 | Sunday, December 20, 2020 | |  | Sunday, December 20, 2020 | | Hi, art lovers! | | | | The newsletter will be taking a quick break for the holidays, and while I wish I were jetting off to celebrate with family, I will, of course, be hibernating at home, indulging in the closest thing most of us have to travel: pure escapist entertainment. Earlier this week, I was rounding up the team’s picks for the best culture of 2020 (watch for that story on the site), and while it’s something of an odd and eclectic list, most selections check the same box: they’re books and podcasts and TV shows etc. about as soothing as a weighted blanket. I guess we’re all desperate to break out of brain jail right now. Perhaps that’s why CBC Music declared 2020 “the year of escapism” earlier this month — even if the pandemic’s arguably made it impossible to avoid reality completely. Personally, I’ve noticed myself developing a taste for what the New Yorker calls ambient TV: shows as ignorable as they are interesting. (That’s my excuse for starting Virgin River, and I’m sticking to it.) Plus, I find I want to spend more time (than I usually do) indulging in nostalgia for things as seemingly random as department stores and walking New York streets. (To do: rewatch How To with John Wilson.) | | | | | And because we promised you eye candy ... | | |  | @maud_madsen/Instagram | On the subject of random nostalgia, who remembers getting one of these for Christmas? (Need a Ride? by Maud Madsen.) | | | | |  | @town.and.concrete/Instagram | | A fort made of cactus?! Could it be a visual metaphor for escapist entertainment? Something that makes you feel all cozy and safe, but is, quite frankly, a supremely bad idea? Either way, this looks cool. (Pyramid Cactus by Cyril Lancelin.) | | | | |  | @yuliyayg/Instagram | | Aspirational images for a holiday spent in confinement. Art by Yuliya Yg. | | | | |  | Puppyteeth | | Props to the @CBC Instagram team for commissioning some truly bent Christmas cards by Canadian artists. This one’s by Puppyteeth. | | | | |  | Mike Hoolboom | | | | | From the newly launched Digital Originals project, watch We Are Islands, a poetic “collage film” that’s set on Fogo Island. | | | | |  | | Bravo/Hulu/VH1 | | | | | A chat thread between Anne T. Donahue and Peter Knegt, wherein they dish on their favourite escapist pop culture of 2020. | | | | |  | Alex Sheriff | | | | | Originally from Oakville, Ont., the artist self-shot this episode of Opening Up. From his home in Los Angeles, Alex takes you inside his latest project, a series of mixed-media collages with an apocalyptic bent. | | | | | Share this newsletter | | or subscribe if this was
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I’m Leah Collins, senior writer at CBC Arts. Until next time! | | | | | |
