Art Guide – London Summer Exhibitions

It’s been a while since I posted around here. I’ve been busy being a mum, and experimenting every week with a new format aka my zeitgeisty newsletter (you can subscribe here if you fancy to get in  my head every Sunday evening). I’ve been asked exhibition recommendations every week, so I thought that it will be easier to publish them here than in my stories, and it’s also a god way to reconnect with this space that i love.

After a “meh” period (disappointing shows, not much newness, lazy curating, déjà vu, et bla et bla) , there are few exciting exhibitions that just started or are about to open in town so please find my selection for June and July below. I’m sharing my visits and highlights regularly on my Instagram account so remember to follow me to get an inside look at what’s going on in our busy pretty city.

H A P P E N I N G     N O W

Artists I Steal From at Thaddaeus Ropac

“Artists I Steal From is an exhibition about looking at art through the eyes of an artist. Artists have always borrowed from one another; however, few are as candid about their sources – about who they steal from and why – as the artist Alvaro Barrington (b. 1983, Caracas, Venezuela). Artists I Steal From brings together works  by 49 artists, some of whom have never been shown in the UK before, some who are considered to be among the greatest artists of our time. All have directly influenced the way Barrington creates, thinks and sees, and all have perfected techniques or solutions that he has been inspired to ‘steal’.” Read more here.

I’ve been to the opening on Wedensday and can’t wait to go back for a quitter tour. The exhibition is on view until August 9 (37 Dover Street, London, W1S 4NJ).

Michael Craig-Martin at Gagosian

“Gagosian is pleased to present new works by Michael Craig-Martin. This is the first time his sculptures have been shown indoors, and the first time they have been exhibited as a group in London. Among the leading generation of British Conceptual artists, Craig-Martin probes the relationship between objects and images, perception and reality, harnessing the unique human capacity to conjure ideas through symbols and signs.” Read more here.

The exhibition is on view until August 3 at their Britannia location (6–24 Britannia Street
London, wc1x 9jd).

Lee Krasner at Barbican

“This exhibition celebrates the work and life of Lee Krasner (1908–1984), a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism. The first major presentation of her work in Europe for more than 50 years, Lee Krasner: Living Colour tells the story of a formidable artist, whose importance has too often been eclipsed by her marriage to Jackson Pollock.” Read more here.

The exhibition is on view until September 1st at the Barbican Art Gallery.

 

Maria Berrio, Caroline Walker, and Flora Yukhnovich at Victoria Miro

“Victoria Miro in association with The Great Women Artists presents a summer exhibition featuring three young artists who rethink traditional genres to touch upon themes of migration, the workplace, and the gendered language of painting. ” Read more here.

The exhibition is on view until July 27 ( 16 Wharf Road, London N1 7RW).

Claudio Abate at Almine Rech

“Claudio Abate was born in Rome in 1943. Abate started his career as a photographer at the age of fifteen, when he opened a photography laboratory in his father’s studio. While still very young, Claudio Abate started collaborating with the Press Service Agency, and from 1961 through to 1963 he became assistant to one of the founders of the Magnum photography agency, together with Eric Lessing.” Read more here.

The exhibition is on view until July 27 (Grosvenor Hill, Broadbent House, W1K 3JH  London).

Theaster Gates at White Cube

“White Cube Mason’s Yard is pleased to present ‘Afro-Mingei’ by Theaster Gates. Featuring a new body of work, the exhibition draws attention to aesthetic modes and classifications; to pre-determined ways of understanding culture and to how these emerge from and connect to history, race and society.” Read more here.

The exhibition is on view until June 21 (25-26 Masons Yard, St. James’s, London SW1Y 6BU).

---

C O M I N G     S O O N

Summer is not officially here until the Serpentine Gallery unveil its pavilion, and that the RA Summer exhibition is not open.

Serpentine Pavilion 2019

“The Japanese architect Junya Ishigami, celebrated for his experimental structures that interpret traditional architectural conventions and reflect natural phenomena, has been selected to design the Serpentine Pavilion 2019.” Read more here.

Opening on June 21 (Kensington Gardens).

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

“Run without interruption since 1769, the Summer Exhibition is the world’s largest open submission art show and brings together art in all mediums – prints and paintings, film, photography, sculpture, architectural works and more – by leading artists, Royal Academicians and household names as well as new and emerging talent.

This year, acclaimed British painter Jock McFadyen RA takes the mantle from Grayson Perry to co-ordinate the 251st Summer Exhibition. Over 1,500 works are on display, most of them for the first time.”

Opening on June 10 (Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BD).

Olafur Eliasson at Tate Modern

“In Eliasson’s captivating installations you become aware of your senses, people around you and the world beyond. Some artworks introduce natural phenomena such as rainbows to the gallery space. Others use reflections and shadows to play with the way we perceive and interact with the world. Many works result from the artist’s research into complex geometry, motion patterns, and his interest in colour theory. All but one of the works have never been seen in the UK before.” Read more here.

Opening on July 11 (Bankside London SE1 9TG).

Kiss My Genders at Hayward Gallery

“This summer Hayward Gallery presents Kiss My Genders, a group exhibition celebrating more than 30 international artists whose work explores and engages with gender identity. Spanning the past 50 years, Kiss My Genders brings together over 100 artworks by artists from around the world who employ a wide range of approaches to articulate and engage with gender fluidity, as well as with non-binary, trans and intersex identities.” Read more here.

Opening on June 12 (Southbank Centre).

---

Cover picture: Courtesy of Victoria Miro