2023 - Issue 50
Showcasing artists and works that caught my attention.
Tender and subtle, the large works are filled with soft pastels seamlessly blending together, like the people they depict interacting in familiar, close-knit ways. A lone women wrapped in a blanket conveys safety and serenity. Contrast that with the smaller works filled with flames and a sense of peril. People fall. A snake rises. The dark reds are intense and uncomfortable. Despite the shared colour palette, Behrang Karimi conveys incredibly contrasting emotions seemingly based on canvas size. At least that’s how it seemed from the selection I saw hung in the gallery.
‘Dinge Weltweit’ at Maureen Paley (@maureenpaley) until 05 Mar
Hyegyeong Choi (@choiry_g) clearly understands that if you’re going to go weird, you’ve got to go all-in. Three headed poodle? Roly poly mermaid stuck in a cave? Giant phallic toadstools? Yes, yes and yes — and that’s just a fraction of the freaky you’ll see in one large work. Frequently accented by gooey globs of paint looking like drippy lickable frosting, these odes to indulgence will probably incur some cravings. They certainly made me hungry. Don’t miss these unapogetically fun works in one of the snazziest rooms in London. Check out that glossy black floor!
‘Food Coma’ at Carl Kostyal (@carl.kostyal) until 11 Mar
Are these washed out works Byzantine artefacts? Figures, poses and symbols frequently repeat. There’s an unmistakable influence of Klimt. One work reminds me of a Diego Rivera mural. Fantastical sculptures imply mythologies I’ve not yet learned. The details are elaborate and excessive, almost too much to take in at once. It probably all makes sense to artist duo TARWUK (@tarwuk) but I’ll have to go back again as I suspect there is much that I’ve missed.
‘Posadila sam kost u zimskom vrtu’ at White Cube (@whitecube) until 18 Mar
Watch the level of the wine in the glasses in these paintings by Tega Akpokona (@Tega.Akpokona). The lower it goes the trippier things get. I suspect that ghost cat slipped in a few hallucinogens, or maybe the white flowy robes simply indicate the after-life. Are the figures materialising or disappearing? The abundance of green, a colour frequently associated with refreshment and regeneration, might be a clue. But with work so incredibly soothing to stare at, maybe it doesn’t matter.
‘33 (Tega Akpokona)’ at PM/AM (@pm______am) until 21 MAR
‘Open Door’ was a 1970s BBC initiative that gave air-time to the people. Studios, facilities, crew and advice were all provided free of charge to anyone who had an idea for something to televise. Over 100 of the programmes are being shown alongside public access archival content from Bristol, Sheffield, Swindon and Milton Keynes. It’s You Tube from a time before YouTube. The clothes and hairstyles have dramatically changed, but much of the content addresses issues that are still being discussed today. Have a wander round the restored eighteenth century rooms, find a comfy sofa to sit on and grab a remote. You might be watching for a while.
‘People Make Television’ at Raven Row (@Raven__Row) until 26 Mar
Richard Smith strikes me as the kind of guy who probably would’ve solved a Rubik’s cube by peeling off the stickers. While his late 60s contemporaries were progressing Op-Art and experimenting with ways to make viewers perceive depth on a flat panel, Smith simply bent the frames. I say ‘simply’ but the execution is anything but. The interplay of multiple pieces provides dynamic shapes and strong shadows. Are these sculptures or paintings? And how did he manage to get such suede-like textures onto silky smooth canvas? If you go, be sure to browse through the lobby copy of “Richard Smith: Artworks 1954-2013” which shows just how elaborate these works would become later in his career.
‘Shaped Canvases (1966-72)’ at Hazlitt Holland-Hubert (@hazlitthollandhibbert) until 31 Mar
PLUS — don’t forget to check my What’s On page so you don’t miss any of the other great art shows closing soon.