The big picture: a pileup of pugs

A sudden flash of inspiration gave portrait photographer Neal Slavin the key to this group shot

‘I wanted my photos to reflect my disorientation’: rising star Anastasia Samoylova on how Florida’s hyperreal streets inspired her work

It’s a big moment for the Russian-born photographer known for her dreamlike images of Miami after the 2017 hurricane. Here she talks about upcoming shows in London and New York, plus a new book surveying her career to date

On my radar: Zadie Smith’s cultural highlights

The writer on Netflix’s brilliant plague tragicomedy, the best British debut novel she’s read in a while, and her deep love of singer Chappell Roan

Charles Blackman was devoted to my mother. Their love story needs to be told

My parent’s marriage spanned a quarter of a century. His letters, kept by mother, Barbara, are steeped in intense passion, creativity and youth

‘It shouldn’t be a bucket list place’: these people went to Antarctica. They hope you don’t

As Antarctic tourism grows, so does the environmental impact. Now scientists and artists who work on the continent hope to encourage us to admire from afar

Five of the best novels about art

Rachel Cusk, Raven Leilani and Hari Kunzru are among writers inspired by artists to find shape and form in their own works

‘The arts stop us killing each other’: stars tell Labour how to rescue Britain’s downtrodden culture

Steve McQueen, Tracey Emin, Steve Coogan, Adjoa Andoh, Danny Dyer, Jesse Darling and many more spell out what must be done to restore Britain’s cultural lifeblood, from ending elitism to supercharging libraries – and flooding schools with music

Slashed with a knife: the tender sculpture that hides a shocking but common crime against women

Costanza Piccolomini was physically disfigured by her lover, the Baroque sculptor Bernini: 400 years later her story can finally be told

The big picture: precarious lives and playfulness in a London square

Roland Ramanan spent more than 10 years documenting the evolution of a new public space in Hackney and its many and varied users

The Wendy Award by Walter Scott review – the voice of a bewildered generation

The fourth in this brilliant and painfully funny series finds our self-destructive millennial heroine nominated for an art award – and grappling with gen z sensibilities

‘My flash kept blinding everyone on the dancefloor’: Elaine Constantine on capturing 90s northern soul all-nighters

The UK photographer took these powerful shots of northern soul nights 30 years ago. Now collected in a new book and exhibition, they offer an intimate glimpse of a peculiarly British subculture

On my radar: Mark Leckey’s cultural highlights

The Turner prize-winning artist on a glorious Italian painting, his favourite horror novel, and why he finally started to like podcasts

Protests against arts sponsorship in Britain are killing culture. Be careful what you wish for

Baillie Gifford’s financial support of the biggest book festivals ended after a campaign against its fossil fuel ties. Britain’s arts need more corporate cash, not less

The big picture: Abdulhamid Kircher reflects on his traumatic family history

Kircher’s seemingly innocent shot of his father’s girlfriend having her hair dyed in an Istanbul salon belies the truth about the couple’s reason for visiting

On my radar: Simon McBurney’s cultural highlights

The actor, director and playwright on a delicious social enterprise, a radical climate movement, and his favourite place to commune with the dead