It’s been a week of rain, shine and lots of art as I catch plenty of exhibitions before art takes its traditional break in August when very few exhibitions will be opening. I was saddened to hear that Vitrine Gallery, which I admire, is closing its doors after 14 years and to learn of the death of phenomenal film artist Bill Viola.
This week I have:
An interview and profile of Bharti Kher who has an exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
A top 5 exhibitions where the installation is an important part of it.
An upcoming talk on Sunday
Rounding up the June articles from members of The Critic’s Circle
Thanks as always for keeping tabs on me, and have a great week ahead.
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Tab’s World
My latest articles and events for your reading pleasure.
I interviewed and wrote about Bharti Kher’s exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park for Artsy and it’s now live.
There’s feminism, flowers, peace, Colonialism and a church in my top 5 on FAD where all the shows have installation as a key part of the exhibition.
Plus, catch up on editions of my new bonus newsletter for paid subscribers, including:
My early July Diary of a London Art Critic
My late June Diary of a London Art Critic
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!
I’ve written a roundup of all the articles written by members of The Critic’s Circle in June, and I’m also a member of the Circle so it includes links to all my articles as well.
Tab’s Weeks Ahead
Highlighting my top events for the weeks ahead. Let me know if you'd like to join me!
I’ll be in conversation with Freya Tewelde at The Bomb Factory in Chelsea. Do join us if you can. Sunday 21 July, 11.30am.
I’m looking forward to From ArtCan with Love - the one-night-only ArtCan postcard fundraiser. All works are priced at £40 and it’s first come, first served. I’m a proud trustee of ArtCan and have produced a work to support the sale. Tuesday 23 July, 6-8pm, free - ticketed.
My Saturday plans aren't fixed yet, but let me know if you fancy joining me at some galleries on Saturday 27 July. 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. It’s looking like I’ll be in South London including a visit to the Joy Labinjo exhibition at Southwark Park Galleries.
The Wider Arts
Here are my top picks of culture that may be enjoyed from the comfort of your home. Paid subscribers have access to my full back catalogue of recommendations.
MONSTER MOVIES: Godzilla: Minus One does a great job of mixing the terrifying power of the monster with the stories of the Japanese people and former soldiers trying to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the Second World War. If you prefer your action movies less cerebral then Under Paris involves an oversized shark in the Seine in a gory, dumb but fun action movie. Both on Netflix.
HISTORY BOOK: The Crusades through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf is a fascinating look at the history, the battles, the backstabbing and the negotiating around the Crusades, but for once not seen from a Western lens and with all the focus on the Arab world. The links go through to my online bookshop and you can follow me on Goodreads here.
UPLIFTING FILM: Nyad is based on the true story of a 60 year old swimmer who swam from Cuba to Florida. Both Annette Bening in the lead and Jodie Foster as her coach are excellent in this against-all-odds story. On Netflix. In a long read on more endurance swimming feats, SFGate writes about the grandma who swam 17 hours to a mice-infested island.
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 views or those of Londonist. Paid subscribers have access to my full back catalogue of recommendations.
DRINKS: You may have heard that Coca-Cola once had cocaine in it but why and when was it removed? JStor has the answer in a 2 minute read. Wired shows us how Energy Drinks Are Out of Control (8 minutes) and Vox looks into the endless quest to replace alcohol (15 minutes). What’s the Most Refreshing Drink That’s Not Water? Asks Time (10 minutes) and Bon Appetit writes about how Hydration Became a Lifestyle (7 minutes). Switching to hot drinks, Grist suggests the best coffee for the planet might not be coffee at all (13 minutes), Stylist provides answers on Is Decaf Coffee Unhealthy? (4 minutes), and Apartment Therapy has some clever uses for your old tea bags (2 minutes).
ART & CRIME: Smithsonian Magazine takes us Inside the Biggest Art Fraud in History (21 minutes), Vanity Fair reports on How a Notorious Alleged Smuggler Is Trying to Pry Back the Mafia’s Multimillion-Dollar Caravaggio (4 minutes), Artlyst tells the story of Inigo Philbrick: The Rise Fall And Release Of An Art World Liability (3 minutes) and asks Is Appropriation Art Finished? Read My Marilyn Monroe Red Lips (7 minutes). To finish on a positive outcome Guardian writes how one man was wrongfully imprisoned for 40 years. Now he’s an award-winning artist (6 minutes) and The New Yorker takes us inside the global ambitions of Invader’s street art (32 minutes).
CONSPIRACIES: Remember the QAnon Shaman? Harper’s magazine profiles him in a truly bizarre and captivating 27-minute read. NPR writes on how anti-vaccine activists and the far right are trying to build a parallel economy (7 minutes) and Texas Monthly reports on how In the Misinformation Age, Believing In Bigfoot Is Harder Than Ever (11 minutes). Finally, BBC gives us The 'Sift' strategy: A four-step method for spotting misinformation.
It's a treat to get a glimpse of what's happening in the art world through your posts. This was great! Thank you.
You're welcome, thanks for being a regular reader.