Wednesday 8 October (6:30pm)

@ Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1 (020.7887.8008) Tube: Pimlico

KF is getting pretty confused by the Tate. Like a multi-media mogul they seem to have decided that bringing us Modern and British (occasionally modern-British) Art just isn't enough! KF has sent you to gypsy punk-folk bands, obscure avant-garde performance paeans at Bankside and now Tate Britain is hitting back with a pop-culture deconstruction of art legend Will Shakespeare. They'll be flogging us sugar next. Unlike Tate & Egg, which makes no pretence to any connection with "art", Millbank does make a self-conscious stab with the acknowledgement that Shakey has been a source of narrative inspiration for artists in the same way that Ovid fuelled the Renaissance. However, this "the man, the myth and his writing" soiree may steer clear of the entire topic, concentrating instead on our understanding of Shakespeare's plays in the context of modern Britain. Celebrity names: Michael Wood, who did Shakespeare for BBC2 in June, and Juliet Stevenson (who is shamefully still better known for Truly Madly Deeply than her awesome RSC repertoire). It seems an odd venue for a serious Shakespeare event and especially so considering the excellent Shakespeare in Art exhibition that closes at the Dulwich Picture Gallery on Sun 19/10. KF eagerly awaits Tate: The Musical.

Wednesday 8 October (7:30pm)

@ Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, SE1 (020.7960.4203 or 4242) Tube: Embankment/Rail Waterloo

In the world of nineteenth-century classical music, Johannes Brahms occupied a position similar to the place the painter John Currin has in art today: he was a master of a style that on the surface appeared quite traditional in the context of his contemporaries, but actually managed to transcend traditionalism to become something quite revolutionary. In the case of Brahms, the tradition he worked in was that of the Romantics, and this week you can hear some of his beautiful, sweeping music for yourself. The London Philharmonic Orchestra, led by world-renowned principal conductor Kurt Masur, is presenting the final concert of a mini-season dedicated to his symphonic works. They will perform his fourth symphony in E minor, followed by his second piano concerto in B flat with Garrick Ohlsson at the piano. The cheapest seats are still excellent and a steal at £6.

Wednesday 8 October (7pm)

@ Mean Fiddler, 157 Charing Cross Rd., WC2 (020.7434.9592) Tube: Tottenham Court Rd.

Arab Strap conjure mournful Scottish tales of wanking and drinking from the depths of a pint they nicked from that bloke over there in the corner. Sometimes they sing about that bloke too. If you hang around in here long enough, you'll end up round their house after last orders with that bloke, who'll seem like your best mate seconds before you crack him over the head with an ash tray. Who's that bloke anyway? The Strap are doing nothing to distance themselves from their beery-eyed reputation; their latest album Monday at the Hug and Pint contains soon-to-be-classics like "Meanwhile, At The Bar A Drunkard Muses" and "Fucking Little Bastards". Live, the chaps engage in commited drinking and smoking, so the effect of being buttonholded by a strangely articulate piss-head is sustained. Loyal Strap fans will be swaying up the front. If you've ever been drunk before noon, you should be there too.

Thursday 9 October (tickets go on sale Thu 09/10 -- festival starts Wed 22/10)

@ Various cinemas across London

Each year come autumn we lose a few weeks of our life in dark rooms with moving pictures. Hours only intercepted by short meals, sleep and nicotine breaks. It is the greatest cinema experience in London every year -- the London Film Festival. As per usual, an exhaustive and extensive programme is available. Need a breakdown? By far the hardest thing we had to do this week. So some highlights:

From the English-speaking world:

In the Cut
The opening and closing (see below) gala of this festival has been stolen not only by women, but by women from New Zealand. First up is Jane Campion of The Piano fame with an urban love story meets a detective thriller reminiscent of Lantana and compared to early work by Scorsese.

Sylvia
Young New Zealander Christine Jeffs stunned audiences with her first feature film Rain -- and it landed her one of the most-talked about films of the last few years: Sylvia. Needless to say, but we're saying it anyway, it is the story of Sylvia Plath (and by default Ted Hughes) and therefore a must see.

Lost In Translation
Continuing with female directors, we are pleased to say that Sofia Coppola (her acting abilities are questionable, but her only other feature film to date, The Virgin Suicides, was incredibly accomplished) has finally directed another film hailed, as expected, to be gentle and seductive.

