I write this newsletter while still in Venice but I’ll be heading back to London soon, and I’m ready to go back to my own bed after an exhausting 11 days away.
I was in Milan first for art fair MiArt and I’ve written my two pieces on it with a top 5 booths for Elephant and an overall review of the fair for Stir - I’ll share my Venice pieces once they’re live.
In London news:
and summed up writing from The Critics’ Circle - where I’m a member.
In sadder news Mar Dixon, social media guru and creator of #MuseumSelfie Day has died, and there’s a lovely obituary to her on the Museums Association website. I hung out with Mar many times and she was a great personality and a lot of fun.
Thanks as always for keeping tabs on me, and have a great week ahead.
Tab’s World
My latest articles and events for your reading pleasure.
There are lots of great shows on and I’ve reviewed them all in my latest round-up for Londonist - the Biggest Exhibitions To See In London (And Beyond) This Spring.
Looking ahead I’ve also previewed May’s big shows to see in London for Londonist.
I’ve picked some great art-y reads to get you through this Spring and Summer for FAD - from books for children to Play-Doh portraits.
I’ve been on a trip to Milan to visit MiArt Fair, and I selected my top five booths for Elephant Magazine here.
As a member of the Critic’s Circle, I pull together a monthly round-up of writing and speaking from our members and the March edition is live.
Plus, catch up on editions of my new bonus newsletter for paid subscribers, including:
Why is there so much art by Canaletto (pictured above) in the UK?
Remembering Richard Serra - The Man Behind the Steel Sculpture Outside Liverpool Street Station
Feminist Photography: Highlights from a free exhibition at South London Gallery
What the Hirst? Even for Damien Hirst, this project was audacious…
Click below to see all the subscription options, and a big thank you to everybody who’s supporting the newsletter already - couldn’t do it without you!
Tab’s Weeks Ahead
Highlighting my top events for the weeks ahead. Let me know if you'd like to join me!
My Saturday plans will revolve around East London including a visit to the Apocalyptic Changes of State exhibition at BWG gallery. All are welcome to join me, just drop me a line (or DM me on Substack) and I'll share the full itinerary with you so you can drop in at any point throughout the day. Saturday 27 April, 11am-5pm.
The Wider Arts
Here are my top picks of culture that may be enjoyed from the comfort of your home.
BOOKS ABOUT LANGUAGE: English is such a convoluted language and The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson is a book that tells us how it came to be so. It's full of fun stories and fascinating insights on how the English language has evolved, told in Bill Bryson's usual humorous style. I’m a fan of Bryson’s books and also recommend A short history of nearly everything and The Road to Little Dribbling. Sticking with language and switching to fiction, Babel by RF Kuang contains some great concepts including the magical power of language and a great take on the destructive power of colonialism which makes for a unique fantasy novel, even if it takes a little while to get going. The links go through to my online bookshop and you can follow me on Goodreads here.
SUPERHEROES ON SCREEN: The Flash enjoys messing with alternate timelines and allowing other Batmans, including Michael Keaton, to re-appear as the caped crusader and The Marvels (on Disney+) has great chemistry between the female leads as they learn to work together. Both films have a lot of heart at their centre, and are also fun watches. If you prefer something animated then Invincible is back for a second season (Prime video) and it’s just as brutal, bloody and traumatic as the first season - plus there’s a good prequel in Atom Eve. In a related article if you’ve ever wondered why superheroes wear spandex, Inverse has the answer.
HISTORICAL DRAMAS: Son of Saul is an intense drama set in a concentration camp as the camera sticks closely to the protagonist throughout, so you only see what he sees and his intense expressions throughout this harrowing film. A quick warning, as you would expect, it’s an extremely distressing watch. On ITVX. In another intense watch Cillian Murphy is brilliant in Oppenheimer (Now TV) as the scientist leading The Manhattan Project and then the subsequent witch hunt that went after him.
Articles I’m Reading
Interesting stories that I recommend, largely from beyond the art world. If you fancy reading offline at another time, I recommend the app Pocket.
This is a selection of articles I found thought-provoking in one way or another; opinions expressed in the articles don’t necessarily reflect my own views or those of Londonist.
BUYING THINGS: Vox suggests Uber-style pricing is coming for everything - I sure hope not (11 minute read), and it also looks at why Diet Coke (9 minutes) and lattes got so expensive (9 minutes). The Atlantic sets out why it thinks self-checkout is a failed experiment (6 minutes). Apparently the best place for product reviews is Reddit (6 minutes) and Atlas Obscura looks back on the life and death of the American mall (7 minutes) - a pattern I’m seeing here in the UK as well.
UKRAINE: With the war continuing in Ukraine, The New Yorker asks the question can Ukraine still win? (19 minute read) and Time shows us how tech giants turned Ukraine into a giant AI war lab (19 minutes). Wired investigates why Teslas totalled in the US are reincarnated in Ukraine (11 minutes) and The Hustle looks at how Etsy is a financial lifeline for Ukraine’s artisans (8 minutes).
VIRTUAL WORLDS: VIrtual Reality goggles can lessen the pain of injections according to a 6 minute read on MIT technology review, IEEE Spectrum asks whether Augmented Reality glasses spawn a whole new social dynamic (3 minutes) and Wired looks at the danger of digitising everything (3 minutes).
So much to look at! Thanks for the great post. The work by Théo Massoulier is so fantastic. Safe travels back to London.