This month on 'A Geography of Colour' I'm talking with painter Rema Ghuloum about her relationship with colour.

Rema is a contemporary American painter who lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. 

She makes vibrant abstract paintings that have many layers, built up and sanded down to reveal their archaeologies. 

Earlier this year Rema had her second solo show 4 is a Rainbow Line at Et al, a gallery in San Francisco. The gallery described her work as being  ’an index of colour - woven, translucent layers singing with and through each other; spectral stratum, a chorus of colour. Rema’s work is heart-felt, joyous, devotional. The paintings sing.’

She received her BFA in Drawing and Painting from California State University, Long Beach in 2007 and her MFA from California College of the Arts in San Francisco in 2010. Rema has exhibited nationally and internationally and has been the recipient of multiple grants including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant, Davyd Whaley Foundation Artist-Teacher Grant, and the Esalen Pacifica Prize. Rema’s work has been reviewed in Art Forum, Hyperallergic, CARLA, the Los Angeles Times, Fabrik, among others. 

Rema Ghuloum is represented by Philip Martin Gallery in Los Angeles.

Rema Ghuloum

Beyond the neglectful state: unpacking the intersection of public health and personal freedom In this episode of Public Health Disrupted, hosts Xand van Tulleken and Professor Rochelle Burgess tackle the concept of the "nanny state". Alongside guests Adam Briggs and Professor James Wilson, they delve into the delicate balance between government intervention and individual freedom in the realm of public health. 

The conversation explores how public health policies can sometimes be perceived as overreaching, despite the evidence suggesting that the public largely supports such initiatives. Our guests unpack the historical context of the term "nanny state," its implications, and the ongoing debate about the role of government in promoting health while respecting personal autonomy. 

Guests: 
- Dr Adam Briggs, Senior Policy Fellow at the Health Foundation 
- Professor James Wilson, Professor of Philosophy at UCL 

In this episode: 
- The origins and evolution of the "nanny state" rhetoric and its impact on public health discourse. 
- Insights into public opinion on government intervention in health-related issues, including obesity and smoking. 
- The importance of framing public health initiatives in a way that resonates with communities and policymakers alike. 
- How a shift towards prevention can be achieved through approaches that embed health considerations across all areas of government. 

This conversation invites us all to reconsider the narratives surrounding public health policies and the responsibilities of both the state and individuals in fostering a healthier society.

Date of episode recording: 2025-05-12T00:00:00Z
Duration: 00:43:51
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Professor Rochelle Burgess; Dr Xand van Tulleken
Guests: Dr Adam Briggs; Professor James Wilson
Producer: Produced by: UCL Health of the Public; Editor: Annabelle Buckland, Decibelle Creative


Season 5 - Beyond the neglectful state: unpacking public health and personal freedom

Brought to you by Penguin.

Prepare to be hooked by James Patterson's newest thriller in which an art student must orchestrate the heist of a lifetime to save her father...

Read by Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Jones (Star Wars: Rouge One, Inferno, The Brutalist).

A rare masterpiece by Picasso is about to go to auction, and the whole world is watching.

But bright art student Halston Graham sees an opportunity. One that could secure millions for her future – and freedom for her wrongly imprisoned father…

To pull off the crime of the century, she must assemble an unlikely crack team: an expert in forgery, a ruthless mob boss, and an eccentric fashion designer.

In a game where trust is a luxury and failure is not an option, will Halston’s brilliance be enough to outsmart her enemies?

The Picasso Heist by James Patterson, read by Felicity Jones

In the second episode of our Mental Health and Wellbeing mini-series, host Jade Hunter sits down with Professor Hugo Spiers, Dr Fiona Zisch, and Isabelle Charval,  the trailblazing team behind the world’s first international centre for neuroarchitecture and neurodesign. Together, they delve into how neuroscience and the built environment are converging to shape healthier, more inclusive spaces for everyone. 

