I’m writing this newsletter from sunny Provence where I’ve just helped open Sabrina Rosenheim’s exhibition at Galerie Heimat, the result of the NG art residency. I managed to catch a lot of UK exhibitions before I flew out and you can find those and more in this week’s newsletter, which includes:
The top exhibitions to see in July and August for Londonist
What's it like to be an artist? Find out in the latest episode of The Good, The Bad and The Arty podcast
Join me for an in-conversation and an opening on Thursday
A quote from me on the Summer Exhibition for Euronews
Thanks as always for keeping tabs on me, and have a great week ahead.
A paid subscription to Londonist Urban Palette costs £5 a month or £45 a year. If you’re enjoying the newsletter, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to keep it going - plus you’ll get regular bonus newsletters, with more interviews, reviews, insights and stories I’m excited about from the London visual arts world.
Tab’s World
My latest articles and events for your reading pleasure.
From Barbie to political art, performance to paradoxes. Some great exhibitions are coming up in July and August and you can read my top picks on Londonist.
What's it like to be an artist? Find out in the latest episode of The Good, The Bad and The Arty podcast as my co-host Anna Gammans talks about her career.
Plus, catch up on editions of my new bonus newsletter for paid subscribers, including:
My Diary of a London Art Critic part 1 (first half of June) and part 2 (second half of June)
A look at a work so controversial it was attacked twice
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!
The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition has returned and Euronews has used a quote from me about how best to tackle it.
Tab’s Weeks Ahead
Highlighting my top events for the weeks ahead. Let me know if you'd like to join me!
I’ve got two events on Thursday 4th July. I’ll be in conversation with Freya Tewelde at Flowers Gallery at 11.30 am and then head out of London to launch the Summer Exhibition in Crawley, where I’m a judge (2-5pm). Both are free to join and I look forward to seeing you at either.
My Saturday plans aren't fixed yet, but aiming for a south London day including a visit to the Camberwell MA fine art exhibition and to pop into Gerald Moore Gallery for the opening of its ‘essential structures’ exhibition (1-4pm). 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 6 July, 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.
SCI-FI FILMS: See You Yesterday is a time travel movie that, though in some ways it has the feel of a teen movie, deals with the police shootings of Black men in the USA. It hits hard and has a deliberately ambiguous ending that I was ok with but I think it will divide people. Along a similar theme, I’d also recommend the short film Two Distant Strangers. Both are on Netflix. If you want to travel back in time then I finally watched Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and given it was made in 1927, it’s a truly visionary silent film. On Plex. Finally, I’d also recommend Lapsis as a satire on the gig economy as one man has to lay cabling to pay for his brother’s care. On Prime.
ART BOOKS: Acts of Creation by Hettie Judah is a fantastic look at how motherhood has been depicted throughout art history from ancient times to contemporary artists — an accompaniment to her touring exhibition on art and motherhood — while An Opinionated Guide to Women Painters takes us through art history focussing on female artists. The links go through to my online bookshop and you can follow me on Goodreads here.
SURVIVAL DRAMA (FILM): Society of the Snow is the dramatisation of the true story of a horrific plane crash in the Andes where 14 people managed to survive for an almost miraculous 72 days. It’s a harrowing watch as they go to any lengths to survive. On Netflix.
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. Paid subscribers have access to my full back catalogue of recommendations.
DEATH: It’s a macabre subject but I’ve found some fascinating reads on the topic as MIT Technology Review asks the existential question what is death? (7 minutes), Guardian looks into the new science of death (21 minutes), The New York Times asks What Deathbed Visions Teach Us About Living (14 minutes) and Washington Post asks How Did Crucifixion Really Work? A British Discovery Offers Clues (6 minutes). Switching to after death Collectors Weekly reflects on the Great Glass Coffin Scam: When Hucksters Sold the Fantasy of Death Without Decay (9 minutes), Los Angeles Times takes us inside the rise of human composting (14 minutes), Vox examines the race to optimise grief using technology (9 minutes), The Walrus asks What Should You Do with Your Stuff Before You Die? (11 minutes) and Atlas Obscura takes us into The Valley of the Cheese of the Dead where people prepare a wheel of cheese for their own funeral in Switzerland (5 minutes).
ARTISTS: Collectors Weekly looks back at Louis Wain — the Original Catfluencer: How a Victorian Artist’s Feline Fixation Gave Us the Internet Cat (30 minutes), Alison Lapper talks to The Telegraph about her practice (11 minutes), Vanity Fair looks into Yoko Ono’s Mind Games — And Her Lasting Legacy (12 minutes) and The Common Reader shines a light on how The Black Women of Gee’s Bend Work Hard and Easy (26 minutes). New Yorker reports on the bizarre instance of the artist holding valuable artwork hostage to protect Julian Assange (16 minutes) and to end on a hilarious note The Baffler has a humorous take on the life of an artist today (23 minutes).
FLIGHT: Suicide Mission is a powerful read about those who blew the whistle on Boeing cutting corners on safety — a 13 minute read on American Prospect. BBC worryingly looks at the drug pilots take to stay awake and Reuters unpacks the mechanics of turbulence (4 minutes). On a more practical side The Atlantic suggests The Carry-On-Baggage Bubble Is About to Pop (10 minutes) and stepping into the unknown it says The U.S. Government UFO Cover-Up Is Real — But It’s Not What You Think (8 minutes).