An exhibition of international artists working across painting, photography, drawing, film, installation, and sculpture from the 19th century to today has opened at Milton Keynes Gallery.
To Improvise A Mountain was curated by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and features works by artists as varied as Bas Jan Ader, Pierre Bonnard, Lisa Brice, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Samuel Fosso, Peter Hujar, Kahlil Joseph, Zoe Leonard, Glenn Ligon, Toyin Ojih Odutola, The Otolith Group, Jennifer Packer, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Walter Sickert, Édouard Vuillard, David Wojnarowicz, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.
The exhibition opened earlier this month and will be in place until January 29th 2026.
Yiadom-Boakye, said, “I’ve selected things that I love by dint of their poetry, their beauty, their refusal, their internal logic and, above all, their power. Each artist here invents the language they need, and there is magic in it.”
Curated by figurative painter Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, To Improvise a Mountain combines an eclectic range of historical and contemporary artists—including Yiadom-Boakye herself—illuminating her creative process. Coming to prominence in the early 2010s, Yiadom-Boakye is both an artist and a writer, renowned for her oil paintings of imagined subjects.
Works have been selected based on their personal impact on the artist. The exhibition invites audiences on her journey across different geographies and generations of artists.
To Improvise a Mountain interweaves artworks that explore themes of intensity, intimacy, refusal, identity, activism, and beauty, ranging from the visceral Post-Impressionism of Walter Sickert to the radical video essays of The Otolith Group.
This project is inspired by a phrase from Miles Davis’s song Inamorata (1971), which asks: “Who is this music that which description may never justify? / Can the ocean be described?” For Yiadom-Boakye, poetry is similar to painting in its ability to translate the intangible into images and to think through rhythm and feeling.
Yiadom-Boakye adds, “My deployment of words in writing is not always so different from my use of brush marks in painting. The logic, patterns, relationships, repetitions, and decisions are guided by intuition—the rightness and wrongness, the blatancies and subtleties—and that’s how I want to approach this show.”
Brian Cass, Senior Curator of Hayward Gallery Touring, said, “Lynette Yiadom-Boakye brings us on an imaginative journey of encounters with artworks that – like her remarkable paintings—conjure different moods, personalities, colours, and emotions. Her curation celebrates the imaginative spirit of the contributing artists, and the endless potential of art to bring new thinking and feeling into existence, continuing Hayward Gallery Touring’s long-standing history of partnering with artists on ambitious exhibitions that invite audiences inside their worlds.”
To Improvise a Mountain: Curated by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye is a Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition. The exhibition is developed in partnership with Leeds Art Gallery, MK Gallery, and Nottingham Castle, supporting the Southbank Centre’s ongoing mission to create experiences for the nation’s enjoyment.
Anthony Spira, Director, MK Gallery, added, “We are thrilled to present this remarkable exhibition, with such a varied and rich group of artists. It provides rare insight into the world of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, one of the most exciting artists working today, sharing her thoughts, conversations, and inspirations in a display that is captivating, challenging, and powerful.”
Milton Keynes City Council have invited the local community to attend its annual free Archaeology Day at Church of Christ the Cornerstone in the city centre on 1 November.
History enthusiasts and anyone with an interest in archaeology are welcome to visit the event and learn about the fascinating archaeological heritage of Milton Keynes and beyond. The day features hands-on-activities and displays in the morning (Ages 8+), and in the afternoon talks on finds from developments (Ages 12+), including the discovery of a Roman mosaic in Olney, excavations on MK East, and a special guest presentation on the extensive excavations across Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire ahead of the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet road scheme.
Participants will have the opportunity to explore fascinating artifacts, learn about ancient civilisations and engage with experts passionate about unearthing secrets of the past.
Entry is completely free and families are encouraged to come along for a fun day of learning and activities. Displays and activities will run from 10am to 12:30pm, including the MK East Pop-Up Museum and hands-on archaeology activity hosted by Pre-Construct Archaeology and RPS. Visitors can also explore engaging exhibits from Milton Keynes Heritage Association, BAS Active Archaeology Group, UNAS, CLASP and local metal detectorists.
The rest of the programme includes:
- 1pm: Buildings, Baths and a Mosaic: A Glimpse into a Roman Settlement at Olney – John Boothroyd, Oxford Archaeology
- 1:50pm: Cups, Coins, and Cows: Unravelling the late Iron Age at MK East – Mark Hinman, Judy Mlynarska & Jenn Hulse, Pre-Construct Archaeology
- 2:40pm: A Farmer’s Life Along the A428: Revealing Bedfordshire & Cambridgeshire’s Ancient Settlements – Sanda Vucicic, Museum of London Archaeology
Cabinet Member for Planning and Placemaking, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, said, “Archaeology Day is a fantastic opportunity for residents of all ages to connect with the rich history beneath our feet. We encourage everyone to come along, explore the displays, take part in the activities and discover the fascinating stories that shape our local heritage.”
Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious road traffic collision in Milton Keynes.
The incident happened at around 10.45pm on Friday (24/10) on Ardwell Lane in the Greenleys area of the city.
During the incident, the victim, a boy in his early teens, was struck by a man riding a Surron electric bike . The rider of the Surron electric bike who was involved in the collision failed to stop at the scene.
The victim suffered serious injuries and required hospital treatment where he still remains.
The offender was wearing a grey tracksuit and black balaclava at the time of the incident.
Investigating officer, PC Adam Stevens, said, “We are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the collision.
“If you were driving around this area during this time or after and may have dash cam footage, please contact us. If you live locally and have video doorbell or CCTV footage, please come forward.
“If you have any information or footage, please make a report online or by calling 101, quoting reference 43250544527.
“Alternatively, for 100% anonymity, you can also call the independent charity, Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111 or report via its website.”
Red Bull saw Max Verstappen take a third place finish at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
A busy race for Verstappen saw him eventually come through to take third from fifth on the grid, although he was denied a chance to take second off Charles Leclerc in the final stages due to a virtual safety car.
Meanwhile, teammate Yuki Tsunoda missed out on points thanks in part to a slow pit-stop, with the Japanese driver finishing 11th.
On a weekend that saw Lando Norris take the championship lead, Verstappen is now 35 points off the lead of the F1 Driver’s Championship in his pursuit of a 5th straight title. The Dutchman has 321 points, with leader Norris up to 357 and previous championship leader Oscar Piastri narrowly behind Norris on 356.
With Tsunoda unable to add to his 28 points, he sits 17th in the championship.
In the Constructors Championship, Red Bull remain in a close fight with Mercedes and Ferrari for the runner-up spot behind the already crowned champions McLaren. The Milton Keynes-based team have 346 points with 4 races and 1 sprint left in the 2025 season, with the team 9 points behind Mercedes and 10 behind second-place Ferrari.
Red Bull had arrived into the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend with Verstappen in form, having won 3 of the previous 4 races and taking a second place finish in the other. But although the Dutchman had previously won 5 times in Mexico City, the Red Bull didn’t seem as comfortable in qualifying, with the Verstappen starting 5th.
A melee of a start saw Verstappen overshoot turn 1 after getting beached on a curb while trying to pass the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, with Leclerc also going off track.
Verstappen reverted back to 4th position, but by lap 6 he made an attempt to pass Hamilton. The two bumped wheels into the opening series of corners before both cars locked up going into turn 4. Hamilton left the track and his re-join earned him a time penalty, while Verstappen wound up getting passed by the Haas of Ollie Bearman in the process of navigating the following turns.
On a counter-strategy where he began with medium tyres while most of the field began on softs, Verstappen went further than the rest before pitting, with the Red Bull passing Hamilton a few laps later.
With uncertainty over whether the race was a one or two stop, the 4 cars immediately ahead of Verstappen chose to pit for a second time to get fresh soft tyres for the final stint of the race. Verstappen however chose to stay on the tyres he was on, and the Dutchman soon found extra pace in clear air.
That pace saw Verstappen catch up with Leclerc, whose medium tyres had faded in the final stages of the race and meant that, by the final laps of the race, Verstappen had got to within DRS range. However, before he could try and make an overtaken, the virtual safety car was deployed after Carlos Sainz crashed his Williams in the final sector. Although the green flag would resume for the final part of the final lap, it wasn’t enough for Verstappen to try to make his move.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda initially made a bright start from 10th on the grid, with the Red Bull running in 8th for a while ahead of slow-starting Piastri. The McLaren would eventually get back past the Red Bull, but Tsunoda had been running in the lower points in the opening phase.
However, the Japanese driver had trouble at his pit-stop. When Tsunoda made his stop, a problem with the rear jack saw his stop last well over 10 seconds, dropping him further back. Tsunoda stayed on a one-stop in attempts to recover a point, but he was unable to catch up with Gabriel Bortoleto as the Sauber took the final point, with Tsunoda finishing 11th just over 2 seconds behind the Brazilian.
Red Bull will now recharge before the next F1 race, which takes place in Sao Paolo in Brazil. The race will be a sprint weekend, with the third-distance sprint taking place on November 8th and the full distance race on November 9th.
Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was racially abused and assaulted on a train between London and Milton Keynes.
The incident happened between 6pm and 7pm on Tuesday 7 October in the first-class section of an Avanti West Coast train travelling from London Euston to Wolverhampton.
During the incident, a woman racially abused a man before the victim was later grabbed by the neck by another man who was on the train.
Both the man and the woman got off of the train at Milton Keynes Central.
British Transport Police are appealing for anyone who overheard the incident, or saw either the woman or the man involved.
They can do so by contacting BTP by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 671 of 7 October. People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
