Keeping Tabs: Rainbows, hammocks and cracks
Maps ... lots of maps
The heatwave has broken, and gallery hopping is altogether more pleasant. I don’t even mind the rain we’ve had in London. I’m also looking forward to the art world slowing down a little for the Summer from mid-July. In the meantime, do join me at a panel discussion on rejection, and I’ve been out to Wakehurst — Kew Gardens’ sister site in Sussex.
This week I have:
Colourful dancers, cracks, atmospheric interiors, space and seeds are in my top five exhibitions to see in London in July
Applications are open for the annual Discerning Eye exhibition
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.
Colourful dancers, cracks, atmospheric interiors, space and seeds are in my top five exhibitions to see in London in July.
We discuss a fantastic collection of maps on the podcast, chatting with Helen Sunderland-Cohen about The Sunderland Collection.
Plus, catch up on my recent diary entries, interviews and more:
A sweltering edition of my Diary of a London Art Critic, even hotter than usual.
Daniel Preece is the latest in a series of interviews with artists inspired by London.
Read about Hannah Gibson’s joyful art made from recycled glass.
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!
Applications are open for the annual Discerning Eye exhibition. We’ve announced the selectors, and I’m a trustee with my a prize where I purchase a work.
Tab’s Weeks Ahead
Highlighting my top events for the weeks ahead. Let me know if you'd like to join me!
I’m on a panel discussing rejection, what it feels like and how to deal with it at a pop-up exhibition in Stoke Newington. Please do join if you can. Thursday 10th July, 6.30-8.30pm. £8.
This Saturday I’ll be making my way around Islington Gallery Weekend, starting with the breakfast event at Flexitron. 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 12 July, 11am-5pm - 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.
NOVEL: Songbirds by Christy Lefteri is a moving story about the fate of migrant workers in Cyprus, told from the perspective of one’s employer and lover. There’s a beautifully written parallel between her fate and the songbirds caught by illegal poachers. I highly recommend her other, better known book, The Beekeeper of Aleppo. The links go to my online bookshop, and you can follow me on Goodreads here.
FILM: Blackberry tells the rise and fall of the world’s first addictive phone. It moves at pace to cover the brand's history from its foundations to its peak, finally losing out to Apple. I fondly remember my ‘Crackberry’ phone when I had one for work. On Now TV.
SCI-FI NOVEL: Red Rising by Pierce Brown is an original and enjoyable sci-fi novel set on a future Mars. People are divided by strict class divisions, in a highly exploitative and stratified society. The story follows one man's quest to subvert this, and it’s only getting started in this first book of the series. The links go to my online bookshop, and you can follow me on Goodreads here.
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.
BIRDS: The Curious Case of the Pygmy Nuthatch is an avian rabbit hole on the wrong bird appearing in Charlie’s Angels, and where this takes the writer (29 mins). Knowable looks into the Return of the California condor (15 mins), Audubon says Winter Is the Perfect Time to Take Up Crow Watching (3 mins), The Conversation asks what it’s like being a raven or a crow? (5 mins), Nautilus explores The Starlings’ Curious Odyssey (6 mins) and The New Yorker says pity the barefoot pigeon as it shows them in a more favourable light (21 mins). Smithsonian asks Why Have Birds Never Gotten as Big as T. Rex?, Popular Science answers what to do if you find a baby bird out of its nest (3 mins), and Audubon sets out The Many Ways Scientists Are Turning Birds Into Feathered Field Assistants (10 mins). A fascinating look at evolution on Aeon shows why birds don’t buy Bentleys and we humans will never fly (17 mins).
MUSIC: The Ghosts in the Machine looks at the rise of ghost artists on music platforms, via Harper’s (26 mins), The Ringer looks into The Gamification of Pop Music (20 mins) and Smithsonian recalls The Way We Listen to Music Changed Forever When Apple Launched iTunes in 2001 (3 mins) - was it that long ago? Rolling Stone explains how Coldplay became bigger, happier, and more ‘Coldplay’ than ever (33 mins), The Independent asks Can Michael Jackson’s music survive the accusations against him? It’s complicated (5 mins), and Vox suggests stadium concerts are the worst summer hang (7 mins). NPR asks why would a musician join OnlyFans? Because making a living is only getting harder (12 mins), Al-Jazeera writes about what political rap lyrics tell us (5 mins), Techradar expounds on the science of noise colors: why white noise makes you sleepy and blue noise helps you focus (5 mins) and Nautilus says we’ve got the beat in our genes (6 mins).
ON & IN THE WATER: Literary Hub sets out What the Voyage of a Single Container Ship Reveals About the World Economy (7 mins), BBC explains What is the Strait of Hormuz and why does it matter? (6 mins), and Popular Mechanics reveals that the ‘Holy Grail of Shipwrecks’ Is Still Underwater. So Is Its $17 Billion Fortune (3 mins). Outside explains The Surprising Cause of Hawaii’s Snorkelling Deaths (10 mins), NPR describes how to prevent drowning based on a report (8 mins) and says it's never too late to become a strong swimmer. Here's how to start (4 mins). BBC says These countries don't fluoridate their water – here's why (13 mins). Current Affairs says Shrimp Are the Most Abused Animals on Earth (15 mins), GQ reports on One Man's Quest for the Perfect Way to Kill a Fish (15 mins), and AP reports that a quirky livestream that lets viewers help fish is a hit with millions (2 mins).