2024 - Issue 105
A church, a library, three galleries and the Guildhall. The range of venues is just as wide as the art!
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Communal spaces can be awkward places to see and display art, but there’s a nice synergy when the art is just as awkward as you’ll feel leaning over someone as they work on their laptop so you can look at the walls. Why not ask them what they think? This 12-artist group show in Lea Bridge Library provides plenty of opportunity for you to strike up new friendships as you wonder together whether or not that thing that looks like an ice cube tray is made out of plywood or foam. (It’s foam.) Top tip: arrive before the end of the school day so you’ll have a calmer, quieter time to examine the art and enjoy their fab little cafe.
Curated by @emmalilly__ and @jjmorganartist
‘Snag’ at Terrace Gallery (@terrace_gallery) until 04 May
📍Pop-up venue: Lea Bridge Library, London E10 7HU
If you haven’t yet been to the new Castor venue, located in a Grade II listed church in Islington, then you’re in for a treat. The sympathetic renovation calls attention to many original church details, but cleverly keeps them out of the sightlines from the two gallery spaces. In other words, God won’t be competing with the art unless artists like Fabian Ramírez (@fabian_ramz) decide to do that in their work. His show addresses religion and missionary attempts to convert indigenous peoples but I was far more interested in his materiality, which mixes encaustic wax on board with paint and ceramics.
‘Firing of the Idols’ at Castor Gallery (@castor_gallery) until 18 May
I fell in love with these dark and spooky dioramas from Hazel Brill (@hazel_brill). They’re definitely not an appropriate night-light for a nursery unless your surname is Addams. Some have features that include bubbling water and moving parts, and they all create mysterious amber shadows that draw you close to examine the meticulous details to be found both inside and out. I want them all!
‘Amber’ at Workplace (@_workplace_) until 25 May
Half of the works by LR Vandy (@lrvandy) look like heads of wind-blown hair. Is that Shiela? Actually, it’s The Twist. They’re all named after dances and it’s fascinating how weathered old rope can look so vibrant and alive. Along the walls is a series of model sailing hulls that might be masks, but I think they look like seasick boats undergoing acupuncture. All the works are informed by culture and gender but their strength lies in the way the forms inspire you to see much more than their material.
‘Twist’ at October Gallery (@OctoberGallerylondon) until 25 May
Dolls alive, people at rest and faces in clay. The three artists in this show have incredibly different approaches to ‘portrait’ making, and they’re all incredibly engaging. Two new works from Emerson Pullman (@emerson.artist) show an exciting evolution in his style. Three oil on wood panel paintings by Liorah Tchiprout (@tchiprout) continue her use of accentuated brush strokes. And there’s a large a selection of videos and ceramics from William Cobbing (@william.cobbing), including a few hybrid works that combine the two mediums.
‘The Darling of Reflection’ at Sid Motion Gallery (@sidmotiongallery) until 25 May
There’s three ways you can enjoy this show of 150 artworks by Anne Desmet (@anne_desmet). Like me, you might slowly work your way through them all. I started by being mesmerised by the large kaleidoscopic patterns and how she uses razor-clams as a canvas. Then I got sidetracked trying to figure out which London landmark details had been referenced and re-used across multiple works. Finally I spent a lot of time studying the vitrines and the 6-minute video that explains how she does it all, mostly using a working printing press from 1859! Whether you’re fascinated by process or just want to get lost in trippy visuals, this show has something for everyone.
‘Kaleidoscope London’ at Guildhall Art Gallery (@guildhallartlondon) until 12 Jan, 2025. (Yes, it was extended!)
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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