“International expos are great big virility contests between nations, only peaceful and trade-related, rather than involving armies and missiles. They always have a vaguely portentous theme and a silly mascot (a sort of Smurf with a quiff this time). The

“Judging by how much public art has been installed, overdoing it could be the next problem, with public artworks so much part of our streetscapes that they are almost obscured. Things have certainly changed since the only art installed in

“The confidently cosmopolitan Danish writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn first escorted us through the bloodstained, vomit-splattered, drug-polluted back streets of a Copenhagen omitted from guided tours for Hans Christian Andersen fans. He then took us to meet Britain’s most dangerous criminal,

“Tuesday sees the announcement of the Turner prize shortlist. One critic has described the prize as “bipolar”, veering between good and bad years. Last year’s shortlist – which I was involved in selecting and judging – was well-received, after a

“Sculptors will be urged to boycott this year’s Sculpture by the Sea after the coastal art exhibition slashed the commission it pays to galleries for artworks sold via the event. “More than $1 million worth of art typically sells at