Room for Colours

n this episode of Room for Colours , we explore the story of the Benin Bronzes—one of the most important and controversial collections in art history. Stolen during the British invasion of the Kingdom of Benin in 1897, these masterpieces have become the centre of a global debate about colonialism, museums, restitution, and cultural heritage. Should museums return artworks taken during colonial rul...

Who gets to decide what belongs to a culture? In this episode of Room for Colours , Tina explores one of the most debated topics in contemporary culture: cultural appropriation. As an art historian—and someone who has spent much of her life living between cultures—she finds herself constantly wrestling with this question. Where is the line between appreciation and appropriation? Can we celebrate a...

Most of us have seen the Paisley pattern countless times. On scarves, dresses, cushions, and in fashion collections around the world. But what if this familiar decorative motif tells a much bigger story? In this episode of Room for Colours , we follow the journey of the Paisley pattern from Kashmir to Scotland and back again. Along the way, we explore colonial trade networks, industrialisation, te...

Art, ideas, and cultural traditions rarely stay where they began. As they travel, they are adapted, translated, reinterpreted, and sometimes completely transformed. In this episode, we explore the concept of transculturality and discover how artistic styles, objects, and even museums themselves have been shaped by centuries of movement, exchange, and power. From medieval trade routes to colonial c...

David Hockney has died at 88 — so let's talk about the artist who taught me you don't paint water, you decide what it is. His swimming pools look effortless. That famous splash? About a week of tiny brushes to look that instant — the most spontaneous thing in the picture was the most worked. We get into the pools, the trick of painting water, and the grey Yorkshire wool town that made the great pa...

When we think of colonialism, we usually think of politics, trade, or military power. But colonialism also shaped the way art is collected, displayed, valued, and understood. In this opening episode, we explore how objects from Africa, Asia, and South America found their way into European museums, why some works were labelled "art" while others were treated as curiosities, and how museum...

Room for Colours is back and we start with one of my favourite topics- architecture. And what the cathedral in Cordoba, the Cathedral in Mexico City and Saint Joseph Church in Hanoi have in common. If you want to discuss this topic more, join my Skool community. Here we dig deeper in variuos topics. https://www.skool.com/room-for-colours-9527/about

The podcast explores the concept of the "mad suffering artist" and debates whether artists' troubling behaviours are excused by their creativity. It questions the value society places on artists' work and discusses how this myth has evolved over time, notably influenced by Caspar David Friedrich. Friedrich, a 19th-century German artist, faced pressure from artistic traditions tha...

The podcast "Room for Colours," hosted by Tina, focuses on creativity,art, and art education. In a recent episode, Tina shares a conversation with abusinessman who recognises its importance despite being discouraged from pursuing art as a child. He channels creativity in his work but longs toreintroduce art into his life.  Tina emphasises the need for equal recognition of art and mathematics, high...