The Hayward Gallery’s current exhibition, When Forms Come Alive, is visually impressive. But does it do the artists and artworks a disservice by not going beneath the surface? When Forms Come Alive There is no doubting that this is an aesthetically pleasing exhibition. Instagrammable, even. From the first space you enter, where soft, organic forms […]
This slow and thoughtful exhibition at the Hayward Gallery shows off photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto’s work to perfection. Hiroshi Sugimoto To get to know the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto is to get to know photography itself. That is the impression I had after seeing this survey, the artist’s largest to date, at the Hayward Gallery in […]
A review of Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art, on now at the Southbank Centre’s Hayward Gallery. This most fundamental of materials, used for millennia in various artistic ways, proves to be ultra-contemporary as well. Strange Clay For some reason I didn’t expect this exhibition to be quite as popular as it is. I’m not […]
A review of In The Black Fantastic, an exhibition of art from the African diaspora which addresses racial injustice through myth and science fiction. The brutalist Hayward Gallery gives this art space for contemplation and appreciation. In The Black Fantastic When I want interesting, challenging exhibition programming, the Hayward Gallery is one of my London […]
A review of Mixing it Up: Painting Today at the Hayward Gallery. This statement of confidence in the country’s contemporary painting scene shows the full range of artists living and working in the UK. And with minimal curatorial input, viewers must work out exactly what this statement means. Mixing It Up: Painting Today I like […]
The Hayward reopens with not one, but two exhibitions. Works by Matthew Barney and Igshaan Adams are contrasting in inspiration, execution and aesthetics. In my opinion the overall impact is a little unbalanced, but not in the direction you might think. Two For The Price Of One After quite a sizeable gap, I was back […]
A review of the exhibition Among The Trees at the Hayward Gallery. In which the subject matter is more interesting than it sounds, but the aesthetic is privileged over the informational. The Whole Thing is About Trees? Among the Trees at the Hayward Gallery is an exhibition where, when I first heard the concept, I […]
Daido Moriyama’s first UK retrospective is a revelation, taking over the Photographers’ Gallery with hundreds of his trademark atmospheric images. Daido Moriyama This is the second exhibition of work by a Japanese photographer I’ve seen in London in recent weeks, and both are interesting for how the artists challenge the potential and limits of the […]
A review of the Southbank Centre’s socially distanced winter display of light-based art. Much smaller-scale than Canary Wharf’s offering, but perhaps more interesting for it. You Found Another Outdoor Light/Art Exhibition? Yes I did, thanks for noticing! Shortly after visiting Connected by Light at Canary Wharf, I noticed the Southbank Centre had undertaken something similar. […]
A review of Not Without My Ghosts, an exhibition of spiritualist art at the Drawing Room, London. In which I am haunted (ha!) by thoughts about feminism, abstraction, and who gets to determine the meaning of a ‘work of art’. Mediums, Spirits and Ghosts, Oh My! I can’t even remember how I heard about this […]
