Keeping Tabs: Back in London
Lots of catching up to do
I’m back from France and happy to be home for a while. There are loads of exhibitions in London that have opened, and I’ll start working my way through them - it never stops, which makes London such a great place for art. Having spent the last few weeks in Paris, I can attest that it also has a thriving arts scene alongside the many fantastic museums.
Daniel Preece is the latest interview of an artist inspired by London.
I’ve been announced as a judge for the Artist of the Year Awards.
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.
My top five exhibitions to see in London in June feature a giant tea bag, blue masks, the art market circus, the history of abstract painting, and woven heads.
Plus, catch up on my recent diary entries, interviews and more:
Daniel Preece is the latest interview of an artist inspired by London.
I go all European in my latest Diary of a London Art Critic.
Read about Hannah Gibson’s joyful art made from recycled glass.
An interview to commemorate 100 years of photo booths, and where you can still find them in London.
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I’ve been announced as a judge for the Artist of the Year Awards.
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 aim to visit the Leonardo Drew exhibition at South London 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 21 June, 11am-5pm.
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.
DYSTOPIAN SERIES’: Black Mirror is back for season 7, and it’s as dark as ever, with standalone stories where technology goes awry with dire consequences. The first and last episodes are the two that feel the strongest, but it’s worth watching all of them, and the entire series if you’ve never given it a watch. On Netflix. Severance is back for a second season, where people’s work and personal personas are digitally severed, and this series is even more surreal than the first. On Apple TV. The Last of Us has a decent second season but ends on an annoying cliffhanger. On Now TV.
HISTORICAL FICTION (NOVEL): Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is an excellent novel about what it must have been like for a woman trying to make it as a scientist in the patriarchal 1950s. Both Elizabeth Zott and her daughter Mad are brilliantly written characters. I put off reading it because I didn't think I was the target market, but I enjoyed it immensely. The links go to my online bookshop, and you can follow me on Goodreads here.
DRAMA (FILM): Conclave is a nail-biting drama about electing a new pope. Its superb cast makes an administrative task seem so tense. Plus, the film hits harder, given we just had a new Pope appointed. On Prime Video.
Articles I’m Reading
I recommend interesting stories largely from outside the art world. If you fancy reading offline at another time, I recommend the app Instapaper.
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.
ONLY IN THE USA: The New York Times reveals One City’s Secret to Happiness: The Annual Burning of a 50-Foot Effigy (14 mins), CNN reports Over 175 years ago, this US town was left behind in Canada. Here’s what it’s like to live there now, BBC takes us inside the US island that speaks Elizabethan English (8 mins) and the US island with no cars and one horse for every person (6 mins). SFGate says One of California's wealthiest cities doesn't want you to know it exists and Grist reports on Loud, angry, and Indigenous: Heavy metal takes on colonialism and climate change (11 mins). Americans Might Love Cinco De Mayo, but Few Know What They’re Celebrating says The Conversation (4 mins) and AP reveals How Alcatraz became America’s most notorious prison (3 mins). Americans still dream about factory jobs. Can they be brought back? Asks NPR (6 mins), BBC looks at the rapid remaking of a nation, in 100 days (12 mins) and with all that’s going on, here’s a personal piece for The New Yorker stating ‘my brain finally broke’ (14 mins).
TELEVISION: The Guardian says ‘The vibe may be British, but the money is not’: how the US quietly conquered UK TV (11 mins) and looks back on House at 20: perfectly mad 2000s television that has aged better than you’d think (5 mins). 'The baddies reflect the worries of today': BBC explains how TV spy thrillers are booming in an age of distrust (8 mins), Collider ranks The 15 Best Miniseries Based on True Stories (10 mins), and The Guardian asks Is Netflix deliberately dumbing down TV so people can watch while scrolling? (6 mins). The Atlantic reveals The Hidden Cost of Cheap TVs (6 mins).
COMPUTERS: Wired takes us inside The Great American Microchip Mobilisation (27 mins), City AM asks Who killed the GIF? (7 mins), Rest of the World reminisces on when the world connected on Skype (11 mins), PC Gamer says I just found out what Wi-Fi means (2 mins), and BBC covers the people stuck using ancient Windows computers (13 mins). On the darker side of life online, Scientific American reveals How Being Watched Changes How You Think (6 mins) and in a bizarre spying programme via Wired - North Korea Stole Your Job (18 mins). MIT Technology Review did the maths on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard (20 mins).