2025 - Issue 138
Showcasing artists and works that caught my attention last week, including two conceptual shows, two unexpected venues and one institutional solo.
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Old and new works from Anna Woodward (@anna_s_woodward), Annie Trevorah (@annietrevorahsculptor) and Vilte Fuller (@viltefuller) fill out a former media agency warehouse in Borough. There’s a few stand-out solos, but as a trio the three artists sing in harmony and everything is elevated by the creative re-use of the setting. This is the kind of opportunistic show only London can do right now, thanks to a glut of empty office space courtesy of the post-COVID WFH economy.
Curated by Josephine May Bailey (@procrastinarting_)
‘At The Edge of All Things’ at 8 Vine Yard, SE1 1QL (@iagexhibitions) until 22 Feb
The clickbait title will only add to the annoyance of anyone unfamiliar with Matthias Groebel (@matthiasgroebel) that doesn’t read the show text. In short: the man made machines that made paintings, but since he “never believed in the concept of content” the works are reproductions of randomly selected television images. The reason you should see them isn’t for their “art” but the questions their existence raises. Can imagery truly be meaningless? If content is irrelevant then why so many skeletons? How convoluted does an artist’s approach need to be for someone to justify hanging art that’s not inherently aesthetically pleasing? (aka Why go to the effort to create a machine that doesn’t make pictures appealing enough for a wide audience to enjoy?)
‘Skull Fuck’ at Modern Art (@stuartshavemodernart) until 22 Feb
Ultra slow motion is a good effect to inspire awe and reverence, but the way Chino Moya (@chino_moya_) uses it to portray mysterious, shamanistic figures led me down a path of scrutiny and suspicion. Society’s post-truth struggle has made me overly cautious, but if the world continues to get sucked into certain rabbit holes then Moya’s futuristic vision might one day become reality. The accompanying 7 minute video presents a stark and disturbing prophecy for one potential impact of AI and technological automation.
‘Meta-Mythical Optimisation’ at Seventeen (@seventeengallery) until 01 Mar
In the current economy neither London’s artists nor galleries can make the rent, so an exhibition staged inside an AirBnB is poignant irony. The curators have done such a good job contextualising 17 works from 10 emerging artists that I assumed a few were a permanent feature of the generically modern rental. Half the fun is having a nosy round the 19th century converted church that houses the flat, but the few bold interventions provide a helpful reality check that no matter what challenges the market throws at them, London’s artists always find a way to make it work.
Presented by Project Space (@projectspace___) and Wari Art (@wari_shows)
‘*New* Cosy 1 bed home | Shoreditch | Long Stays’ at Flat 3, St James Court, 331 Bethnal Green Road, E2 6LJ until 09 Mar
Open Thursdays - Sundays, from 12 - 6pm
A cold read of the large vibrant works in the main gallery might prove confusing. Are these myriad faces emerging from or receding into a jungle of reeds? Two smaller works of shadowy figures framed in arches only deepen the mystery, but like a multi-part TV series you have to keep watching to uncover the clues. Across the road in the Fire Station gallery a series of small watercolours reveals what inspired Christina Kimeze (@itskimenze). Returning to the main gallery it’s hard not to get swept up by the freedom and motion she intended to convey. To best enjoy the show, avoid any spoilers before you go. You can read the explanation afterwards.
‘Between Wood and Wheel’ at South London Gallery (@southlondongallery) until 11 May
PLUS…
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