Keeping Tabs: Art in 4k
Artist studios, Vincent van Gogh and a major milestone
This newsletter has topped 4,000 subscribers and that’s all down to you amazing readers. I remember when this started as an informal email covering art openings and thanks to all of you it now has a massive following. This week we have:
I’m quoted about the Electric Dreams exhibition at Tate Modern
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.
How have artist studios become the new exhibition spaces? I’ve written about this topic by speaking to those carving out new spaces for artists in a piece for Spaghetti Boost.
My top 5 this week are all museum shows and they range from Van Gogh to art about money, on FAD.
Plus, catch up on my recent diary entries and more:
The latest Diary of a London Art Critic covering London to Bilbao and back again
Read about Gayle Chong Kwan and her ‘River Guardians’ at the Science Gallery London
My new Artists Inspired by London series - kicking off with Luke Walker
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!
My quote about the Electric Dreams exhibition has been doing the rounds and has popped up in ArtDog Istanbul - a publication I didn’t know existed until now.
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 on sticking to Central London including a visit to Zeinab Saleh at David Zwirner 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 14 December, 11am-6pm.
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.
TENNIS FILMS: Federer: Twelve Final Days is a documentary that looks at the last few days of a spectacular career and as a massive Federer fan it’s a bittersweet and emotional watch. If you prefer a fictional drama then Challengers is a slick film on a love triangle between tennis players. Both on Prime Video. In a related article on tennis, The Guardian writes on the loneliness of the low-ranking tennis player (17 minutes)
NOVEL: Romance novels are normally not for me. Yet Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson about a young Black couple is written so poetically, weaves in important observations of the Black experience and is short and punchy. The links go through to my online bookshop and you can follow me on Goodreads here.
VIOLENT ACTION FILMS: The Night Comes for Us is arguably the most violent and brutal martial arts movie you’ll watch (Netflix). Ignore the plot and enjoy the insane choreography. If you like this type of film I’d also recommend The Raid and The Raid 2 (the latter on Prime).
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.
LIFE IN CITIES: Starting with London The Guardian laments the iconic ‘eco-Blade Runner’ roundabout that became a grim £132m ‘abomination’ (7 minutes), The Londoner reveals What goes on in the Underground after the last train (7 minutes), The Fence writes about the last days of Soho (16 minutes), The Londoner worryingly writes ‘Nobody knows what’s down there’: The endless fire poisoning a community (16 minutes) and asks whether those people who wrote leaving London essays still feel that way. Switching to the US, The Grist asks Is it possible to build a dream city from scratch? (7 minutes), The Washington Posts says One of the Most Iconic Photos of American Workers is Not What It Seems (5 minutes) and GQ shows us How Las Vegas Became the Weirdest, Wildest, and Most Futuristic City in America (33 minutes). Taking a more global look at cities History News Network reports on the concept of underground cities.
SOCIAL MEDIA: BBC writes on How have social media algorithms changed the way we interact? (10 minute read), The Guardian asks is convenience making our lives more difficult? (5 minutes) and The Walrus comments on The Collapse of Self-Worth in the Digital Age (15 minutes). BBC answers How does WhatsApp make money? (3 minutes), in the shame of LinkedIn Business Insider asks why is it so cringe (7 minutes), Literary Hub suggests How to Comment on Social Media (4 minutes), Advertisers aren’t buying what X is selling. Is that a crime? Asks Vox (9 minutes) and NPR takes us Inside the TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attractive' people (4 minutes). Vox asks Is it ever okay to film strangers in public? (10 minutes), and Mental Floss explains The Origin of the Phrase ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ (4 minutes). The Verge shows us How to find your oldest social media posts and delete them (5 minutes), Elle takes us to meet The Psychopaths of TikTok (6 minutes) and for a rare upside, The Walrus takes us to Meet the Granfluencers (5 minutes). Finishing on a philosophy propagated by social media companies, Wired writes on the deaths of effective altruism (34 minutes).
WORLD WARS: Wired takes us inside One Woman’s Mission to Rewrite Nazi History on Wikipedia (17 minute read), Time tells us about The Man Who Used Nazi Propaganda to Help the Allies Win (15 minutes), in My family and other Nazis (20 minutes) a man looks back at the Nazis in his family history for The Guardian. Chicago Magazine looks back at the Nazi teacher in Oak Park (35 minutes) and Smithsonian revisits The Nazi Werewolves Who Terrorized Allied Soldiers at the End of WWII (5 minutes). Hakai takes un into the ongoing Big Baltic Bomb Cleanup (12 minutes) and Teeth as time capsules: Soviet secrets and my dentist grandmother is a personal look back on war via teeth for Guardian (19 minutes). Switching to World War I, Mental Floss tells the story of Henry Johnson, the One-Man Army Who Fought Off Dozens of German Soldiers (5 minutes) and shares 20 Slang Terms From World War I (7 minutes).