This week has been all about catching up on London’s busy art scene as well as writing up everything I saw in Venice - both are works in progress. I’m also off to Basel for a few days this week but will be back in time for my usual weekend gallery rounds.
In this week’s newsletter:
Part I to my guide to the Venice Biennale has been published,
In more Biennale news I spoke to camera about Israel electing not to open its pavilion,
Londonist has published its top 20 articles of the last 20 years, and
Come join us as Londonist celebrates turning 20 with a party.
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.
My piece for Elephant on the advantages of having artist parents is a balanced long read that I’ve been working on for several months, so it’s great to see it go live. I hope you enjoy reading it.
FAD has published part I of my guide to the Venice Biennale that covers the two main sites of the event. Look out for part II where I’ll be covering everything else across Venice.
I spoke to camera about the Venice Biennale and the big news that Israel decided not to open its pavilion until there is a ceasefire and the hostages are released.
Given art is just a small part of Londonist’s output I was pleasantly surprised to see one of my articles at number 11 in the top 20 most read Londonist articles of all time.
Plus, catch up on editions of my new bonus newsletter for paid subscribers, including:
The power of public art in Canary Wharf - an interview with curator Lowri Harries (pictured with me above).
The man behind the steel sculpture outside Liverpool Street station
Feminist Photography: Highlights from a free exhibition at South London Gallery
Signing up as a paid subscriber gives you full access to the archives, unlocking all of the past paid newsletters - plus it helps support this regular Monday newsletter and keep it free, so it’s much appreciated. 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 aren't fixed yet, but I’m planning to visit Yinka Shonibare’s exhibition at Serpentine galleries and sticking with West London that day. 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 4 May, 10.30am-5pm, free.
Londonist is turning 20 and to celebrate we’re having a party and you’re all invited. It’s ticketed and that includes two drinks, plus a chance to meet the wonderful team behind Londonist. Wednesday 12 June, £15.
The Wider Arts
Here are my top picks of culture that may be enjoyed from the comfort of your home.
CHILDREN’S ART BOOK: This Book will make you an Artist by Ruth Millington is a brilliant book on how to get children engaged in creating art in the styles of many of history's greatest artists. I’m also a big fan of her book Muse that looks back through art history’s muses. The links go through to my online bookshop and you can follow me on Goodreads here.
DYSTOPIAN SCI-FI: Alice in Borderland is a Japanese series with the great concept of people forced into playing deadly games where others must be sacrificed or killed to win. The second season may not be as strong as the first but it does offer a conclusion and the fascinating idea behind the series kept me gripped. If you’re looking for a movie then Code 8 and Code 8: Part II are ambitious in their world building even if the plot is fairly formulaic. All on Netflix.
FUN FILM: Polite Society is a fun mash-up of family drama and martial arts with a dash of Bollywood - as a teenager tries to prevent her sister giving up on her artist dreams and getting married. It doesn’t always hold together but makes up for it with pure enthusiasm. On Now TV.
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.
VACCINES & MEDICATION: In a worrying read ProPublica reveals how a big Pharma company stalled a potentially life-saving vaccine in pursuit of bigger profits (16 minute read). Switching to positive vaccine news Vanity Fair offers a deep dive into Operation Warp Speed and the development of the COVID-19 vaccine (30 minutes) and CNN asks what the outcome was for the man who deliberately got 217 COVID vaccinations. Vox looks into a new vaccine for TB (8 minutes), Wired reports that the first steps have been taken in the quest for a universal flu vaccine (9 minutes) and Time looks at the risks of long flu (3 minutes). Switching to pills Scientific American asks how much vitamin D do you need to stay healthy (19 minutes) and if we know it’s a placebo then why does it still work, asks Wired (7 minutes).
COMPUTING: BBC Future shows us the subtle ways that Microsoft Word has changed the way we use language (9 minutes) and in ‘memory machines’, The Dial takes us inside the data centres proliferating across Ireland (9 minutes), and the Verge looks back on 20 years of Gmail. So much for ‘learn to code’ says The Atlantic (5 minutes), after that was initially touted as the way forward for education, and Popular Science shows us how to check if your computer is slowing down over time (4 minutes).
FERTILITY: Age 35 Isn’t a Fertility Cliff. Why Do We Think It Is? Asks Slate in an 8 minute read and The Walrus sets out why women hate the pill (18 minutes). The New Yorker looks ahead to assess what the future of fertility will be (29 minutes).
There's SO much to read in today's post - love it! At first glance, the article about having artists as parents rang true: my dad was a physician, my oldest sister was the same (she's now a Paris-Cordon Bleu trained pastry chef, same fine motor skills), my dad made furniture and painted a bit, his dad was a carpenter, and I'm the artist in the family married to man who designs and makes furniture. Also, my parents took us to world fairs to expose us to the best the art world had to offer at the time and at age 10, I was up close and personal with Michelangelo's Pieta at the Montreal World's Fair. They (my parents) also took us to every historical site and museum in our path for summer vacation. Nature vs Nurture would have a field day! Thanks for such great reading material. I look forward to reading more throughout the day.