Starting with music news, Adele shocked everybody, including me, announcing „big break from music”. The British singer told German broadcaster ZDF: “My tank is quite empty from being on stage every weekend in Las Vegas. I don’t have any plans for new music, at all”. Well, I guess it’s not “Hello,” but goodbye for now.

A couple of days later, July 19th, one of the greatest and most influential rock bands of all time, Deep Purple, released their brand-new studio album =1. It’s their 23rd studio album. We need to wait a little bit for critiques reviews, but we know for sure that according ass guitarist, Roger Glover, some of those songs were particularly challenging and requiring “a lot of work” to get right. Meanwhile the opening track, Show Me, had a particularly interesting gestation that sounds like a rock n’ roll warrior story that could have happened during the ’70s as much as the 2020s.

The same week The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) has removed two Gaza-inspired artworks from its Young Artists’ Summer Show following concerns raised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Andrew Gilbert, a board vice-president, criticized three artworks in the gallery for containing “antisemitic tropes and messaging,” sparking significant community concern. He questioned the inclusion of these politically charged pieces without context or contrasting perspectives.

One artwork, by an 18-year-old, featured the phrase “Jews say stop genocide on Palestinians: Not in Our Name,” which the board said “appears to be from someone non-Jewish.” Another, by a 16-year-old, depicted a screaming woman and a swastika, suggesting parallels between the Israel-Gaza conflict and Nazi oppression. This piece has been removed from the RA’s website. A third piece, still displayed in the Summer Exhibition, is Michael Sandle’s The Mass Slaughter of Women and Girls Is Not How You Deradicalise Gaza, showing a faceless pilot and a plane with the Star of David before shrouded bodies.

The board acknowledged the tradition of anti-war art but argued that displaying these pieces might imply that the RA is taking a political stance, potentially conflicting with its objectives and charitable status. The RA apologized for “any hurt and distress” caused by the artworks. After thorough discussions and external guidance, it decided to remove two of the works. The RA emphasized its commitment to freedom of expression but noted that an exhibition for young people is not the right venue for volatile public discourse. The institution also highlighted its duty of care to both artists and visitors, particularly the youngest and most vulnerable, and concluded that displaying these artworks could cause undue upset and potential harm.

Creators of the new Tate Modern exhibition said that artists should explore AI’s capabilities. Catherine Wood, the museum’s director of exhibitions and programmes, stated that the Electric Dreams exhibition highlights the long-standing relationship between artists and technology, a relationship likely to remain intertwined. Opening on 28 November, the exhibition will feature over 150 works by 70 artists from around the globe. “As a museum, we wanted to emphasize that this is not a new discussion,” Wood explained to The Guardian: “It’s not a new existential threat to creativity. Humans and artists have been addressing these questions for a long time, so we aimed to provide a broad perspective on the social, existential, and artistic questions surrounding the use of technology in art.”

Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire has welcomed its first writer in residence, appointed by the National Trust to craft works inspired by the site’s “mysterious and awe-inspiring rock formations.” Natalie Anastasia Davies, a Yorkshire-born writer of Grenadian descent, will explore themes of cultural identity, the climate crisis, connection, and memory in her new role. Her residency, which runs until October, includes creating and conducting public workshops and collaborating with local primary school kids to help them express their thoughts on Brimham Rocks.

The residency will conclude with a public event where aspiring nature writers can share their work. Davies remarked, “As a writer and human being, I believe that connection with the natural world is integral to our sense of meaning and wellbeing. It is rare in our bustling lives to have time in nature to be, realize, and create. I feel privileged to be chosen as the first Brimham Rocks writer in residence and plan to fully embrace this opportunity.”

Referring to the cinema industry, the jury of the short film festival awarded the grand prize of its 32nd edition to That’s How I Love You, directed by Mário Macedo. This portuguese-croatian collaboration earned Macedo the top honor at the Curtas de Vila do Conde festival, which concluded on Saturday. “That’s How I Love You” (originally Tako te volim) was filmed in Croatia with an all-Croatian cast. 

The 18-minute film follows a child who learns a harsh lesson while vacationing at his grandparents’ rural home. The jury praised the film for its subtle and intelligent portrayal of a child and his surroundings, capturing the tension in a world where tenderness and cruelty coexist. “It allowed us time to understand growth and how love emanates,” said the jury. “It is a playful film that brought us joy and will remain with us and the audience with whom we shared the screening.”

The week ended with a ground breaking news of Joe Bidden announcing the decision to end his election run. After this bitter-sweet decision some of the Hollywood celebrities including Aaron Sorkin, Robert De Niro and Barbra Streisand shared their admiration for the US president’s act, describing it as an act of selfless patriotism.