Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency
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- Create Date：2021-04-26 10:51:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Olivia Laing
- ISBN：0393867390
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Summary
In this remarkable， inspiring collection of essays， acclaimed writer and critic Olivia Laing makes a brilliant case for why art matters， especially in the turbulent political weather of the twenty-first century。
Funny Weather brings together a career’s worth of Laing’s writing about art and culture， examining their role in our political and emotional lives。 She profiles Jean-Michel Basquiat and Georgia O’Keeffe， reads Maggie Nelson and Sally Rooney， writes love letters to David Bowie and Freddie Mercury， and explores loneliness and technology， women and alcohol， sex and the body。 With characteristic originality and compassion， she celebrates art as a force of resistance and repair， an antidote to a frightening political time。
We’re often told that art can’t change anything。 Laing argues that it can。 Art changes how we see the world。 It makes plain inequalities and it offers fertile new ways of living。
Funny Weather brings together a career’s worth of Laing’s writing about art and culture， examining their role in our political and emotional lives。 She profiles Jean-Michel Basquiat and Georgia O’Keeffe， reads Maggie Nelson and Sally Rooney， writes love letters to David Bowie and Freddie Mercury， and explores loneliness and technology， women and alcohol， sex and the body。 With characteristic originality and compassion， she celebrates art as a force of resistance and repair， an antidote to a frightening political time。
We’re often told that art can’t change anything。 Laing argues that it can。 Art changes how we see the world。 It makes plain inequalities and it offers fertile new ways of living。
Reviews
Puck
，
3，5 stars。 A great collection of essays - written in a style I love so much - that made me so intrigued to look up the artists she describes。 But the ending was just what lackluster， and because there wasn't really a thread holding all these essays together， so I am not sure how long the stories will linger。 I look forward to Everybody: A Book about Freedom！Review to come！ 3，5 stars。 A great collection of essays - written in a style I love so much - that made me so intrigued to look up the artists she describes。 But the ending was just what lackluster， and because there wasn't really a thread holding all these essays together， so I am not sure how long the stories will linger。 I look forward to Everybody: A Book about Freedom！Review to come！ 。。。more
Bekah
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Pack full of biographies stories of visual artist， poets， musicians。 Long in length but a good read over a long length of time。 Would have preferred to own verses rent from the library because of this。 Rushing through when the due date approach became tiresome。
Genevieve Brassard
，
3。75: An uneven collection， but more because of my personal tastes than Laing’s talents as a critic。 I know very little about modern art， and descriptions of art works fall short of knowing and seeing the real thing。 I’m most appreciative of Laing’s capacious curiosity and moral generosity when it comes to artists and writers， and of her sheer ease of expression at the sentence level。
winnie wang
，
"being in the gallery gave me a feeling like being out on a lake。 clouds moving overhead， a breeze。 wary， but game for the adventure。 on fundamentally friendly terms with mental states and other beings。 do you know what else was in the room？ a hand-made bench。 sit down， you look tired。 whatever else might happen， I want you to know you're welcome here， that you're always welcome beside me。"olivia laing writes with such care and love， I wish I could see the world from her eyes all the time <3 "being in the gallery gave me a feeling like being out on a lake。 clouds moving overhead， a breeze。 wary， but game for the adventure。 on fundamentally friendly terms with mental states and other beings。 do you know what else was in the room？ a hand-made bench。 sit down， you look tired。 whatever else might happen， I want you to know you're welcome here， that you're always welcome beside me。"olivia laing writes with such care and love， I wish I could see the world from her eyes all the time <3 。。。more
Francisco Ceballos
，
4。5 - If you love art， and have a grasp of its role and value in society， you should read this book， if you don’t， then you must！
Jonah Evans
，
In one of the essays in this collection by Olivia Laing， the author quotes the novelist Ali Smith: ‘Art is one of the prime ways we have of opening ourselves and going beyond ourselves。 That’s what art is， it’s the product of the human being in the world and imagination， all coming together。 The irrepressibility of the life in the works， regardless of the times， the histories， the life stories， it’s like being given the world， its darks and lights。 At which point we can go about the darks and li In one of the essays in this collection by Olivia Laing， the author quotes the novelist Ali Smith: ‘Art is one of the prime ways we have of opening ourselves and going beyond ourselves。 That’s what art is， it’s the product of the human being in the world and imagination， all coming together。 The irrepressibility of the life in the works， regardless of the times， the histories， the life stories， it’s like being given the world， its darks and lights。 At which point we can go about the darks and lights with our imagination energised。’That's what it felt like to spend time with this book -- an opening and a going beyond myself。 While I was not satisfied by how Laing answered the question she sets out for herself in the introduction， "Can art do anything， especially in periods of crisis？"， I left with an energized imagination。Just to spend time seeing the world as Laing sees it， as she experiences it， the possibilities that are opened， left me refreshed。 。。。more
Nevin Öztop
，
