FEAST OR FAMINE

 

  Dark Mode  by Ashley Kalagian Blunt (2023) is a psychological crime thriller set in Sydney, Australia, in 2017.    Reagan Carsen keeps a low profile in life. Even when she finds the dead body of a young woman, she does not contact the police, especially because the dead woman looks eerily like her.   Two more women are murdered, fuelling Reagan’s paranoia. Someone is after her. The police think she is a suspect; she thinks someone is framing her. She can’t trust anyone.    When a deepfake video has images of her apartment, she freaks out. After she receives strange emails, the video, and has her bank accounts frozen, she knows she is next.    This dark web thriller is an interesting, suspenseful page-turner – a fusion of fact and fiction – that will evoke a fear of having too much personal information on the web – or any information. Too many are watching; too many people have access to your information – to you. It evokes paranoid tendencies in emails, in the web, in communications

  Four artists are exhibiting their artworks in the Galerie Sagot – Le Garrec by Nicolas Romand in the 6th arrondissement of Paris from 14 April to 27 May 2023. ‘Exhibition Insects’ includes prints and drawings by Nathalie Grall, Claire Illouz, Lanfanco Quadrio, and Mikio Watanabe.   Nathalie Grall (1961-) is a French artist and engraver who uses traditional techniques to create modern prints. She focuses on nature and landscapes with minute delicate details.    Claire Illouz (1955-) is a French artist. She mainly uses pencil to create realistic drawings, usually focusing on the human body and facial expressions. She also produces original hand-made ‘artist books.’    Lanfranco Quadrio (1966-) is an Italian artist and engraver living in Sicily. He uses mixed media, such as photography, digital images, and traditional techniques. His prints are often colourful and vibrant, as well as fine and detailed.   Mikio Watanabe (1954-) is a Japanese artist living in France since 1977, where