Thirteen
It may seem as if women are stealing the screen at the LFF as the eagerly awaited and controversial Thirteen finally hits our screens. First-time director Catherine Hardwicke has under her belt years as a production designer (most notably on Three Kings and last year's masterpiece Laurel Canyon), and Thirteen is quickly becoming the most talked-about film of the year. It'll be followed by an interview with Holly Hunter.

21 Grams
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu stunned the world with Amores Perros and has teamed up again with Perros screenwriter to make 21 Grams not in his native Mexico, but with an all Hollywood cast including Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Naomi Watts. Predicted to be the sleeper hit of the year, who'd want to miss it?

From the world cinema scene:

The Dreamers
Bernardo Bertolucci, of The Last Emperor and Sheltering Sky, is back with what he describes as "a reminder of a period when an entire generation woke up in the morning with incredible expectations". What can we say?!

Carandiru
The recent upsurge of hot new "other Americas" directors sometimes makes us forget that there were in fact established directors from the region before now, and Carandiru marks the return of Brazilian Hector Babenco -- maker of Kiss of the Spider Woman and Pixote. May not be for everyone...

Dogville
Some of us are fed up with the pretensions of Lars von Trier -- but then there's a distinct possibility that the man may actually be a genius. Shot in Sweden (due to his fear of flying) he has managed to assemble Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall and the list goes on in this allegedly controversial anti-American take on a village in Rocky Mountains...

I'm Not Scared
The world cinema scene is on a theme of established masters of their craft. Remember that delightful Mediterraneo and the magical Denti? Well, Gabriele Salvatores is back on the big screen, and it is bound to be remarkable in every way.

Osama
Director Siddiq Barmak has worked unnoticed by all except the Taliban most of his life, but all this is about to change. Osama is the first feature-length film to come out of post-Taliban Afghanistan, and it is well worth a watch. The visuals are truly moving, as is the story, and the protagonist delivers a performance beyond belief.

Kitchen Stories
Bent Hamer shot onto the Norwegian cinema screens with his debut feature Eggs a few years ago, but international recognition has not been within his grasp till now (though Eggs is the better film). Dissecting the lives of single, middle-aged men, Kitchen Stories is strange, sweet and gentle. We wonder if he is married?

Noi Albinoi
Icelandic cinema is the most underrated in the world. A limited number of films are made, and a limited number of those make it across the waters to any other country (including their Scandinavian neighbours). But of those that do make it, have you ever seen one that was not worth it? Who can resist that dark Nordic humour that comes with high suicide rates, months without sunlight and minus degrees...?

There are about a hundred other films you might want to see. The rest of the work is up to you!

NB: The LFF runs from Wed 22/10 till Thu 06/11 but tickets go on sale on Thu 09/10.

Thursday 9 October (6 - 8pm)

@ Spruth Magers Lee, 12 Berkeley St., W1 (020.7491.0100) Tube: Green Park

American Director John Waters once listed Fischli and Weiss as one of his faves for their humility and audacity in presenting -- almost unmediated -- everyday life. Visitors to Tate Modern may have wandered past a room that appeared to be under construction, yet on closer inspection you discover that this facsimile of their studio is entirely carved out of polyurethane, then painted. So in a Buddhist sorta way this Swiss Dynamic Duo constantly open our eyes to life, but also remind us that life is not entirely as it seems. They're probably more famous for the recent Honda ad which rips off their '87 movie The Way Things Go, in which car parts simulate the domino effect; but was that really an ad for a car or one for the Fischli-Weiss effect? No media seems to be beyond their mastery. The winners of this year's Golden Lion in Venice (for best work in the International Exhibition) are in town to shake up our senses, with a new piece: An Unsettled Work (2003). Trompe l'oeil this is not; still, be prepared for your senses to be unhinged!

NB: Private view is on Thu 09/10 from 6 - 8pm. Show runs till 29/11.

Thursday 9 October (7pm)

@ Union Chapel, Compton Terrace, N1 (020.7226.1686) Tube: Highbury & Islington

Derek Jarman shares some of the glory of his opulent explorations of cinematic vision and sound to the man who designed and composed the soundtracks to three of his grandest affairs: Caravaggio, The Last of England and The Garden. Simon Fisher Turner challenged and complemented Jarman's incredible pictures with equal measures of experimentation and talent. Fans can be found in darkened bedrooms, volume high, eyes closed, enduing the surreal and the emotional. This truly is music to be feeling, and could be given out on the NHS instead of "so what happened in your childhood" therapy. Now add the Union Chapel and Melanie Pappenheims' vocals, and the most hardened kulturevulture -- with two Sigur Ros gigs and a Mogwai EP under their belt -- should be backed into that vulnerable place where you might have to let go of something. Beautiful, eerie, evocative and emotional.

