the queue told
me they were digging a lake on
their land. I was invited to try it
out. How’s it going? Just send
word and I’ll be there.- Place
Marseilles
I have only just discovered
Marseilles. I like the ambi ence
of this salty, gritty, exuberant
port city. It is friendly, upbeat
and cheaper than Paris. As for
the coast, I found some of my
best swimming experiences
by walking through paths lined
with pine trees, and then diving
off the rocks into the glittering
ocean known as the Côte
Bleue. If you want a fi sh to be
cooked for you while you swim,
Méjean has one restaurant
(always packed in summer) on
the edge of its small port.- Restaurant
Morito, London
I have never been disappointed
by the fresh and tasty tapas
at Morito, the sister restaurant
to Moro. Th e cooking is
somehow joyful, especially
the sweet onion tortilla and
crispy aubergines with dates. I
sometimes meet my daughter
there for a catch-up. We ooh
and ahh over every morsel, and
their aromatic house aperitivo
(cava, grapefruit and tarragon)
gets the thumbs up too. In
summer we try to get a table
outside, and usually end our
rendezvous by sharing rum and
raisin ice-cream.- Documentary
Knock Down the House
(Netfl ix)
Th is totally gripping
documentary from Rachel
Lears actually had me in tears.
It’s as tense as watching a
thriller because there is so
much at stake. It examines the
2018 primary campaigns of
four progressive, grassroots,
female Democrats, including
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. At
the time, AOC worked long
shifts in a bar in New York in
an attempt to save her family
home from being repossessed.
She emerges as the only victor,
and at age 29 , becomes the
youngest woman ever to serve
in the U S Congress.Born in 19 62 in South Africa ,
Deborah Levy moved to England at
the age of nine, where she studied
contemporary arts at Dartington
College of Arts. In 198 9 , she
published her fi rst collection of short
stories, Ophelia and the Great Idea ,
and a second, Black Vodka , in 2013.
Two of her novels, Swimming Ho me
( 2011 ) and Hot Milk ( 2016 ), were
shortlisted for the Booker prize; her
latest, Th e Man Who Saw Everything
( Hamish Hamilton, £14.99), reviewed
on page 48, is published on Th ursday.On^ m
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