We want to celebrate and find out more about the characters driving the renaissance of the London gallery scene, and what better way than to resurrect THAT’s Interesting.
Last time we had Camille Houzé from NiCOLETTi this time we have gallerist Isaac Simon.
I’m the Founder and Director of South Parade, a contemporary art gallery which opened in Deptford in December 2020 and last year moved to Farringdon. Before starting a gallery, I worked as an insurance broker for seven years, after which I lived and worked in Mexico City, directing an artist residency.
Some Art I’m Interested In
The impeccable exhibition programme (and writing!) by Anthony Huberman during his time at the CCA Wattis Institute (2013—2023), continue to be a source of great inspiration. I also like the strange, direct and at times unsettling paintings of Anna Glantz.
Some Design I’m Interested In
Being half Mexican, it would have to be the architecture of Mexico City – one of the few cities that combine the prehispanic, colonial and modernist/contemporary in such close proximity. And of course, all the wonderful murals that were painted during the 20th Century – whether those at the University (UNAM), within markets or the underground.
My favourite mural is the overlooked Diego Rivera mural housed in a museum of the same name in the Historic Centre, which contains an enormous 16 metre mural painting, which spans events and people from across Mexican history. Originally commissioned for a nearby hotel, following the 1985 earthquake, the mural was relocated here.
Some Culture I’m Interested In
I recently rewatched Pictures from a Revolution by Susan Meiselas, whereby she returns to Nicaragua in the early 1990’s, 10 years after her initial visit during the Revolution, trying to track down those who she photographed. It is a film of hope and their fight for a better country that was not realised.
I also just finished a book written by Luis Alberto Urrea called Across the Wire: Life and Hard Times on the Mexican Border (1992). Urrea was a translator for relief workers in Tijuana in the 70’s and 80’s, the book documents those forgotten and abandoned at the border, living a life of struggle.
Some Style / Fashion I’m Interested In
Loose definition perhaps, but I am continually fascinated with the photographs of Russian prisoners and their tattoos by Sergei Vasiliev from the 90’s and the symbolism and meanings that such tattoos contain. There is a series of informative interviews here.
Some Tech I’m Interested In
I listen to lots of podcasts – when I’m getting ready, cooking or on the move. The non-art-related podcasts that continually feature include Today in Focus, The Rest is Politics and Diary of a CEO. Also, during the football season, the Guardian Football Weekly and during the summer, Test Match Special, for cricket. Art wise, I enjoyed the discontinued ‘Collect Wisely’ by gallerist Sean Kelly which interviewed a range of art collectors.
Some Music I’m Interested In
I have a bad habit of over-listening to songs, usually quite an eclectic mix. Right now, I’m into Jlin, slow mornings with Low (think backing track to Jon Giorno/Thanx for Nothing) and working to Max Richter (Vivaldi Recomposed, 2014).
A museum or gallery show recommendation
I am looking forward to the Mike Kelley exhibition at the Tate Modern. In recent years, having seen fragments of his diverse and expansive practice in exhibitions or auctions, to have it all under one roof, feels unmissable.
For a gallery exhibition – Wakefield-based Zoë Carlon has her second exhibition at South Parade this October. Her paintings on aluminium are an exploration of solitude experienced within communal spaces, and the transitory moments as we move through these spaces, such as restaurants, cafes or cruise ships.
I’ll nominate writer and gallerist Laurie Barron from The Artist Room. Our galleries opened at a similar time and I loved their recent show by Joseph Jones.