Giveaway: We have two pairs of tickets and two CDs/DVDs of Swift to give away. They'll go to four randomly picked subscribers who can tell us which sound artist SFT collaborated with on his 2000 release Travelcard.

Thursday 9 October (8:30pm)

@ National Film Theatre, South Bank, SE1 (020.7928.3232) Tube: Embankment/Waterloo

Antenna, the bi-monthly showcase celebrating creativity in music videos, is one year old this week. To celebrate the 'Antennaversary', a special directors-only panel has been lined up, led by Richard Kenworthy from the excellent directing team Shynola, makers of such promo gems as Go with the Flow for Queens of the Stone Age and Radiohead's blipvert campaign. Accompanying him is Dougal Wilson from production company Colonel Blimp -- director of the hilarious video for Satisfaction by Benny Benassi (one for the feminists with scantily clad ladeez wielding power tools) -- and new kid on the block Ruben Fleischer, who'll be showing his recent promo for Dizzee Rascal's Fix Up Look Sharp. The general line-up for vids is so good it's being kept secret until the night, but with some of the most interesting feature film directors around having cut their teeth directing music videos (think Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and most recently Jonas Akerlund), undoubtedly there'll be some future stars on display.

Giveaway: We have three Ninja Tune DVDs to give away. They'll go to three randomly picked subscribers who can tell us who is KF's fave promo director.

Friday 10 October (7pm)

@ ICA, The Mall, SW1 (020.7930.3647) Tube: Charing Cross/Piccadilly Circus

Witness the various political campaigns now being waged online, the use of internet for political protest; all exist in what media critic, author, blog journo and East Village resident Douglas Rushkoff has named "mediaspace". The NYU media don describes the purpose of his work as reducing techno fear. All this is appropriate given the highly mediated post-9/11, anti-globalisation zeitgeist that we now inhabit. The space in which we view our world appears to have gone from analog to digital within a nanosecond. How'd we flash otherwise... Technology is what we make of it, wars can be fought with mobile phones -- they're tools after all. Thank God we have Rushkoff to educate us in technojoy!

NB: Rushkoff will be discussing electronic media and protest with former Marxism Today editor Martin Jacques; Pat Kane, director of the The Play Ethic, is the moderator.

Dinner: If you cannot make it on Friday and feel like a more intimate evening with Rushkoff, then what about a 4-course gourmet fundraising dinner with him on Sat 11/10 (7 - 11pm) at The London Sketch Club? If you're interested, send an email to info@cybersalon.org (tickets are £35 per head).

Friday 10 October (Fri 10/10 & Sat 11/10 7pm - 1am)

@ ICA, The Mall, SW1 (020.7930.3647) Tube: Charing Cross/Piccadilly Circus

Deepbluemusic and Perverted Science have obviously been inter-railing this summer. Fortunately they've brought home a few souvenirs and will be showing them off at Trans Europe Express, a weekend of cross-channel club culture at the ICA. Highlights this Friday include long-standing Belgian outfit the Glimmer Twins. This pair started playing in a disused underpants factory way back in 1985. Now they're better known as the hosts of Eskimo at Culture Club, a rather chi-chi night spot in Ghent. Friday's line-up also includes Norwegian duo Ben Horn and Swiss punk-funker Headman, together with Daddy Ad, Solar House and Zak Frost. Saturday boasts Bjorn Torske, label mate of Royksopp, who describes his easy-electro sound as "new music from old spare parts". Joining him with his own brand of "special music for special people" is Berlin electro-punk T. Raumschmiere, co-founder of electronica label Shitkatapult. Raumschmiere is notorious for his live shows and will be performing tracks from his new album Radio Blackout, released in September through novamute. In addition live performances from Debasser and Transparent Sound alongside DJ sets from Guglielmo Mascio, Freddie Cruger, The Executives, Circus Love and a rare appearance by Swedish producer Red Astaire.

NB: Trans Europe Express runs for two days, Fri 10/10 & Sat 11/10. Click here for full line-up and event details.

Giveaway: We have one pair of tickets and two copies of Radio Blackout to give away. They'll go to three randomly picked subscribers who can tell us in what capacity has Bjorn Torske collaborated with Royksopp.

