July 18, 2024 - LaToya Hobbs, Raqib Shaw, and bonsais

LaToya Hobbs is a painter and a printmaker whose themes are expressions of motherhood, home and cultural identity. While she often reveals her experiences as an artist and an African American woman, her work also has universal resonance.Her  monumental series, “Carving Out Time”  is  both personal and utterly relatable.  And it’s massive. She joined The Culture Show ahead of her debut exhibition at the Harvard Art Museum.From there, it’s into the wild world of artist Raqib Shaw. He uses porcupine quills and enamel to create landscapes that are electrified by color. They are lush, opulent and ornate. But, his paintings are also beset by a lurking menace.  The Culture Show caught up with him when he was in town to open his exhibition at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.Finally, we get a tour of the Arnold Arboretum’s bonsai collection.