Hope you all had a great Easter weekend. I may have eaten one (possibly two) too many Easter eggs and I was largely housebound due to a bout of flu - probably my body’s way of telling me I needed to slow down.
On to brighter news that includes:
Reviews of my travels abroad for the inaugural Malta Biennale and Collecion Solo in Madrid
An invite to Somerset House this weekend for games festival Now Play This
And a selection of sci-fi I’ve been enjoying lately
Read on for all of that plus more…
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.
I’ve chosen my top exhibitions to visit in April for Londonist - from Caravaggio to Antony Gormley. Have a read and and let me know which one’s you’re most looking forward to.
I’ve reviewed the Malta Biennale for FAD and I mostly enjoyed it - throw in a chance to explore the country’s history and architecture and we’re on to a winner.
In my second review from abroad I’ve also written about the exhibition at Coleccion Solo in Madrid - also for FAD.
My third and final piece for FAD this week is my usual top 5 with a selection of exhibitions on subjects ranging from fire to ice, and best hurry as they all close soon.
Plus, catch up on editions of my bonus newsletter for paid subscribers, including:
The giant Damien Hirst sculpture on Greenwich Peninsula (pictured above).
Reframing art: some highlights from a new exhibition of contemporary Black artists
An interview with LEGO brick artist Nathan Sawaya
Entangled Art: Contemporary art collides with colonialism
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’ll be starting at Somerset House for the games festival Now Play This. It’s invite only but I do have a plus one - let me know if you’d like to join. After that I’ll be heading into Bloomsbury / Soho to see some more galleries. 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.
The Wider Arts
Here are my top picks of culture that may be enjoyed from the comfort of your home.
SCI-FI NOVELS: I've read a lot of Stephen King books and The Institute is one of his most gripping reads. It has some great characters and revolves around a conspiracy of kidnapping children with psychic powers. It's up there with some of his most famous works. I also loved The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler - a beautifully written philosophical science fiction read about the evolution of octopuses, as they start to communicate with humans. It's set in a hyper-capitalist world where environmental destruction has accelerated and I loved every chapter. The links go through to my online bookshop and you can follow me on Goodreads here.
VIOLENT ACTION FILMS: If you like your violence gory and completely over the top then Sisu is for you as a Finnish war veteran takes on a group of Nazis towards the end of World War II and brutally slaughters them all. On Now TV. Also involving brutally killing Nazis, Blood and Gold (Netflix) finds a Nazi deserter and farmer’s daughter taking on a platoon towards the end of the war. Both films have serious Tarantino vibes. If you want a bit more brutality then I also recommend The Beekeeper where Jason Statham lets his martial arts do the talking in a no nonsense revenge movie (Now TV) and Road House is enjoyable nonsense with Jake Gyllenhaal taking the lead in the reboot (Prime).
DOCUMENTARY: Waiting for Lightning follows skateboarder Danny Way and his attempt to jump over the Great Wall of China on a skateboard. It’s a remarkable insight into how he came to this point and there are some seriously wince-inducing moments. On Prime Video.
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.
COMMUNICATING WITH ANIMALS: The animals are talking but what does it mean? New York Times investigates in a 22 minute read and The Atlantic looks at how first contact with whale civilization could unfold (14 minutes). Science shows us that farm animals are nowhere near as dumb as they’re made out to be and in a tragic case of miscommunication a man was best friends with a warthog until it turned on him (17 minutes via Texas Monthly).
EATING OUT: With one of the world’s top restaurants, Noma, closing soon - Taste asks who deserves to eat there (13 minute read), and over in Arkansas Longreads looks at one woman honouring Palestinian culinary traditions (18 minutes). Taking a global perspective, Tasting Table looks at 20 different types of pizzas from around the world (11 minutes). When it comes to service, CNBC tells us when it’s ok to send food back at a restaurant (3 minutes) and Bon Appetit shows us how to send it back without annoying your waiter (7 minutes).
SPORTS: Sports Illustrated takes us into the wild story of how an Indian villager created and broadcast a rigged cricket league to rip off online betters and if you want to buy a professional sports team, this is how you do it according to GQ (31 minute read). If you’ve ever wondered why a baseball game is nine innings, then Mental Floss has the answer (3 minutes).