2023 - Issue 80
Showcasing artists and works that caught my attention.
Oh, the light! I got sucked into these atmospheric night-time paintings by Noah Beyene (@noahbeyene) because of their amber glow. But wait… what’s going on? An injured woman hobbles towards the safety of her home. Is someone waiting inside with a cuppa and a hug? An isolated man studies empty chairs. Is he longing for someone who just left, or drafting a party guest list? A sleeping couple has drifted apart, but their uncovered bodies imply it might simply be too hot for snuggles. These are isolating scenes but there’s something about the warm glow of an incandescent bulb that makes me question if they are truly lonely people, or people just momentarily alone.
‘Head First’ at Addis Fine Art (@addisfineart) until 30 Sep
Ab-Anbar, which opened in 2014 in Tehran, is the latest gallery to expand their presence with a permanent space in, you guessed it… Fitzrovia! Their housewarming show features many rostered artists and includes eighty-six works (86!) from a wide range of countries (Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Iran, Lebanon, USA), artistic mediums and eras. The oldest work is from 1980, although the majority are from the last decade and the artists most prominently featured are Iranian. I enjoyed seeing such a large variety from a country and culture that doesn’t get much exposure in the London art scene, and look forward to seeing how they utilise this large venue for future shows.
Katya Granova (@katyagranova) depicts real scenes, sourced from family or found photos, with so many expressive layers of paint in such a narrow palette that the figures become abstracted, almost ghostlike. There’s just enough bold outlines to ensure heads and limbs stand out from the chaos, but even then you’re rarely certain if what you think you’re seeing is actually happening or just an imagined action. I find her process fascinating because her intention is to examine identity, culture and ‘historical baggage’ yet she does so by obliterating her source material. Emotions that would have been obvious in the photos are now lost. I wonder if that enables the artist to honour the past or set herself free from it?
‘Voices from a Suitcase’ at Shtager & Shch (@shtager_shch) until 06 Oct
How do you feel being completely alone? The solitary, faceless figures by Jaeyeon Yoo (@studio_jaeyoo) made me contemplate isolation, and how deep introspection can sometimes lead to the most enlightening experiences. I once sat at the edge of the Grand Canyon just like ‘The Thinker on the Rock’, sitting in complete silence for half an hour, letting nothing but the wind interrupt my thoughts. It was spiritually therapeutic, but there were no blue wolves. In other works Yoo’s individuals interact with purple starfish or pillow-like apparitions, whimsical proxies for a type of love and connection that’s sometime’s only possible when we’re on our own.
‘Dream Weaving’ at Union (@union.gallery) until 21 Oct
Marina Abramović (@abramovicinstitute) may be the only performance artist I’m willing to spend any time watching, because she understood that to impart true, deep, impactful emotion in an audience she had to do more than just dance expressively or paint with her naked body. She pushed herself to physical limits far beyond what any individual would be willing to do. So much so that you can’t help but be amazed, appalled or maybe even apathetic. Whatever your reaction, it’s likely to be a strong one. She didn’t do things by half means… at least not until her late career mystical crystal journeys, which are a bit of a yawner. (Bathtubs filled with chamomile? Puh-lease!) The show is filled with documentary photos and videos of her work, along with some live re-creations that you can watch or even interact with. Be sure to check the schedules and go when there will be performances, although the artists (trained by the Marina Abramović Institute) have access to frequent breaks, a doctor, psychologist, nutritionist and all the other modern health & safety mandates everyone expects these days. “All the stuff I never had when I did it,” Abramović says. Keep that in mind when you watch and read about her early performance works.
Marina Abramović at Royal Academy (@royalacademyarts) until 01 Jan 2024
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
Subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter. (It’s FREE!)