2023 - Issue 70
Showcasing artists and works that caught my attention.
Polystyrene balls bathed in pigs blood. Colourful metal mesh pillows. Volcanic stoneware I was convinced was shreds of tires. Wheelbarrows flattened in a hydraulic car crusher. Those are just four of the forty works on display at the MASS Sculpture (@mass.sculpture) 2022/23 end of year exhibition that kept me lingering while the next works patiently waited for my review. I always enjoy the group shows at Thames-Side, far away but super swift to get to thanks to a short bus ride from Woolwich station on the Elizabeth line.
Featuring the work of:
Alex Hegazy @alex.snax
Belinda Worsley @belindaworsley
Carolyn Whittaker @carolynwhittakerj
Chuting Lee @leechuting
Clare Jarrett @clare_jarrett
Diana Wolzak @dianawolzak_artist
Eveleigh-Evans @eveleigh_evans
Karen Byrne @karenbyrnestudio
Sandy Layton @sandy_layton
Susan Young @susanyoungart
Tessa Garland @tessagarlandartist
Tina Culverhouse @tinaculverhousestudio
Vivien Delta @vivien.delta
…and many more!
'Postcards from the Volcano’ at Thames-Side Studios (@thamessidestudiosse18) until 08 July
Things to do when you’re naked: naps and mudbaths, straddling a cat and partying with a pack of wild dogs. Sounds like a pretty typical 3-day gals weekend when you’re in your 20s. Sharing moments of care and connectedness, Shailee Mehta (@shaileemehtaa) allows these women a calm contentment in scenes that a male painter would likely depict with wild abandon. If you came looking for an excuse to use the fire emoji 🔥 there’s also a painting of a burning mountain range.
‘Mudbath’ at Indigo+Madder (@indigoplusmadder) until 29 Jul
Jane Hayes Greenwood (@janehayesgr) mines personal experiences of motherhood and mourning by reimagining the female form as a literal vessel. The large paintings are based on a series of small ceramic explorations that I preferred over the larger works, which I found had a distracting uncanny valley effect, looking a bit like an unfinished 3D render when viewed up close. Despite my struggle with Greenwood’s distinct visual style, this is a conceptually brilliant and visually striking series of work.
‘A Little History’ at Castor (@castor_gallery) until 29 Jul
Disclaimer: I have two pieces by Kate Dunn (@bellissi.mama) in my private collection but I’m not so sure about these new works. I did, however, spend a lot of time studying them because there’s a lot going on. I specifically wanted to see if they were collage (they aren’t) or just a wild mix of patterns and perspectives each individually painted (they are). More chaotic than cubism with no single focal point, I walked away with the same emotion I get from painters like Robert Nava: full of admiration for the skill it takes to make, even if it doesn’t appeal to my personal taste.
‘Mid-morning in the Scriptorium’ at TJ Boulting (@tjboulting) until 05 Aug
There’s two shows to see in the gallery but I went straight to the basement for the rare opportunity to see a pair of Kaari Upson mattresses: a large king and small kid-sized kind. I wish I could tell you more about the rest of the shows but I’m so laser focussed in love with those Upson mattresses that my visit was like a cinematic scene where a halo of light appears above the object of the hero’s desire and everything else goes fuzzy while angelic voices start to sing. For a more detailed explanation of Upson and her mattresses you can read my Why I Like It write-up.
‘Cites’ at Josh Lilley (@joshlilleylondon) until 12 Aug
PLUS — don’t forget to check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.