"Is art resistance？ Can you plant a garden to stop a war？ It depends how you think about time。 It depends what you think a seed does， if it’s tossed into fertile soil。 But it seems to me that whatever else you do， it’s worth tending to paradise， however you define it and wherever it arises。"These words will live on with me for the rest of my life。 Olivia Laing has become one of my favorite authors this year。 Heartfelt 5⭐。 "Is art resistance？ Can you plant a garden to stop a war？ It depends how you think about time。 It depends what you think a seed does， if it’s tossed into fertile soil。 But it seems to me that whatever else you do， it’s worth tending to paradise， however you define it and wherever it arises。"These words will live on with me for the rest of my life。 Olivia Laing has become one of my favorite authors this year。 Heartfelt 5⭐。 。。。more
kat
，
It seems unfair for me to undervalue this collection of essays。 Some moved me， entangled me， enamored me， led me to tangents of thought。。。 But much of it left me flat entirely。 Still I will most definitely read more of Olivia Laing’s work seeking more。
Noah
，
And she does it again！I literally can’t get enough Olivia Laing！ Biographical， artistic， joyous， queer， and even autobiographical at points， Laing collects a mixtape of artists， personal writings， conversations， lives to celebrate art， artists， and the spaces （physical， mental， and social） from which art inhabits and oozes。 Everyone is featured。 Francis Bacon， John Berger， David Wojnarowicz， Ali Smith， David Bowie， Freddie Mercury， Hilary Mantel， and more！ Everyone comes together with Laing’s po And she does it again！I literally can’t get enough Olivia Laing！ Biographical， artistic， joyous， queer， and even autobiographical at points， Laing collects a mixtape of artists， personal writings， conversations， lives to celebrate art， artists， and the spaces （physical， mental， and social） from which art inhabits and oozes。 Everyone is featured。 Francis Bacon， John Berger， David Wojnarowicz， Ali Smith， David Bowie， Freddie Mercury， Hilary Mantel， and more！ Everyone comes together with Laing’s pointed and sharp voice to declare art as a political torch。 If we believe in Rebecca Solnit’s idea that hope is an axe with which you break down a door， Laing is helping to grind and sharpen our axe， showing it is not made of iron or some other metal but from art itself。 Art is the hope we need to look at ourselves， break political oppression， and with which to enliven our souls and bodies。Go forth， read this book！ 。。。more
Stoness
，
Interesting insight into artists， pages upon pages of notes taken with names of artists， sculptors， painters ect。 to look up。 I actually love a book with footnotes， a reading that gives you more reading to do so on that front it shone。 I preferred some sections more than others but all in all， a good read。 Stunning cover art。
Ella Shoup
，
I found some essays riveting but others completely abstract if you lacked any background knowledge。 It will hopefully be a book I return to with a more knowing eye once I learn a bit more about her world 🌏
nis
，
heavier on the art than the emergency
Parvathy
，
Leads you to artists you have never heard of。 My review is here。 https://happysmalltalk。blogspot。com/2。。。 Leads you to artists you have never heard of。 My review is here。 https://happysmalltalk。blogspot。com/2。。。 。。。more
Christopher Penman
，
Audiobook
Kevin Ng
，
3。5
Tashrika
，
A vulnerable compilation of thoughts and essays reminding me all the ways in which I was drawn to an art practice in the first place。 The essays function to help us use art and artist practices to project forward in a hopeful and reparative way。
Dianne J。
，
I enjoyed this book， though as amazing as much of it was， there were some very depressing parts。 Such is life。 I wish Laing had included examples of art created by the artists she highlighted in the book。 I did look many of them up to refresh myself and enjoy their creations and also to met artists unfamiliar to me。 Worth the read。
sarah
，
Laing is a lovely writer and a brilliant essayist。 Her writing about art is frank， evocative， and alliterative， without a lot of the referential posturing that can crop up when covering such a status-conscious scene。 Instead she really captures what makes certain works fascinating to her， like a friend you trust recommending a good movie to you。 In addition， her personal essays ruefully reflect unique moments in time。 The book as a whole is spotty， though。 A less completist approach to the colle Laing is a lovely writer and a brilliant essayist。 Her writing about art is frank， evocative， and alliterative， without a lot of the referential posturing that can crop up when covering such a status-conscious scene。 Instead she really captures what makes certain works fascinating to her， like a friend you trust recommending a good movie to you。 In addition， her personal essays ruefully reflect unique moments in time。 The book as a whole is spotty， though。 A less completist approach to the collection would have better represented the author， I think。 。。。more
Emmie
，
This was my first foray into Olivia Laing’s work and oh boy， was I impressed。 I just loved everything about this book。 I can’t wait to devour more of her work in the future。
Rocío
，
En los dos libros de Olivia Laing que he leído me ha presentado a artistas de los que me enamoré a través de sus ojos y por eso le estoy eternamente agradecida。 Con su pluma personal y política， aguda y generosa， atenta y crítica， se ha convertido oficialmente en una de las reinas de mi corazón。
Bryan Edward
，
I didn't care that this was a collection of previously written essays。 I didn't care that not all the essays really fit the brief Olivia Laing laid out in the beginning （altho I see the connections， but not with all the writings）。 I didn't care that I loved the first set and loved the last set and thought the middle was just。。。good。 I loved it all。 The entire collection was five star stuffs！ I didn't care that this was a collection of previously written essays。 I didn't care that not all the essays really fit the brief Olivia Laing laid out in the beginning （altho I see the connections， but not with all the writings）。 I didn't care that I loved the first set and loved the last set and thought the middle was just。。。good。 I loved it all。 The entire collection was five star stuffs！ 。。。more
