Tabish Khan the @LondonArtCritic picks his Top 5 Art Exhibitions to see in London this Summer where the way the exhibition has been installed is a major part of the experience. Each comes with a concise review to help you decide whether it’s for you. For more exhibitions see his top picks for July that all remain open.
Penny Slinger – Exorcism: Inside Out @ Richard Saltoun
Collages that are direct and unashamed in their exploration of female sexuality and a critique of how the female body is viewed. This includes a house overlaid over a woman with her legs spread wide, a naked woman surrounded by judging men and vinyls across the walls and floor that immerse you in Penny Slinger’s surrealist world that’s a mix of Gothic horror and social critique. It’s designed to coincide with her book that’s being published after being withheld since 1977 and this is one of the most impressive commercial gallery exhibitions right now. Until 7th September.
Jodie Carey: Guard @ Edel Assanti
Looming like silent guardians in the gallery, these plant-inspired pillars feel like they are both guarding the visitors that meander among them but also watching them. They seem frozen in an eternal vigil, destined to endure indefinitely if left undisturbed, in stark contrast to the fleeting nature of the flowers they mimic. This is yet another impressive installation by the gallery. Until 23rd August.
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind @ Tate Modern
Play a confusing chess game of white against white or scrawl messages of peace and love on white walls. The boundless hope and optimism of Yoko Ono comes through in this varied retrospective that covers installation, performance and music in powerful pieces from across her career that highlight how she is a pioneering conceptual artist. Until 1st September.
Yinka Shonibare & Judy Chicago @ Serpentine Galleries
In an excellent double-header across both galleries, Yinka Shonibare presents figures involved in colonialism such as Winston Churchill and Queen Victoria in his trademark Dutch wax print and his war library where over 5,000 books include those with ‘titles’ on their spines naming conflicts and peace treaties that relate to imperial ambition with nearby tablets so you can look up their histories. While Judy Chicago offers a tapestry of statements from women remarking on what the world would look like if women ruled the world including a booth at the end where you can record your response to this question. Until 1st September.
Beatrice Hasell-McCosh: Andante @ St Cyprian’s Church, curated by Jenn Ellis
Beatrice Hasell-McCosh’s big gestural paintings inspired by plant life look spectacular in the magnificent setting of St. Cyprian’s Church in Marylebone. It’s the perfect venue for these hanging and free-standing paintings that look even more impressive than when I first saw them at The Garden Museum. Until 27th July.
All images courtesy and copyright the gallery and artist. Jodie Carey photo: Tom Carter. Yoko Ono photo: Lucy Green. Yinka Shonibare photo: Jo Underhill. Beatrice Hasell-McCosh photo: Hermione McCosh
