Keeping Tabs: Post-Frieze thaw
Keeping Tabs: Post-Frieze thaw
So much to see, so little time
Now that the art fairs have moved to Paris, and thankfully I’m not covering those, I can focus on everything that opened in London in October … and it’s a lot. I’m still trying to catch up on everything and failing - more to come in my next diary entry.
This week I have:
A podcast episode on Pitzhanger in Ealing
I also was one of the judges for this year’s Affordable Art Fair best-curated booth award.
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.
Seasons, dodos, ADHD, light, and colour — this week’s top five on FAD has it all and they’re all closing soon.
In our latest podcast episode, we interviewed Clare Gough, the director of Pitzhanger, about the stately home and its contemporary art programme.
My second soundbite of the week is at Frieze Art Fair, at this year’s much improved Frieze London.
I was a judge for this year’s Marsh Awards and it was great to see Tim Shaw win the overall prize and Nick Hornby the popular vote at last week’s awards ceremony.
Plus, catch up on my recent diary entries:
My latest diary entry on all things Frieze week - it’s a biggie
My September Diary of a London Art Critic
My August / September Diary of a London Art Critic
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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 at the launch of Nxt Gen at ICA, a new networking association for young arts professionals. The host is a good friend of the newsletter and has an excellent podcast. Monday 21st October, 6-8pm. £12 (includes a drink).
I’m attending a Young Professionals in the Arts event at Amar Gallery in Fitzrovia. It’s a private tour of the exhibition and it’s open to non-members as well. Thursday 24th October, 6.30-8pm, £5.
I’ll be in Oxford for a sneak peek of the refurbished Modern Art Oxford. If there are any shows you recommend I catch while I’m in Oxford, let me know. Friday 25th October.
My Saturday plans aren't fixed yet, but I’ll be in East London including visits to Uncanny Playgrounds at Hypha Studios in Stratford and Maayan Sophia Weisstub at Mama Salon. 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 26th October, 11am-6pm.
I’ll be at the Strands exhibition opening in Brixton in my role as trustee of ArtCan. Let me know if you’ll be there. Tuesday 29th October, 6-8pm - free, ticketed.
I’ll be moderating an online talk about NFTs - what are they? Do they still matter? And how do artists use them? Join us via Teams. Wednesday 30th October, 6pm. £7.20.
I’ll be moderating a talk with the artists at J/M Gallery in Notting Hill on 1st November, 6-8.30pm (for the pictured exhibition). Make sure you add it to your diaries. Thursday 1 November, 6-8.30pm - free.
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.
BUDGET SCI-FI FILMS: Landscape with Invisible Hand is a satirical sci-fi where aliens arrive on Earth and take their place at the top of our Capitalist economy driving most humans out of work and into poverty. The story revolves around a budding young artist navigating this Dystopian society. In Tomorrow Ever After a traveller from a Utopian future can’t figure out why people are so hostile when she travels back to New York today - it’s a great concept even if it runs out of steam at the end. Both on Prime.
INDIAN FILM: Maharaja starts with a man reporting his missing dustbin to the police. Through flashbacks, we slowly uncover the horrific story of why the protagonist has ended up at the station. I didn’t expect this revenge thriller to unfurl the way it did. On Netflix.
RUSSIAN FILM: Leviathan is the story of one man fighting against the compulsory purchase of his house and how his family breaks apart under the strain. It’s powerful but also really bleak, with a lot of alcoholism involved. On ITVX.
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.
WORKING IN ART: ‘The Grift, the Prince, and the Twist’ involves a gallery owner and a Swedish heiress in a tale that takes multiple turns, and I’d love to see it made into a documentary series - 57 minutes via Air Mail. Plaster writes brilliantly on what it’s like to leave an art world career (13 minutes). The Times writes about how the rich ruined the art market (7 minutes), The New York Times reports on how ‘Young Artists Rode a $712 Million Boom. Then Came the Bust’ (7 minutes), The Art Newspaper shows Simon Lee gallery’s £10m debt revealed in insolvency report (5 minutes) and Artsy discusses How Glitzy Parties Became the Ultimate Art World Currency (7 minutes). The New Yorker tells us Why A.I. Isn’t Going to Make Art (16 minutes) and ‘London Standard’s AI imitation of Brian Sewell proves art critics cannot be easily replaced’, writes Jonathan Jones for The Guardian (3 minutes). In a punchy piece for the London Standard, Melanie McDonagh says The National Gallery's new liquid rules make me want to kick a polar bear — well done eco-activists (2 minutes).
HUMAN BEHAVIOUR: Nautilus asks Why We Reject New Ideas (6 minute read), LA Times questions What is the ‘shadow self’ and why is everyone talking about their hidden desires? (6 minutes), and Scientific American asks How Political Opinions Change (5 minutes). In Fear as a Game, The Believer asks why we keep seeking out fear (19 minutes) and The Atlantic sets out How Not to Be Bored When You Have to Wait (7 minutes). Switching to physical behaviour, The Guardian says Knuckle-cracking is fine – and bad weather doesn’t make arthritis worse: nine myths about your joints busted (5 minutes) and BBC explains Why we may be hardwired to shun those who scratch (3 minutes). Fast Company shares Secrets from the CIA, FBI, and Special Forces on how to know if someone is telling the truth (4 minutes).
WALKING: BBC shows us how to improve your sense of direction (8 minutes), Men’s Health asks How Many Calories Do You Burn Walking 10,000 Steps? (2 minutes), similarly Stylist asks Is 30 Minutes of Walking a Day Really Enough Exercise on Its Own? (3 minutes), Self asks Does Using a Walking Pad ‘Count’ as Working Out? (6 minutes), and Time asks What’s the Least Amount of Exercise I Can Get Away With? (8 minutes). I'm a Doctor. This Is Why I Prescribe Walking to My Patients says a doctor in GQ (3 minutes) and Greater Good sets out Five Ways Hiking Is Good for You (6 minutes) - as a big walking fan I concur with all the benefits mentioned in these articles.