‘If you can’t tell a story with your art, we don’t feel there’s any point in doing it,’ say The Singh Twins, Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh MBEs. It’s a bold statement, but then the Twins make bold art. The stories they tell are as richly layered as their practice, examining empire and colonialism, mythology and symbolism, consumerism and environmentalism. Corinne Julius’s interview with the Twins is a fascinating read, and their exhibition at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is well worth a visit. It’s open until 12 April.

Also showing this spring is a major retrospective of the work of Gwen John at National Museum Cardiff, celebrating the 150th birthday of a wonderful artist whose work has gained increasing recognition in recent years. We were delighted to have the opportunity to meet Fiona McLees, the conservator who prepared John’s works on paper for the exhibition. In our interview on page 28, Fiona gives us a tantalising glimpse into her craft and the discoveries she’s made about John’s life while handling the artist’s works. Clues lie not just in John’s choice of materials but in the subjects she chose to paint, and the fingerprints – and paw prints – still there, on the paper.

Behind the scenes here at The Arts Society Magazine, a new team has worked together to bring this issue to press. I’d like to express my sincere thanks to our long-standing editor, Sue Herdman, who has steered the magazine so skilfully for the past eight years and made it the compelling and vibrant publication it is today. Sue has recently moved into a new role as our editor-at-large, and I will look forward to working with her on future issues alongside our new contributing editor, Isabella Smith.

Emily Rodway, Editor