Friday 10 October (9pm)

@ Forum, 9-17 Highgate Rd., NW5 (020.7344.0044 ) Tube: Kentish Town

Once upon a time there was a tea-drinking man called Mr. Scruff. Mr. Scruff was a sort of two-dimensional egg shape made of black felt-tip pen outlines who lived in a wry, happy world where everyone else was also made of felt-tip. Apart from liking tea and pies, and living a 2D black-and-white-doodle life, Mr. Scruff also happened to be an exceptionally good DJ, whose music made you want to jump around and dance all night long. Because of his cheeky talents and ear for a great tune, Mr. Scruff worked with tons of super record labels, from Warp to Grand Central and, of course, Ninja Tune, producing loads of groovy albums, including the classic Keep it Unreal and more recent Trouser Jazz. He also put on top nights all over the country, playing a dandy mix of reggae, ska and hip-hop, electro, soul, funk and jazz. These residencies included Keep It Unreal at the Kentish Town Forum. Mr. Scruff is very uplifting and you can join in the fun if you head there this Friday. You might even get a whiff of Quantic Soul Orchestra's version of "Get a Move On", which would be very good. The end.

NB: Mr. Scruff's Solid Steel compilation on Ninja Tune is out early 2004.

Giveaway: We have three Mr. Scruff CDs to give away. They'll go to three randomly picked subscribers who can tell us Scruff's real name.

Sunday 12 October

@ Various

Domino Records has been a staple part of every indie/alternative shoe-gazing, moshing, liquorice-rizla-smoking consumer diet for a whole decade. And at a guess this festival of their rosta, the accompanying CD, and 20% off their web mart records is their way of celebrating and giving that all important "something back" to the faithfuls. Playing across the ICA, Shepherds Bush Empire and the Astoria are Adem (Wed 15/10), Cinema, Pram, Max Tundra (Fri 17/10) and many more of quirky, moody, madness. To be highlighted are the beautiful Four Tet (Fri 17/10), the cranky Franz Ferdinand (Fri 24/10) and punky populists The Kills (Tue 21/11). Bonnie "Prince" Billy's Wed 15/10 gig has sold out but Domino have kindly added another night on Thu 16/10... skates are to be strapped on double quick to make sure your fave show isn't the next to go without you being there. Eat Your Own Ears, XFM and Time Out are all involved, so if you don't go you're never gonna hear the end of it.

NB: Domino Records 10th Anniversary runs from Sun 12/10 till Mon 27/10. Click here for full line-up and event details. Tickets may be purchased from Rough Trade (020.7240.0105) , ticketmaster.co.uk (020.7344.0044), ticketweb.co.uk (08700.600.100), wayahead.com...

Monday 13 October (6:30pm)

@ Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1 (020.7434.9944) Tube: Piccadilly Circus

Were Archigram the Beatles of '60s British architecture? Both German critic Ira Mazzoni and architect/writer Michael Sorkin have argued that they were, and several of the group's inventions -- Capsule Apartments, Walking Cities, Living Pods -- were results of the same courageous experimentation that the Fab Four based their genre-defying music on. No wonder, then, that Archigram have been called architecture's "Fab Six", and that Rem Koolhaas (in his Introduction to Report on the City 1 and 2) wrote that "there have been no new movements in urbanism since Team X and Archigram". As one of the group's surviving members, Peter Cook was presented with RIBA's Royal Gold Medal earlier this year. Cook was still fresh out of the AA when, in '61, he founded the magazine Archigram, from which the studio later took its name. Today he is Professor of Architecture and Chair of the Bartlett School of Architecture. As far as we know Ibirapuera is a football stadium in Sao Paolo, but just how the mad professor behind the Plug-in City and the Instant City is connected to this place, you'll have to listen to Cook's talk to find out. We know we will.

Thursday 23 October (7pm)

@ Astoria, 157 Charing Cross Rd., WC2 (020.7434.9592) Tube: Tottenham Court Rd.

Mogwai are one of the best things to come out of Glasgow since the deep-fried Mars Bar. All right, they're a lot better than that. Mogwai's soaring post-rock space noise is arguably the best wall-of-guitars head-noise available since My Bloody Valentine got sucked into deepspace. They should be loved forever for sampling (on Come on Die Young) Iggy Pop saying, "I don't know Johnny Rotten. But I'm sure he puts as much blood and sweat into what he does as Sigmund Freud did." And there's the rub with Mogwai: they give a shit and it shows. Their records are beautifully crafted soundscapes veering between the sound of an alien lifeform being sucked into the boosters on your space ship, to a gremlin giggling in church while the preacher gets drunk on communion wine (or something). Their latest album Happy Songs for Happy People sees the lads lightening up a bit without compromising their musical values. The results are blissful, which is exactly how the prospect of an evening with them at the Astoria sounds.

