One-minute blog of interesting things

It can be difficult to explain the fascination some of us have with paint: its intrinsic qualities and the infinite ways it can be manipulated. Callum Innes is an artist who explores paint, specifically oil paint. Does there need to be more to it than that? This is an example where words, at least for […]

An artist friend told me about Sam Hodge’s work who I looked up on Instagram where her textural organic prints intrigued me. I therefore made a point of visiting her recent show, Every Contact Leaves a Trace, at 195 Mare Street, one of the oldest buildings in Hackney with a rich history. Her work explores […]

It’s always interesting to see what’s on in the Artist Rooms when visiting Tate Modern; this time it was all based around the use of text. I enjoyed these thought-provoking benches by Jenny Holzer using text from Building the Barricade by Anna Świrszczyńska. Take time to read the inscription before sitting down to reflect upon […]

Endless motion combined with stillness, a suspension of time… this is what Hiroshi Senju’s work says to me. Using an airbrush as his principal tool Senju paints layer upon translucent layer to make waterfalls you can lose yourself in. Sundaram Tagore showed his work recently at 4 Cromwell Place in a serene exhibition. These photos […]

Whenever I’m at Tate Modern I pop into Bankside Gallery next-door. Home to the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS) and Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) this is very much a selling exhibition space. A recent show was RE Original Prints 2023 where I spotted these two books in a display cabinet, both by Sioban Piercy. They […]

Abstract Expressionism has historically been seen as an American boy’s club, an ultra-masculine movement personified by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Barnett Newman et al. But, as is so often the case, this was only one part of the story. Many women were part of it and are only now beginning to be recognised as […]

Hazlitt Holland Hibbert (HHH) is showing a collection of self-portraits by Frank Auerbach, now in his nineties. As the Covid pandemic deprived Auerbach of his regular models he turned his gaze to the only person available – himself. There are 22 pieces altogether – here are a few of the ones I connected most with. […]

House Gods, Animal Guides and Five Ways 2 Forgiveness was created by Zadie Xa and commissioned by Whitechapel Gallery, supported by Dior. Combining textiles, sculpture and installation with sound, the room emanated a feeling of kindness. Was this just the effect of the title on me? I don’t think so as my companion felt the […]

This exhibition at the National Gallery is a blockbuster and yes, many of the artists are big-hitters, names familiar to many of us. What’s interesting here though is the number of paintings from private collections. I was impressed to find so many pieces had been loaned from anonymous owners so here are a few paintings […]

If you’re in Soho and looking for a different kind of exhibition space then I recommend Room 2. Situated above Andrew Edmunds, the celebrated restaurant on Lexington Street, Room 2 is an intimate gallery run by Karsten Schubert. The experience begins from the front door where you must press a buzzer to be admitted. Walking […]