Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top exhibitions to see in South London this Summer. If you are looking for more exhibitions, check out his previous top 5.
The gallery space is filled with a ship made up of found planks, doors and windows from children’s playhouses. We can step inside this rickety creation and see a giant, vomiting head and running water beneath. It’s a reflection on a nation’s crumbling through a spectacularly ambitious installation. Until 11th July.
Sculpture, film and printmaking all come together within the theme of how water sustains us, connects us and changes the landscape. There are living plants within the sculptures, which remind us of our connection to nature, and I was mesmerised by the film of the Severn tidal bore, with water surging along the river as if propelled by an unseen force. Until 12th July.
Ever come across biopiracy? It’s the extraction of biological resources without permission, as when rubber plants were first taken from Brazil and transported to Kew Gardens. In keeping with the theme of transportation, the plant in this exhibition is inside a crate-style room that we can only look into through peepholes. Documentation on the outside shows that plants were also part of the extractive story of colonialism. Until 5th July.
Inspired by sheep in Scotland, Melissa Joseph has created works made from their wool. These include works on the types of fences that sheep rub against to leave their wool and a musical instrument made from found wood. It’s paired with Max Bainbridge’s sculpture, made from the hollowed-out trunk of a tree that hovers in the space, with a work made from the insides on the floor. It’s an all-natural pairing. Until 18th July.
This group show brings together work by five women artists of Sudanese heritage. I was drawn to Fayrouz Omer’s textile figures and suspended sculptures at head height, which, to me, spoke of migration and the difficulties that so many people who migrate, whether as refugees or for economic reasons, face. There’s also jewellery, tapestry, and painting in this varied show, and it’s my first visit to this space dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and promoting African and African diaspora artists. Until 18th July.
All images are copyrighted and are courtesy of the respective artists and galleries.
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Art Critic for both FAD and Londonist. See as many exhibitions as possible and write reviews, opinion pieces and a weekly top 5 for FAD.