This website places cookies on your computer to improve your experience. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more details, see our cookie policy.
After experiencing the Golden Toilet fiasco in New York and observing how much pleasure it gave Adam Linderman and Jerry Saltz, I was pleased to get back to serious old London, where there were amazing shows awaiting me… albeit a little devoid of humour
First was a lovely talk between Pamela Crystal and Chen G Schimmel, discussing Chen’s highly emotive subject. In ‘God's Rays and Buckets, Be'eri’ 2023, she captures the volunteers who collect human remains and fragments for the families to lay to rest. It is an important job in the community and are well respected, Chen’s father is one of these volunteers. They work in complete silence and gather from time to time to hug and pray
At Emalin we saw the work of Ghanian artist Jonathan Okoronkwo ‘Ask Not What We Were Made For,’ a title taken from Rudyard Kipling’s ‘The Secret Of Machines’ here is a detail showing disassembled motor parts on discarded wood. The image is almost burnt into the wood, rendered in old engine oil, the scent in the room is quite alien to the clean white space of a gallery
We bumped into Eugenio and Olga who were treating themselves to some east end visits on his birthday
At Emalin’s second Space we visited Tolis Astahishvili’s sensitive show. I had seen her work on my trip to Tbilisi. The Clark’s House is such an atmospheric old building, she had really built on that, with some unusual, reassembled objects lying strategically around to give an uneasy and inquisitive sense of curiosity
Even the strange white dramatic toilet became a setting for her art works
In one corner in the office were a combination of Tolis father’s collages made throughout the years. He was not an artist, the collages seem to have became an obsessive surrealist hobby
What a highlight to be at Maureen Paley and to see such a wonderful show by Wolfgang Tillmans - we were enchanted by this dripping window - so many layers and colours and an abstract tension
Great picture of Tracey’s Aunty Sandra
Onwards - and what an engrossing work by Issy Wood at Carlos/Ishikawa - so happy to see such a lovely example of her mastery
We visited a pop up in Poultry where curator Paola Lucente gave us an introduction and showed us many artists including Flora Bradwell and Ludovica Gioscia
We liked very much the work by Farnaz Gholami
A fun moment was visiting Florian Krewer’s ‘Cruel The Night Café’ where paintings and works on paper were placed in an abandoned pub by The Perimeter. Florian creates paintings from obsession fantasy and desire
I found the curating to be almost sympathetic with the surroundings allowing me to view more than usual on each painting taking in the rawness and rough subject matter
At Tramps Micawber Street I was excited to view - after so long - the work of Hope Atherton, an artist I have admired since the early 2000’s. Her painting was ethereal and mesmerising using a wispy monochrome palette to create what seemed like reflections in water at dusk - but the viewer is left to interpret. Perhaps she has been looking at Spirit photography of the late 19th Century
Over at McGlynn’s Staff Accommodation we visit the work of Iranian painter Behrang Karimi - this painting called ‘Bacchus madness’. We visit a span of five years where he is dealing with his emotions during Lock Down. The works expressed his feelings of loneliness and his love of history throughout the exhibition
Across town was a lovely discovery at Sprueth Magers - Keith Arnatt ‘Absence of the Artist’ 1968
A show of over a hundred conceptual photographs curated by Nana Bahlmann was more like a museum exhibition than a gallery show - the exhibition unfolds a range of thematic clusters
Then of course Eva Helene Pade at Thadeus Ropac
I had the pleasure of visiting the works of Diane Arbus at David Zwirner. I had not realised how strong and poignant these works were and how they make a mark in art history. I was totally in admiration of them
We stopped in at Luxe Feminae and here we are – in front of work by Adrian Schachter and Grace Weaver
At Victoria Miro contemporary painting showing captured a sense of realism and narrative. The show was strong and straight forward. This was my favourite work by Tidawhitney Lek, a Cambodian-American artist based in Southern California
At Pilar Corrias Tala Madani’s epic show ‘Daughter B.W.A.S.M’ was showstopping. By far one of the most entertaining shows in London - full of narrative, shit, motherhood, art history and futurism
At Pushkin House was Jitish Kalat’s ‘Cosmic Calls’ - a look at the soviet attempt to land on the moon exploring themes of statelessness and identity
Even drawings of music in space on the ceilings
At the Swedenborg Society we saw this work by Tessa Farmer ‘Welcome to Fairyland’ it had been a long time since I had seen their work called ‘Cocoon’
You know when the world is saturated when there are throw outs in the street!
The last show was a show of about the extinction of birds and bugs by Oswaldo Maciá at Elizabeth Xi Bauer. I love the subject of ecology and wish to investigate further in this collection
The highlight in London and must see is Wayne McGregor ‘On the Other Earth’. A digital cylinder where we experience feeling and movement through a group of highly skilled professional dancers performing for us in digital 3D
It was moving and I was spell bound by the beauty and intensity. The hour went very fast admiring the skilled dancing, choreography and the technology, I was exposed to the best of the best
Oh and I forgot to say - I dropped by Finland for a couple of nights and was overjoyed to see the sight specific work of Makiko Furuichi - finally! Here it is installed in front of Keith Tyson studio wall triptych
The work of Jean Marie Appriou made in our little kiln during a short visit he made to Sarvisalo
Even in the freezing cold streets of Helsinki there is art to be found - such as young ceramist Joanna Hamberg
