2023 - Issue 66
Showcasing artists and works that caught my attention.
Loneliness. It’s a silent killer as deadly as smoking. And yet… there’s just something so beguiling and romantic about the ramshackle outposts that Andrew McIntosh (@andrewmcintosh_mackie) isolates in the middle of the Scottish highlands. I don’t expect these dystopian operations will have anything higher than a 1-star TripAdvisor review, but I still want to go visit.
‘Dreamers’ at James Freeman Gallery (@jamesfreemangallery) until 10 June
Layers and layers and layers and layers and layers and layers of string. That’s how Perspicere (@PerspicereArtist) makes these. The current works have an old masters feel but are much quicker to make thanks to the absence of paint and some AI assistance to plot it all out. Some of these are hard to properly ‘see’ until you step quite far back in the gallery, but the up-close views are even more mesmerising. Don’t let your cat anywhere near these!
‘Bare Thread’ at BSMT Space (@bsmtspace) until 11 June
Mark Wallinger (@mark_wallinger_mark) has lost his marbles. No, wait, that’s not right. Mark Wallinger has dropped his marbles. Yes, that’s better: both technically correct and representative of the intentionality behind his new series of abstracts that leave much to chance. They’re created by ink covered marbles dropped onto paper. There’s also some videos and a mysteriously floating apple, as a nod towards two things that influenced the ideas: science (Newton) and religion (Eve). You’ll just have to trust me when I tell you there’s a method to his madness but like a lot of art, the end result is the much more interesting bit.
‘Motion Studies’ at Cedric Bardawil (@cedricbardawil) until 24 June
Standing inside this solo by Benjamin Slinger (@benjaminedwinslinger) feels like I’m on an away-day gone wrong, or possibly inside an ill-thought through escape room. The mostly one-room show uses Dungeons and Dragons and 1980s politics as the starting point for deadpan nostalgia and political commentary. Though what the message is intended to be is anyone’s guess.
‘Dungeon Inc.’ at Darren Flook (@darren_flook) until 08 July
At first I thought these Rhys Coren (@RhysCoren) works, with their trippy visuals and textured appearance, were made from cushioned rubber playground surface. The more I think about it, maybe someone should commission him to design one! I’d also like to see him span the roof terrace of Temple Tube, the Piccadilly crosswalks outside the RA, and if he has any spare material left the front steps of my building! Alas, for now you’ll have to settle for two dozen wall works, a few benches and a fab wall clock that would sell like hotcakes on Etsy.
‘Ripple’ at Seventeen (@SeventeenGallery) until 22 July
I was immediately drawn across the room by the rich colours in these abstracted figures and flowers by Andro Wekua. Once I got close I’d noticed so much subtle detail… such as the scratched out eyes and occasional elements of collage. I lingered in front of these for far longer than I’d intended, and I still don’t know why there’s no nose?
‘There’ at Sprüth Magers (@spruethmagers) until 29 July
Billy Fraser (@Billy_Fraser) takes yet another step towards global resin domination with a series of ‘shatterscapes’ that have been meticulously framed like carefully preserved antique glass that didn’t quite survive the installation process. These have been hung so you can see the cracks from every angle, and how they subtly change with varying light.
‘Shattered’ at Grove East (@grove.london) until 15 July
NB: By appointment only. DM, phone or e-mail to arrange a viewing.
PLUS — don’t forget to check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.