2023 - Issue 76
Showcasing artists and works that caught my attention.
I’m a big fan of abstract, and I’ve been patiently waiting for Vigo to do a Bram Bogart (@brambogartfoundation) show. One of his works hangs in their office and is the best thing I’ve seen by them all year. Until now. Using a self-made blend of oil, glue, pigment, powdered chalk and water, Bogart’s sculptural paintings look like someone’s swiped the frosting layer off a cake and enlarged it to Godzilla size. These works are sixty years old but still look fresh enough to dip in a finger for a cheeky, sugary treat. (Warning: Bram Bogart paint is not safe to eat. Please view art responsibly.)
‘Ohain’ at Vigo (@vigogallery) until 08 Sep
Hauser & Wirth is aiming to raise over £1 million for Hospital Rooms (@_hospitalrooms), a charity with the mission to bring world class art and creative programming to mental health hospitals. To promote their annual auction they’ve installed a multi-sensory exhibition replicating some of the actual programs developed within NHS mental health services. There’s colourful cushions, silly lights and soothing stacks of pebbledash. This incredibly calm, creative, meditative space is a far cry from the cold, clinical, stark white environments most people probably envision when they hear the phrase “psychiatric ward”. It’s what Hospital Rooms aims to do, and has already been able to achieve through generous donations of time and funding.
‘Holding Space’ at Hauser & Wirth (@hauserwirth) until 12 Sep
Glance to your left as you walk in the gallery and a series of soft, sensual shapes might lure you into the office. They may be intertwined ladies bodies, but then you’ll notice the “feet”. If you find those anatomical anomalies a bit too weird, you should definitely stay out of the main room. There you’ll see what appears to be close-up anatomy overlaid by anatomical diagrams and the occasional hieroglyph. It’s a grungy, possibly scatalogical and definitely unsexy set of work that obliterates the emotions generated by the paintings in the office. The wild range makes me excited, and a wee bit wary, about what Dan He (@danhe6) will do next.
‘Her Vision’ at Lungley (@lungleygallery) until 16 Sep
There’s 2 kinds of PDA. One is the face-sucking, “get a room” type that makes everyone uncomfortable except for the two oblivious, mashed-together idiots. The other is lovingly displayed in a series of golden yellow paintings by Sola Olulode (@solaolulode). She’s perfectly articulated the PDA you see from two people so contentedly consumed by their love for each other that everyone around them feels like they’re being bathed by the rays of the sun. Beautifully set against sky blue walls covered with hand dyed silk, this couple clearly don’t care what they do as long as they get to do it together.
‘Burning, like the star that showed us to our love’ at Ed Cross (@edcrossfineart) until 16 Sep
PLUS — don’t forget to check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.