Congratulations on making it to the end of January! It’s only a matter of days before Spring will be here and lighter warmer times will be upon us, even though it may not feel that way.

On top of burning through a record number of candles, and of course anointing ourselves with Idan Oil everyday, here are the cultural gems that have got us through the short days, long nights and stormy weather: 

Listening : The Field Recordings of Folklorist Alan Lomax

Who knew the perfect cure to January Blues is just listening to pure unadulterated blues music? From Muddy Waters first ever recordings to classic folk songs like Sea Lion Woman, a truly amazing body of work from one of the worlds most dedicated curators.

Watching:  Konkombe: The Nigerian Pop Music Scene

 

 

 

Made in 1979, this documentary searches for the roots of griot music (Konkombe) whose vocal intonations are the base of blues harmonies in the diaspora and features legendary interviews from the likes of Fela Kuti and the Lidaju Sisters.

 

 Doing: Cute at Somerset House

In case you were wondering what that giant Hello Kitty was doing on The Strand, it is for this exhibition, which as well as celebrating the 50 ^th anniversary of everyones fave Kawaii character, also combines artworks from Mark Leckey, Sean-Kierre Lyons, AYA TAKANO, Mike Kelley, Karen Kilimnik, Nayland Blake, Cosima Von Bonin, and many more, examining the prevalence of the 'cute' phenomenon, and its effects on the internet and wider culture. 

Looking Forward to Reading: Zodiac by Ai Wei Wei

 

On the waiting list for this beautiful Graphic Memoir from the legendary dissident.  As a child living in exile during the Cultural Revolution, Ai Weiwei often found himself with nothing to read but government-approved comic books. Although they were restricted by the confines of political propaganda, Ai Weiwei was struck by the artists’ ability to express their thoughts on art and humanity through graphic storytelling. Now, decades later, Ai Weiwei and Italian comic artist Gianluca Costantini present Zodiac, Ai Weiwei’s first graphic memoir. 

 

What's happening at LIHA, you ask?

We saw Love Island alumna, Whitney Adebayo post about how she loves the brand. She also gave her community 25% off the entire range, and you know we couldn't go by without dropping that code in for you. Use WHITS25 at checkout on your next order. The code isn't available for much longer so be quick 

Plus, there's lots of newness coming... and we can't wait for you to see it all!

With love,

Abi + Liha x