Ends Friday 24 October (Tues - Sat 11am - 6pm; Sun 12 noon - 4pm )

@ 14 Wharf Rd., N1, Tube: Old St.

The annual Bloomberg New Contemporaries is always a refreshing show, simply because the artists have not quite become jaded by the tough commercialism of the artworld. The work of 32 artists from art schools across the country is a mixed and intriguing bag. It is easy to be cynical about all the video art, but it is often the most affecting work on a personal and cultural level. Ben Sadler provides a moment we all can relate to with his cringe-making home video of a disastrous guitar recital, while Laurin Federlein's powerfully haunting, The Gloating, made up of newspaper clippings from the 2000 attack on a police station in Ramallah, is a horrifying reminder of contemporary politics. Varying from the nut-rolling and granny-launching antics of Mark McGowen to Dimitris Foutris' Spirograph attacks on the Old Masters, this exhibition proves that these young things are a sometimes funny and maybe just a little discontented bunch. (Show ends Fri 24/10.)

NB: As part of F-EST Sacha Craddock, chair of New Contemporaries, will give a guided tour on Sat 18/10 at 12:30pm.

Ends Saturday 25 October (Check box office for times)

@ Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, SW11 (020.7326.8200)

Last week saw the jubilant annual kick-off of Octoberfest hosted by BAC, a month-long festival of fresh and innovative theatre, where well known, new and up-and-coming faces try out ideas or hone developing work. This week sees triple Perrier Award nominee Dan Antopolski presenting new ideas for his next Edinburgh show (Tue 07/10 & Wed 08/10). On Sat 11/10, John Hegley and Andrew Bailey concoct a poetic mix of song and silliness in The Cafe Bar, while on Sun 12/10 accomplished storytellers The Table Show present some new thoughts in A Sleepless Knight or Two. The following week, BAC-supported artist Mark Murphy presents A Wing and a Prayer, an intriguingly crafted piece about plane crashes and relationships (Wed 15/10 to Fri 17/10 and not for the faint-hearted!) The brilliant Clod Ensemble give us a taste of nine-piece brass ensembles, wrestlers, bongos, trapezes and a lot of potential ideas on Wed 15/10 & Thu 16/10. If urban investigating is more your thing, then A Smith -- performance poet and aspiring architect -- is conducting a series of walks, talks and presentations around Battersea from Fri 17/10 till Sun 19/10. In the final week, catch Mindbender by Peepolykus and journey through the world of Michael Santos, psychic contortionist! (Wed 22/10). Sound & Fury and the Shunt Collective join forces to investigate the invention of anaesthesia in Ether Frolics on Tue 21/10 & Wed 22nd. Also, don't miss the legendary Simon McBurney, artistic director of Theatre de Complicite and an evening of undiluted untruth on Fri 24/10 & Sat 25/10.

Ends Saturday 25 October (7:45pm)

@ Barbican EC2, Silk St., EC2 (020.7638.8891 or 4141) Tube: Barbican/Moorgate

Ridiculusmus were last seen at the Barbican in December with Say Nothing and Yes Yes Yes. They arrive back with their new show Ideas Men, which has recently been garnering enthusiastic responses from audiences in the Edinburgh Festival. Ideas Men is about Mike Mullet and Liam Brady, two agonisingly uncreative creatives. They thrash around through an all too familiar treacle of absent inspiration and plumb the depths of desperate frustration. What comes out the other end is utterly absurd and brilliantly funny. Performed by John Hough and David Woods, Ideas Men comments on the creative industry to audacious perfection. Artfully mixing eloquent physical wit with dark madness, the duo offer an extremely satisfying evening.

NB: Run ends Sat 25/10.

Tuesday 28 October (7pm)

@ Hammersmith Apollo, Queen Caroline St., W6 (0870.606.3400 ) Tube: Hammersmith

Minxing from a fragile, wide-eyed Kewpie doll to a bump-n-grinding cabaret whore in the bat of a false eyelash, Ms. Alison Goldfrapp will seduce the Hammersmith Apollo one Tue 28/10. In what promises to be a display of theatrical opulence, the former Tricky vocalist, together with creative partner Will Gregory, will plunge from the glacial heights of debut album Felt Mountain to the sexed-up swagger of recent release Black Cherry. Goldfrapp's lushly synthed soundscapes encompass a variety of musical and cinematic genres -- from spaghetti westerns, through opera, film noir soundtracks, some '60s French pop, to the gravelly depths of Weimar-era danke schon -- but whatever you make of their music, you can guarantee that this gig will be worth seeing for the decadent eye candy alone.

