Art critic Tabish Khan brings you ‘The Top Art Exhibitions to see in London’ this week. Each one comes with a concise review to help you decide whether it’s for you. Some of his picks from last week are still open to visit:
Rashid Khalifa – Penumbra: textured shadow, coloured light @ Saatchi Gallery
Lose yourself in a maze of colourful open and closed lattices, it’s a stunning installation to navigate and if you haven’t managed to bag tickets for the Kusama infinity room then this is an impressive alternative. Next door there are some of his smaller works and just like their larger cousin they all play with light and shadows to mesmerising effect. Until 21 November.
Lauren Baker @ Box Galleries
‘You are the thunder to my lightning’ and ‘Everything is going to be f*cking amazing’ exclaim the life affirming messages on the wall. Elsewhere light works and lenticular works play with our perception. Add in a series of works where explosives have been used to create works that have literally burst open and we have a show by a dynamic artist whose work continues to evolve in bold new directions. Until 30 November.
KV Duong – Identity @ Streatham Space Project
An artist is dragged across the floor as his paint covered body leaves its marks across a giant canvas. This canvas is now hangs in the Streatham Space Project, a new gallery find for me. In the dedicated gallery space are related abstract works that take on the themes of migration, identity and sexuality in this deeply personal exhibition. Until 27 November.
Caio Locke: Meridian Skylines @ HKS architects
Massive fantastical cityscapes of London and Rio are easy to lose myself in. There’s an impressive amount of detail as familiar architecture is mixed with futuristic features as a road wraps around and climbs a building. Ghostly figures walk across Tower Bridge and there’s a strong sense of the mystic in these otherworldly images. Until 30 November.
Rebecca Fontaine Wolf @ Someth1ng Gallery
Vivid and realistic portraits of the artist and of girls transitioning into womanhood feature in this arresting show. Flashes of red across the work point towards the often taboo subject of the menstrual cycle and make the works feminine and confrontational. Until 24 November.
Jillian Mayer: Impressions @ Annka Kultys
This isn’t your typical vlogger YouTube make up tutorial. Artists Jillian Mayer gives tips on how to change your face to break up lines and therefore hide from facial recognition technology. Nearby a naked man plays a game wearing a virtual reality helmet in the snow. Mayer hilariously parodies our online culture and and how reliant we’ve become on it in this playful show. Until 24 November.
Ryoko Aoki & Zon Ito @ Yamamoto Keiko Rochaix
Two Japanese artists combine traditional Japanese geometry and embroidery styles with items found in London, including those around the Thames and an Underground map. These abstract works are a great example of artists taking inspiration from the local environment to form narratives and an exhibition that resonates with its local area. Until 26 November.
