The world of art and music has long been intertwined, with many artists drawing inspiration from the other for their creative work. A new exhibition at the Serpentine in London celebrates the connection between visual art and music, featuring recent paintings alongside favourite records played through an extraordinary sound system.
One artist to be inspired by is Stevie Wonder, whose double album 'Songs in the Key of Life' is a source of endless fascination for Harold Offeh. The Ghanaian-American artist credits the album's rich scope with helping him appreciate the complexity of music, and says its soulfulness has had a profound effect on his approach to art.
In contrast, Ragnar Kjartansson finds solace in the melancholy of Robert Schumann's 'Dichterliebe', which he believes profoundly affected his approach to art. The Icelandic artist often listens to sad girl bangers while working and sings forcefully in his studio, inspiring those around him with his energy.
Another artist who values music is Chris Ofili, who mourns the decline of radio across airwaves as a loss for free music permeating everyday life. He finds solace in Sault's experimental albums, which resonate with his own themes of faith, love and spirituality.
Joy Labinjo credits Fireboy DML's hit 'Peru' with reviving her during the pandemic, helping to bring her alive again after lunch while working on her art. She often listens to familiar songs before bringing them into the studio where they feel more intimate.
Jeremy Deller prefers John Cage's '4'33"', which helps him think. The artist tends to listen to people talking about how awful the world is instead of music, valuing their insights over soundscapes.
Laure Prouvost values sound in her work and finds it often embedded in nature – birdsong or a kettle getting madder with boiling water. She enjoys recording dripping and scratching on her iPhone, believing that 'the guts of my videos is sound' while the image is just the facade.
Lastly, Mark Leckey found his way back to art through music after struggles with theory at school. He uses specific songs as blueprints for new works or ideas he wants to explore, valuing their ability to evoke emotions and provide access to experiences beyond his own.
One artist to be inspired by is Stevie Wonder, whose double album 'Songs in the Key of Life' is a source of endless fascination for Harold Offeh. The Ghanaian-American artist credits the album's rich scope with helping him appreciate the complexity of music, and says its soulfulness has had a profound effect on his approach to art.
In contrast, Ragnar Kjartansson finds solace in the melancholy of Robert Schumann's 'Dichterliebe', which he believes profoundly affected his approach to art. The Icelandic artist often listens to sad girl bangers while working and sings forcefully in his studio, inspiring those around him with his energy.
Another artist who values music is Chris Ofili, who mourns the decline of radio across airwaves as a loss for free music permeating everyday life. He finds solace in Sault's experimental albums, which resonate with his own themes of faith, love and spirituality.
Joy Labinjo credits Fireboy DML's hit 'Peru' with reviving her during the pandemic, helping to bring her alive again after lunch while working on her art. She often listens to familiar songs before bringing them into the studio where they feel more intimate.
Jeremy Deller prefers John Cage's '4'33"', which helps him think. The artist tends to listen to people talking about how awful the world is instead of music, valuing their insights over soundscapes.
Laure Prouvost values sound in her work and finds it often embedded in nature – birdsong or a kettle getting madder with boiling water. She enjoys recording dripping and scratching on her iPhone, believing that 'the guts of my videos is sound' while the image is just the facade.
Lastly, Mark Leckey found his way back to art through music after struggles with theory at school. He uses specific songs as blueprints for new works or ideas he wants to explore, valuing their ability to evoke emotions and provide access to experiences beyond his own.
. I think it's awesome that artists like Harold Offeh and Ragnar Kjartansson are using music as inspiration for their work. 
. And it's great that they're finding ways to express themselves through art.
, using music to bring her alive during the pandemic. It's amazing how something as simple as a song can have such a big impact on our emotions and creativity.
. Here's a little ASCII art of what that looks like:
. And Chris Ofili's love of radio is so cool too - who else but him would mourn the decline of radio? 
. Can't wait to see what all these talented artists come up with!
. I mean, come on, how many times can you put Stevie Wonder's 'Songs in the Key of Life' on repeat? And what's up with all these sad girl bangers? Can't Ragnar Kjartansson listen to something else for once? 
And don't even get me started on Chris Ofili's nostalgia trip. It's like he's stuck in the 90s or something 
. I swear, if I have to hear Jeremy Deller talk about how awful the world is one more time, I'm gonna lose it 
. Give me a break.
like Stevie Wonder's album 'Songs in the Key of Life' is like, whoa! it's like he took all these different genres n mashed them together into this masterpiece 
. n Ragnar Kjartansson's all about that melancholy life with Robert Schumann's 'Dichterliebe', lol what's up wit dat? 
I feel him, bro! no more free music on the airwaves n it's like... what r we gonna do? 
but Sault's experimental albums are like, yaaas!! 
they're like the soundtrack 2 my art sesh n everythin!
I mean, who needs music when u got people talkin' 'bout how awful the world is? 
birdsong, kettle gettin' madder... it's like nature's own instrument section! 
. I mean, Stevie Wonder's 'Songs in the Key of Life' must be a total trip to listen to, especially with Harold Offeh drawing inspiration from its complexity. And Ragnar Kjartansson can't go wrong with some sad girl bangers to get him pumped up 
. And then there's Jeremy Deller, who's more into people talking than actual music – I guess you could say he values the vibes over the beats 
. And Mark Leckey uses specific songs as blueprints for his art – talk about getting inspired by the right tunes 
.
Ragnar Kjartansson's melancholy thingy is just a fancy way of saying "I'm bored" if you ask me. And don't even get me started on Chris Ofili's radio obsession... what's wrong with this guy? Doesn't he know that the internet has plenty of sick beats to keep him entertained? 
I love how they're featuring Stevie Wonder's 'Songs in the Key of Life' - that album is iconic, right? And I'm dying to see Harold Offeh's artwork inspired by it 
. Ragnar Kjartansson's thing about Robert Schumann's music though... sad bops are my vibe too 
I need to check out Chris Ofili's stuff ASAP. He sounds like he's been through some stuff, but his love for Sault is genuine 
. And can we talk about Jeremy Deller's John Cage habit? 
... at least we have Sault to keep us going 