Giveaway: We have two copies of Black Cherry to give away. They'll go to two randomly picked subscribers who can tell us with who else has Alison Goldfrapp collaborated with. (Hint: a duo with very little hair.)

Ends Thursday 30 October

@ Various cinemas across London

Straddling a fine line between portraiture and propaganda, Oliver Stone's Comandante is a controversial documentary made delightful in its seemingly sincere capturing of hints of humanity within a living icon that most have branded inhumane. Stone offers an unprecedented take on one of modern history's most enigmatic living leaders -- and quite possibly, its greatest actor -- in an attempt to "portray the human figure" that truly is General Fidel Castro. Pulled from its US release, where it was viewed as too flattering to the dictator (particularly in the wake of his having recently executed 3 young highjackers and imprisoned 75 dissidents), the film's criticism of anti-Castro sentiment nevertheless finds reprieve whenever Stone plays devil's advocate and even directly challenges Castro's own statements. Indeed, the bittersweet irony of watching Castro -- the fly in America's ointment for over forty years... Mr. Anti-Capitalism -- walking briskly around his office in a pair of Nikes -- sets the tone for a thoroughly thought-provoking and captivating attempt to delve into the heart and mind of the man behind the Beard. Insightful, and surprisingly touching, Comandante is rife with astonishing personal commentary, and near heart-rending confessions. While clearly not fun for the whole nuclear family, kultureFlash heartily advocates your being a good capitalist rebel pig, and seeing this film.

NB: To find out where and when Comandante is playing go to firstmovies.com

Ends Thursday 6 November

@ Various locations across London

Don't be put off seeing Young Adam because you've heard it's very "dark". Obviously no one likes their Sunday afternoon film-sesh to leave them feeling too disturbed, and there's no denying that this film will haunt you for the next few days, but we believe it's your duty to support this brave British film which, due to funding problems, very nearly wasn't made. As with Hugh Grant, Ewan McGregor is at his best playing bastards, and his itinerant character Joe (not Adam, confusingly) is terrifyingly opaque, offering almost no room for empathy. Likewise, Tilda Swinton is her usual brooding self as Ella, the bargemaster's wife who so unwisely falls in love with Joe. Director David Mackenzie plays up the claustrophobia of the barge's cramped, impoverished interior to an almost unbearable degree, and the heavy clouds which choke the Glaswegian sky are never lifted. Yet it's only by being made aware of the lack of options available within such merciless conditions that one can begin to understand the depth of the characters' alienation and despair, and the motives behind their fatal decisions.

NB: To find out where and when Young Adam is playing go to firstmovies.com

Ends Sunday 4 January (Daily 10am - 6pm, Fri & Sat until 10pm)

@ Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 (020.7887.8008) Tube: Southwark/Blackfriars

One piece in Sigmar Polke's current visit at Tate Modern is titled I Live in My Own World, but It's Ok, They Know Me Here (2002), and it sorta sums his work up. Seeing a Polke exhibition is always a confrontation; one of taste, humour, experimentation and, ultimately, will... Together with Gerhard Richter and Anselm Kiefer, Polke's part of the great German post-war generation, but where Richter ploughs through Painting's ontology and Kiefer German history, Polke seems to be their Macgyver! Having gained notoriety with Richter in their response to '60s American Pop, their so-called "Capitalist Realism" was a kind of celebration of American consumerism. With that spring board, like Rauschenberg and in advance of David Salle, Polke's career seems to have pursued the re-presentation of our increasingly mediated and complex visual world. Humour has always been his anchor: witness his Rubber Band Durer Hare (1970) which is literally as described, or the verve of his various '60s drawings (both in level three's mini-retro). Coming from a show of recent work designed specifically for Dallas -- which explains the guns and cowboys -- this modified version displays Polke's increasing interest in mechanical reproduction, and elliptical yet obvious onslaughts on the artworld.

NB: A series of talks and events are being held in conjunction with the show. Our pick is AS Byatt and Martin Hentschel discussing the show and Polke on 24/11.