Art Weekly Digest: London 10 - 16 July, 2017
Every week The Art Partners post a carefully curated selection of cultural events to see in London.
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Opening Of The Week
Emma Hart: Mamma Mia!
Emma Hart’s giant jug ‘heads’ take shape in the Faenza studio where she learned Italian techniques. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist
Emma Hart, a London-based artist, presents her new installation “Mamma Mia!” as part of the biannual women artists award “Max Mara Art Prize” (Laure Prouvost was the winner of the prize' 4th edition). Exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery and accompanied by an illustrated publication, the show is the result of artist’s six-month residency in three Italian cities (Milan, Todi and Faenza). Emma uses ceramics in order to fully capture real feelings like confusion, stress and at the same time to physically and emotionally allure the viewer. For the 'Mamma Mia!' installation, the artist has created a series of the large ceramic jug-shaped heads, all designed and hand-painted by Emma.
The exhibition will be on view from 12 July - 03 September at Whitechapel gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High St, E1 7QX
Hymn For The Weekend
Soul of a Nation
Barkley L. Hendricks Icon for My Man Superman (Superman Never Saved any Black People – Bobby Seale) 1969; Collection of Liz and Eric Lefkofsky © Estate of Barkley L. Hendricks.
Courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Superman S-Shield © & ™ DC Comics.
“Soul of a Nation: Art In The Age Of Black Power” is a landmark exhibition, which illuminates the important role of Black artists during the dramatic period of American history. The Tate Modern brings together a variety of era-defining artworks including photography, sculptures, and paintings that reflect different points of view at these violent times. Some engage with legendary figures from the period, with paintings in homage to political leaders Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Angela Davis, musician John Coltrane and sporting hero Jack Johnson. Muhammad Ali appears in Andy Warhol’s famous painting.
The exhibition runs from 12 July to 22 October at Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG
In Focus
Chris Ofili: Weaving Magic
Chris Ofili, The Caged Bird’s Song, 2014–2017 (detail). © Chris Ofili. Courtesy the Artist and Victoria Miro, London, The Clothworkers’ Company and Dovecot Tapestry Studio, Edinburgh.
Following the show "Metamorphosis: Titian 2012", Chris Ofili (Turner Prize winner 1998) returns to the National Gallery with the new project "Weaving Magic", which is the result of a three-year collaboration between the artist and five weavers at Dovecot Tapestry Studio in Edinburgh. This exhibition is showing off four suites of preparatory drawings and paintings, a film about the making process, and the tapestry itself, set against a mural of grey, temple-like figures, sensuously swaying. The imagery reflects Ofili’s ongoing interest in classical mythology and the stories, magic, and colour of the Trinidadian landscape he inhabits.
Well worth seeing before the tapestry goes on permanent display in the Clothworkers’ Hall.
The exhibition is on view at National Gallery until 28 August, 2017.
Art Discourse
The Transhumanists' Club
Image of a Laura Owens painting and Jordan Wolfson sculpture "Female Figure". Courtesy the artists and 356 Mission.
Is it time we left our traditional ideas of humanity behind? This specific talk brings together one of the most influential scientists and researchers of our days: geneticist and author Adam Rutherford talks to Beth Singler, who studies the social implications of almost-human machines, and Joanna Kavenna (author of A Field Guide to Reality). They will discuss how the superhuman machines have influenced humanity’s time.
“New Scientist Presents” is a series of talks, created to complement the Barbican exhibition “Into the Unknown: A Journey through Science Fiction”, which is focused on exploring new scientific ideas and how these ideas influence art and literature.
This talk takes place on Thursday, 27 July 19:30 pm at the Barbican Centre (Frobisher Auditorium 1), Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS
Last Chance To See
Richard Smith
Installation view of the exhibition "Richard Smith: Five Decades" at Flowers gallery. Image courtesy of the gallery
This is the last week when Flowers Gallery will exhibit some exclusive art pieces of Richard Smith, one of the most original painters of his generation. During the 1960s and 1970s, Smith extended the boundaries of painting into three dimensions, creating sculptural shaped canvases with monumental presence. This show is a selection of Smith's paintings from the last five decades of his artistic career which includes some rare abstract works with the alluring colors, that never been exhibited before.
The exhibition runs until 15 July at Flowers Gallery, 21 Cork Street, W1S 3LZ