Tabish Khan the @LondonArtCritic picks his Top 5 Art Exhibitions to see in London in Mayfair in June. Each comes with a concise review to help you decide whether it’s for you. For those looking for more shows to see, check out his top June exhibitions.
The Body as Matter: Giacometti Nauman Picasso @ Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill
Spindly standing and walking sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, a scale model of a sculpture you can walk into by Bruce Nauman and busts by Pablo Picasso. When it comes to commercial galleries putting on museum-quality shows Gagosian delivers, in this case by bringing together works by all three artists including pieces I wasn’t familiar with sourced from private collections. Until 26th July.
Kenturah Davis: Clouds @ Stephen Friedman Gallery
These aren’t just excellent drawings and paintings of clouds and people in motion, capturing the blur of dancers as they move. Get right up close and you can see the writing on each of these, taken from Davis’ essay that covers issues around race, time and space. Until 20th July.
Iran Do Espirito Santo @ Mazzoleni
Subverting our perceptions of scale and material Iran Do Espirito Santo has created a black light bulb out of granite, a giant metal screw out of stainless steel and a watercolour of a door, thin side on. It makes us question our relationships with these everyday items and how we have always perceived them. Until 6th September.
Hannah Levy: Bulge @ Massimo de Carlo
These bulging, bulbous sculptures housed within spider-like frames are creepy and appealing – making you want to touch and squeeze them. One resembles a creature, another a chair and others hang off the walls. The domestic setting in the gallery makes them feel like they are both at home and alien. Until 22nd June.
Pascal Dombis: The End of Art is not The End @ Bluerider
Taking Internet-generated images and placing them on lenticular works these pieces bring together multiple phases of art history with a playful nod to all the times people have proclaimed art forms to be dead and yet they persist. Burning words into lenticular works he shows us a new angle to this material that has a rich history but has often been associated with kitsch pens and postcards. Until 25th August.
Gagosian image: © Succession Picasso/DACS, London 2024; © Succession Alberto Giacometti / DACS 2024; © 2024 Bruce Nauman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS
Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. Courtesy Gagosian. Mazzoleni image: © Eduardo Ortega. Courtesy of the artist and Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel. All other images copyright and courtesy the artist and gallery.
