Alice Jones' Arts Diary: Women beware famous men at contentious women-only exhibition
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Your support makes all the difference.Summerhall has been one of the hits of this year's Fringe, a complex of theatre shows and exhibitions in the former veterinary school.
But the venue has stirred controversy with its Only Women Women Only exhibition. The show features work by 30 female Scottish artists and only admits female visitors, which has annoyed a number of local artists and curators – all of them women. “Men are not really that bothered that they are not allowed to see the exhibition but it has annoyed a lot of women,” the curator Sarah Wilson told The Scotsman. “It's definitely women who have complained the most.”
But what's this? Earlier this week Sean Hughes tweeted about Summerhall. “The whole place has a lovely vibe. Don't ask how I know but the woman-only section is great.” The Diary did ask how the comedian knew, of course. “Yes, Sean went into the exhibition. They let him in and were very nice to him and gave him a tour,” I'm told. So it seems that it's Only Women Women (and Famous Men) Only.
No funny: Stewart Lee portrait goes missing
It seems that some people can't get enough of Stewart Lee. A portrait of the comedian has been stolen from the Underbelly bar just 24 hours after it was put up. The picture of Lee, rosy-cheeked after a gig at The Stand, had been the centrepiece of an exhibition of photographs by Nick Collett of stand-ups taken in the seconds after they have stepped off stage.
The series, featuring Bridget Christie, David O'Doherty, Adam Riches and Simon Munnery among others has been running on the comedy website Edinburghisfunny.com since 2010.
“We were furious when we found Stewart's print had been stolen, and after such a short amount of time”, a spokesman for Edinburghisfunny.com tells me. “It only takes one person to create a big gap. I imagine the picture of Stewart is on the wall above a student's bed as we speak.”
Edinburgh's history as seen through comedians' eyes
The streets of Edinburgh drip with history – not all of it salubrious. Now the comedian Barry Ferns has created a quirky 35-minute podcast walking tour of the city voiced by various stand-ups.
This Audio Tour Belongs to Lionel Richie is downloadable for free from iTunes, and includes Dan Antopolski and Tony Law sharing their tips for flyering techniques on the Royal Mile and Simon Munnery (below) and Arthur Smith recalling the time they were arrested at Hunter Square (for breach of the peace and possession of a megaphone). “In fact Simon was arrested first and I went down to the station to show my support and they arrested me as well”, recalls Smith. “I still haven't paid the £100 fine.”
Just the thing for a media ethics crusader
He may have been turned away from Eddie Pepitone's show by over-zealous bouncers but Hugh Grant did manage to get into One Rogue Reporter this week. The show, in which former Daily Star reporter Rich Peppiatt turns the tables on tabloid editors, no doubt appealed to Grant in his new role as crusader for an honest press. Might the actor now help to bring the show to a wider audience?
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