Shock and awe at Tate | reviews, news & interviews
Shock and awe at Tate
Shock and awe at Tate

Two recently decommissioned fighter jets are in the incongruous setting of Tate Britain's Duveen Galleries. One plane, polished to a mirror sheen, lies belly-up, like an injured animal; the other hangs suspended from the ceiling, its matt surface stripped of its combat colours and stripes, painted instead with faint feather markings, bringing to mind a giant, trussed-up bird. Its stilled presence is both powerfully majestic and inert.
Two recently decommissioned fighter jets are in the incongruous setting of Tate Britain's Duveen Galleries. One plane, polished to a mirror sheen, lies belly-up, like an injured animal; the other hangs suspended from the ceiling, its matt surface stripped of its combat colours and stripes, painted instead with faint feather markings, bringing to mind a giant, trussed-up bird. Its stilled presence is both powerfully majestic and inert.
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £49,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more
 'We are bowled over!' Thank you for your messages of love and support 
  
  
    
      Much-appreciated words of commendation from readers and the cultural community
  
  
    
      'We are bowled over!' Thank you for your messages of love and support 
  
  
    
      Much-appreciated words of commendation from readers and the cultural community
  
     Wendy & Peter Pan, Barbican Theatre review - mixed bag of panto and comic play, turned up to 11
  
  
    
      The RSC adaptation is aimed at children, though all will thrill to its spectacle
  
  
    
      Wendy & Peter Pan, Barbican Theatre review - mixed bag of panto and comic play, turned up to 11
  
  
    
      The RSC adaptation is aimed at children, though all will thrill to its spectacle
  
     Bugonia review - Yorgos Lanthimos on aliens, bees and conspiracy theories
  
  
    
      Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons excel in a marvellously deranged black comedy
  
  
    
      Bugonia review - Yorgos Lanthimos on aliens, bees and conspiracy theories
  
  
    
      Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons excel in a marvellously deranged black comedy
  
     Cat Burns finds 'How to Be Human' but maybe not her own sound
  
  
    
      A charming and distinctive voice stifled by generic production
  
  
    
      Cat Burns finds 'How to Be Human' but maybe not her own sound
  
  
    
      A charming and distinctive voice stifled by generic production
  
     Robin Holloway: Music’s Odyssey review – lessons in composition
  
  
    
      Broad and idiosyncratic survey of classical music is insightful but slightly indigestible
  
  
    
      Robin Holloway: Music’s Odyssey review – lessons in composition
  
  
    
      Broad and idiosyncratic survey of classical music is insightful but slightly indigestible
  
     Todd Rundgren, London Palladium review - bold, soul-inclined makeover charms and enthrals 
  
  
    
      The wizard confirms why he is a true star
  
  
    
      Todd Rundgren, London Palladium review - bold, soul-inclined makeover charms and enthrals 
  
  
    
      The wizard confirms why he is a true star
  
     Photo Oxford 2025 review - photography all over the town
  
  
    
      At last, a UK festival that takes photography seriously
  
  
    
      Photo Oxford 2025 review - photography all over the town
  
  
    
      At last, a UK festival that takes photography seriously
  
     It’s back to the beginning for the latest Dylan Bootleg
  
  
    
      Eight CDs encompass Dylan’s earliest recordings up to his first major-league concert
  
  
    
      It’s back to the beginning for the latest Dylan Bootleg
  
  
    
      Eight CDs encompass Dylan’s earliest recordings up to his first major-league concert
  
     Ireland's Hilary Woods casts a hypnotic spell with 'Night CRIÚ'
  
  
    
      The former bassist of the grunge-leaning trio JJ72 embraces the spectral
  
  
    
      Ireland's Hilary Woods casts a hypnotic spell with 'Night CRIÚ'
  
  
    
      The former bassist of the grunge-leaning trio JJ72 embraces the spectral
  
     Hedda, Orange Tree Theatre review - a monument reimagined, perhaps even improved
  
  
    
      Scandinavian masterpiece transplanted into a London reeling from the ravages of war
  
  
    
      Hedda, Orange Tree Theatre review - a monument reimagined, perhaps even improved
  
  
    
      Scandinavian masterpiece transplanted into a London reeling from the ravages of war
  
     theartsdesk Q&A: director Kelly Reichardt on 'The Mastermind' and reliving the 1970s
  
  
    
      The independent filmmaker discusses her intimate heist movie
  
  
    
      theartsdesk Q&A: director Kelly Reichardt on 'The Mastermind' and reliving the 1970s
  
  
    
      The independent filmmaker discusses her intimate heist movie
  
     Emma Doran, Leicester Square Theatre review - domestic life laid bare
  
  
    
      Irish comic mixes sentiment and sauciness
  
  
    
      Emma Doran, Leicester Square Theatre review - domestic life laid bare
  
  
    
      Irish comic mixes sentiment and sauciness
  
    
Add comment