Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his Top 5 Art Exhibitions to see in London in July. Check out the previous top 5 if you’re after more shows to visit.
Ugo Rondinone at Sadie Coles HQ, Kingly Street
Keep your sunglasses on when you go inside, as this gallery has undergone a neon makeover, reminiscent of a day rave, with all the figures sitting exhausted on the floor. These are casts based on dancers but frozen in time, just like the half-used candles in the back room. Plus, who doesn’t want to walk through an exhibition that looks like this? Until 2nd August, free.
Andrea Francolino: Contemplatio at Mazzoleni
It’s all about the cracks as three concrete blocks have been dropped from one metre and their cracks filled with earth, gold and lapis lazuli – the simplest to the most expensive materials. The artist also photographs cracks visible on the walls of streets and links them to the coordinates of stars. It’s a great idea to get us to focus on what we consider imperfections in the world around us and elevate them in galleries. Until 12th September, free (closed 11th-25th August).
Rachel Clancy: The Thought Below at Pipeline
There’s a tension to these domestic spaces, where the people are absent, and everything is hazy, like we’re in a dream state – or possibly a nightmare. We’re invited to invent the narrative for each inviting scene and guess what’s just happened, or is about to happen, in these atmospheric scenes. Until 2nd August, free.
The Observatory at Bobinska Brownlee New River
I finally made it to this gallery housed across a domestic space with a gallery in the garden. ‘The Observatory’ is a group show centred around the works of Claudio del Sole. He was an artist and an astronomer, and you can tell, as these textured paintings could easily be deep-field visions of the Universe. For this show, the work extends into the house, and I liked both the drawings of DJ Roberts and Robert Good’s outdoor digital pieces. Part off Islinginton Gallery Weekend, Until 15th September, free
Vivienne Schadinsky: Into the Seeds of Time at OmVed Gardens
OmVed Gardens is a true hidden gem, and sustainability is at the heart of what they do, and that rings true for their artist, Vivienne Schadinsky, as well. Through her Japanese ink drawings, prints, sculpture and film, she explores the lack of biodiversity, the lifecycle of seeds and the 72 micro-seasons of Japan. Until 3rd August, ticketed.
All images are copyrighted by the respective artist and gallery. Mazzoleni image: Todd White Art Photography. Bobinksa Brownlee New River photo: Andy Keate.
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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.