2023 - Issue 81
Showcasing artists and works that caught my attention.
If you’re quick, you can still catch a compact roster show of six artists representing the exotic locales of Brazil, Cameroon, China, Philippines and… Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. See if you can guess which is which, featuring the work of…
No Martins (@nomartins_)
Andrew Maughan (@andrewmaughan)
Marc Padeu (@marcpadeu)
Raphael Sagarra aka Finok (@finok)
Mo Shaolong (@moshaolong)
Rodel Tapaya (@rodeltapaya)
‘Autumn Salon Show’ at Jack Bell (@jackbellgallery) until 05 Oct
Here’s a chance to see, or maybe see again, some emerging artists who all received their art degrees in the last few years. I liked the curious sculptural contraptions from Euan Evans (@euan_evans_), thought the two abstract artists’ strongest works were circular (Kimberley Burrows @kimberleyburrowsart and Heiyi Tam @heiyitam) and enjoyed how the large paintings on washi paper by Elena Njoabuzia Onwochei-Garcia (@elananjoabuzia) were hung so you could see both front and back.
‘Addendum’ at No. 20 Arts (@no20arts) until 15 Oct
Last week I stumbled upon a new artist and a new gallery, although both are rather old. The gallery has been around for forty years, and the artist, Jeffery Camp, died in 2020 at the ripe old age of 97. Even art critics take a while to get round to seeing everything, but I thoroughly enjoyed meandering through the gallery’s oddly shaped, interconnected basement rooms that displayed Camp’s unusually framed imagery of London and the South Coast.
‘A Visionary’ at Art Space Gallery (@art_space_gallery_london) until 20 Oct
A series of earthly coloured works, many with bold organic shapes, have emerged from a pilgrimage that five artists made to Derek Jarman’s garden, a surprisingly colourful oasis in the midst of a barren and inhospitable area of Romney Marsh in Dungeness, Kent. Jarman was an artist, avant-garde filmmaker, set designer, author, gay rights activist… and keen gardener. The home he built was where he spent the last years of his life (he passed away in 1994 of an AIDS-related illness) and it now hosts residencies for artists, academics, writers, film-makers and gardeners. Drop in and be sure to hear the whole story of how each of these artists were influenced by their experience. Featuring:
Camilla Bliss (@camilla_bliss)
Charlie Boothright (@charlie.boothright)
Xiaochi Dong (@xiaochi___)
Alfie Rouy (@alfie.rouy)
Nic Sanderson (@nic_sandersonn)
Billy Sassi (@billy_sassi)
‘Gardening on Borrowed Time’ at Studio West (@studio_west_gallery) until 20 Oct
Yinka Shonibare (@shonibarestudio) has created a series of layered works that got me fascinated with the idea that limited run prints can be created so that every numbered piece has something truly unique. In this case, swathes of batik fabric appear behind openings cut out of thick paper boards. Batik is a symbol of African identity and independence, and Shonibare uses it as a backdrop to his imagery of cowboys and royalty. A literal reminder of how African art and culture influences and underpins Western modernism.
‘Ritual Ecstasy of the Modern’ at Cristea Roberts (@cristearoberts) until 04 Nov
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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