Mary Reid
，
During this pandemic， this collection of essays was a panacea。 Olivia Laing's essays are intellectual， meditative， and compellingly heartfelt。 Her insights into today's culture and ideas， and compassionate reverence for the artist was just what I needed。 Olivia Laing is a well-published， award-winning British author， and yet this is my first time reading her work。 I am waiting with great anticipation for Amazon to deliver "The Lonely City" I highly recommend "Funny Weather" for all those out the During this pandemic， this collection of essays was a panacea。 Olivia Laing's essays are intellectual， meditative， and compellingly heartfelt。 Her insights into today's culture and ideas， and compassionate reverence for the artist was just what I needed。 Olivia Laing is a well-published， award-winning British author， and yet this is my first time reading her work。 I am waiting with great anticipation for Amazon to deliver "The Lonely City" I highly recommend "Funny Weather" for all those out there who tend to read the Arts section first in a newspaper， and who just need more art and insightful conversation in their lives。 。。。more
Heather Taylor Johnson
，
This is a vast compilation of short essays on artists， mostly visual but sometimes literary。 While Laing dissects an artist's style in a particular work or in an oeuvre， she does so in a way that takes in the world outside of the work， social norms and events of the day， but does so through a measured， almost unbiased lens so we're not reading about political art in a political way。 But we are， of course。 It sounds a simple way to go about business， but in fact I find it impressive for the fact This is a vast compilation of short essays on artists， mostly visual but sometimes literary。 While Laing dissects an artist's style in a particular work or in an oeuvre， she does so in a way that takes in the world outside of the work， social norms and events of the day， but does so through a measured， almost unbiased lens so we're not reading about political art in a political way。 But we are， of course。 It sounds a simple way to go about business， but in fact I find it impressive for the fact that the content was mostly written in the time of Brexit and Trump and does， indeed， point to these disturbing phenomena again and again。 So in a sense， the book about art in times of emergency is a balm to our very time of emergency， a call to action through relative inaction， in which I mean slowing so that we might better see， so that we might better make meaning， so that we might transform。 。。。more
Jenny
，
3。75I always love reading and discovering new people and ideas through Olivia's writing。 I do feel like I already was aware of most of these artists and writers， but I also learned a little more about her own biography and really appreciated her perspective as always。 3。75I always love reading and discovering new people and ideas through Olivia's writing。 I do feel like I already was aware of most of these artists and writers， but I also learned a little more about her own biography and really appreciated her perspective as always。 。。。more
Erin Dittmer
，
What is the role of the artist？ How do you mediate society， culture， politics， violence。。。 reality？ Laing writes around the answers as portraits of the artists and the work— a real education to this novice of contemporary art history。 I learned so much from this collection and have a reading/viewing list to keep me busy for years to come。
Gareth Schweitzer
，
I loved this book。 It's a great collection of bits of short writing， you can dip in and out of with ease， covering the visual arts， writing， music， current events and culture。It's a beautiful book too。。。a pink cloth cover with a gorgeous and contrasting blue inner， which makes it a joy to pick up and handle。 I loved this book。 It's a great collection of bits of short writing， you can dip in and out of with ease， covering the visual arts， writing， music， current events and culture。It's a beautiful book too。。。a pink cloth cover with a gorgeous and contrasting blue inner， which makes it a joy to pick up and handle。 。。。more
Carter
，
Smart， generous， superbly written。 I could continue with the flattering adjectives。 Definitely want to read more from Olivia Laing。
Aditya
，
This book of essays tackles how art can be transformational in times of crisis。 An idea I’ve been mostly cynical of。 However in reading it， I felt like it moved me slightly away from my original sentiment。 In short， art is effective in times of crisis when the individual really puts in the work to challenge their preconceived notions and change with the times。 In today’s world of disinformation， alternative facts， and racism， it can feel like a lost cause。The sections on artist lives and how ind This book of essays tackles how art can be transformational in times of crisis。 An idea I’ve been mostly cynical of。 However in reading it， I felt like it moved me slightly away from my original sentiment。 In short， art is effective in times of crisis when the individual really puts in the work to challenge their preconceived notions and change with the times。 In today’s world of disinformation， alternative facts， and racism， it can feel like a lost cause。The sections on artist lives and how individuals grappled with chaos， personal and/or public， was fascinating。 The short essay on queer art is really a history on the persecution towards the LGBTQ+ community and threats to living that came through writing or painting outside society’s accepted framework。A book primarily made up of short essays， some really hit the spot and made wish they were longer while other sections felt like they never got going。 This made the book a bit of a slog at certain times。 Also for all the discussion around embracing artists with new points of view， there is a real dearth of artists of color。 。。。more
Drew
，
Beautiful writing -- evocative & thoughtful。
Sybil Topel
，