2023 - Issue 52
Showcasing artists and works that caught my attention.
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Sometimes 3 shows is all you need. Especially when they combine to bring you painting and sculpture from 125 artists. Yes, 125!
Things you see staring out the train window as you leave central London:
graffiti
loft extensions
trampolines. Why so many trampolines?
a giant pink bear head
Wait. What?!
The third edition of the Winter Sculpture Park arrived this past weekend and once again Gallery No.32 have brought art, joy and a lot of WTF moments to four acres of disused farmland in Bexley.
There are giant Whoopie Cushions by Danny Young (@danyoungsculpture). Fuzzy chairs by Darcey Fleming (@darceyfleming_) that look like they might run away before you can sit on them. And if you properly study all the details in The Come Down by Alexander Brain (@alexanderbrainart) you’ll realise just how fortunate you are to be standing in a field looking at art. Those are just three of many great works in the “playground” part of the park, but be sure to stretch your legs in the outer field where larger works are spaced far enough apart to give breathing room to each.
Be sure to get close. All the works have details you’d never have expected when you first saw them from the train (if that’s how you arrived). Some works that drew my focus include 21 DOORS by Sing a Song on the Ground Collective (@singasongontheground), the carved wood windmills by Jamie Temple (@templeprints), ‘No Frills..’ by Erika Trotzig (@erika_trotzig) which looks like a Shoji screen for small shy dogs and the human Slinky by Alex Lidagovsky (@alexlidagovsky).
There are so many that I want to list that it’d be easier just to point you to the website, but it’s a lot more fun to go see them in person and find your own favourites.
Until 29 April at Manor Way, Bexley DA5 3QG
Visit the Official Website and follow @gallery_no.32 on Instagram for more info
Multi-layered watercolours by Juliette Losq (@Juliette_Losq) show crumbling structures being reclaimed by an aggressively leafy Mother Nature. Water often features in her works, and if you look closely these appear to be entirely submerged in an aquarium. In stark contrast are the most tenderly detailed bronze casts of flowers by Michael Boffey (@Michael_Boffey), painted the colour of decades-dry mud. You’ll want to get right up close to see the details, but they look like they might crumble to dust at the slightest breath. They won’t, but you can breathe a sigh of relief in front of the silky smooth abstracts by Richard Stone (@artist_stone). Three very different styles of work that sit exquisitely together.
‘Transience’ at James Freeman Gallery (@jamesfreemangallery) until 04 Mar
Abstract art? You really, and I mean really, gotta capital-L Love it if you’re going to find this show to be anything other than exhausting. Without faces or landacapes or even a trace of a pattern, there’s just way too much work that far too quickly starts to seem way too similar. Everything started to blur before I’d even hit the halfway mark, and I collect abstract art!
So here’s how LondonArtRoundup recommends you navigate this show:
Be bold. Don’t hesitate to swipe left on the ones you don’t like the looks of. There’s 150 paintings from 81 international women artists. Trust me, you will find some for you.
Look for old favourites and artists you know. Spend some time catching up. Do you notice anything new?
Pick 2-3 names you don’t recognise and study them closely. What drew you to their works? What do you see? Do you still like them after 5 minutes?
Keep a list of everything you liked and why. Note the colours and textures and the materials used to make them. Once you’re done, study the list. Are there patterns to your preferences?
If you make it through to the end, reward yourself with a hot drink and a sweet treat in the cafe!
‘Action, Gesture, Paint: Women Artists and Global Abstraction 1940–70’ at Whitechapel Gallery (@WhitechapelGallery) until 07 May
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.