This wide-ranging conversation touches on the potential of this pioneering field to transform sectors such as healthcare, education, and urban planning. With deep insights from research and practice, the episode explores how our brains respond to the spaces we inhabit, and how better design can enhance wellbeing, accessibility, and human connection.

Featured in this episode:

Host: Jade Hunter – Coordinator, UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing
With special thanks to our guests:
Professor Hugo Spiers – UCL Department of Experimental Psychology
Dr Fiona Zisch – Lecturer in Architecture, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture
Isabelle Charval – Design Strategist and Co-Founder, Centre for Neuroarchitecture

Building Better Minds: Neuroarchitecture and the Future of Inclusive Design

In episode 4 of our mini series The London Open Live Podcast, we present 'Futurity - Ignorance is Bliss?' featuring Lois Weaver, Gigi Brathwaite, and Pianka Parna (host). In this conversation, we reflect on ideas of momentum, mapping out what we need from our audiences and each other as live art practitioners and artists. How do we nurture intergenerational and inter-experiential exchange? How can we begin to break out of scarcity mentalities and focus on solidarity building and resourcing sharing?

The London Open Live Podcast: Ep 4 - Futurity: Ignorance is Bliss?

15 Concluding thoughts

Editor Brian Kuan Wood talks to Evan Calder Williams about his e-flux journal essay series, “On Paralysis.” Recorded in May 2025 before the launch of e-flux journal issue #152, the conversation discusses stoppage, sabotage, disability, delay, and damage, as well as the critical tools the “On Paralysis” series finds in the hidden intimacies between limited movement and expressive power.&nbsp; Read all four installments of the series here: , , , and .&nbsp; &nbsp; Paralysis has become a term and idea inseparable from contemporary understandings of subjectivity, infrastructure, politics, and war. Conjuring associations of indecision, physical immobility, and trauma, it names a breakdown of the normal processes of circulation and information that promise systemwide health and seamless flow. But what if the very smoothness of these circuits of production is precisely what debilitates human bodies and broader systems of relay and exchange? And what are the potentials for refusal and unexpected agency that can be found in the interval when nothing works like it's supposed to? Evan Calder Williams is an associate professor at the Center for Curatorial Studies for Bard College, where he also teaches in the Human Rights program. He is the author of the books Combined and Uneven Apocalypse; Roman Letters; Shard Cinema; and, forthcoming with Sternberg Press, Inhuman Resources. He is the translator, with David Fernbach, of Mario Mieli’s Towards a Gay Communism and is a Contributing Editor to e-flux journal, as well as a former member of the editorial collective of Viewpoint Magazine.

Evan Calder Williams: On Paralysis

Charles Burney - Journeys with Mai tour

Brought to you by Penguin.

Prepare to be hooked by James Patterson's newest thriller in which an art student must orchestrate the heist of a lifetime to save her father...

Read by Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Jones (Star Wars: Rouge One, Inferno, The Brutalist).

A rare masterpiece by Picasso is about to go to auction, and the whole world is watching.
But bright art student Halston Graham sees an opportunity. One that could secure millions for her future – and freedom for her wrongly imprisoned father…

To pull off the crime of the century, she must assemble an unlikely crack team: an expert in forgery, a ruthless mob boss, and an eccentric fashion designer.

In a game where trust is a luxury and failure is not an option, will Halston’s brilliance be enough to outsmart her enemies?

'No one gets this big without amazing natural storytelling talent - which is what Jim has, in spades.' Lee Child

'Patterson boils a scene down to the single, telling detail, the element that defines a character or moves a plot along. It's what fires off the movie projector in the reader's mind.' Michael Connelly

'Patterson is in a class by himself' Guardian

© James Patterson 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Picasso Heist, Prologue, written by James Patterson and Read by Felicity Jones

A monthly podcast with contemporary painters talking colour with painter Ruth Philo https://www.ruthphilo.co.uk/a-geography-of-colour.html @ageographyofcolour