2024 - Issue 130

Roundup
Written By Darren

Showcasing artists and works that caught my attention last week. Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter to find out what didn’t make the cut.

It looks like non-reflective matte glass but Dillwyn Smith (@dillwynsmith) stitches semi-sheer fabric into simple abstracts that are transformed into complex patterns by the struts of the frame lurking behind the transparency. Even knowing the trick I kept thinking these were stained glass, and I can’t decide which hang is more effective: against a wall or floating so you can see both sides. There’s a few of each to let you compare, including one hanging inside a secret time capsule room that this brand new Cork Street gallery decided to leave as they’d found it.

‘In Praise of Love’ at Kearsey & Gold (@kearsey.gold) — until 10 Nov

These scenes that look like stills from a Netflix Scandi-Noir Horror series would be disturbing even if they weren’t life-sized, but the giant scale and dim gallery lighting certainly enhances the chill factor. These are the kinds of paintings that inspire storytellers and keep therapists in business. They’re influenced by trips Ken Currie (@kencurrie1) made to the Outer Hebrides, but I don’t expect the Scottish tourism board will be frantically bidding to license them for their adverts.

‘The Crossing’ at Flowers (@flowersgallery) until 16 Nov

“As I've got older, I've started to appreciate how important laughter is, no matter how stupid the thing we're laughing at.” — Alma Singer (@almasingerart)

That quote, along with the title, is pretty much all you need to know before going to see this show. Just go and have a laugh. Art is allowed to be fun, and these works were made to intentionally trigger your giggle. To those who scoff at silly art: Four hours prior to the PV they were almost all sold!

‘Not Big or Clever’ at Jealous Gallery (@jealous_london) until 23 Nov

Stephen Harwood (@stephenharwoodartist) has an uncanny knack of making the most ramshackle bits of East London look both ominous and inviting, thanks to the considered way he uses hypersaturated colours to call attention to details you’d probably skip in real life. This overdue solo is a welcome opportunity to see a wider range of his work, including some highly skilled pencil drawings and a few “green” paintings that celebrate nature’s persistence in the face of urban decay.

‘Future Ghosts’ at Benjamin Rhodes Arts (@benjaminrhodes_art) until 14 Dec

Koestler Arts (@koestlerarts) returns to the Southbank with their 17th exhibition of art created in criminal justice settings. This year’s show, co-curated by Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller (@jeremydeller) and former prisoner-turned-artist John Costi (@bapou_costi), features work selected from almost 7,500 entries. I always find it uplifting to see how the artists channel their energy and emotions and make incredibly creative use of what little materials they have access to, including playing cards, human hair, Jenga blocks and matchsticks.

‘No Comment’ at Southbank Centre (@southbankcentre) until 15 Dec

There’s something childlike and wondrous about these luxury clothes… as if a junior fashion programme had run out of paper and pencils and gave the students pallet wood and power tools instead. Abdulrazaq Awofeso (@abdulrazaqawofeso) is known for his repurposed wooden sculptures — an earlier bust can be seen in the office — but this show, complete with clothes on hangers and draped over an ironing board, feels like walking into a Minecraft version of a Bond Street boutique.

‘Akube Remix’ at Ed Cross Fine Art (@edcrossfineart) until 20 Dec

Honourable Mention Artworks

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I haven’t eaten McDonald’s in over twenty years, and thanks to Christopher Constable (@the _art_that_you_are) I definitely never will again. If the NHS gave one of these resin-encased hamburgers to everyone with a BMI over 25 they’d crack the obesity problem in under a decade. Seen at Espacio Gallery (@espaciogallery) as part of a recent Solar Collective 22 (@solarcollective22) group show.

PLUS…

Darren
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The Shadow (2024)