Tabish Khan the @LondonArtCritic picks his top 6 exhibitions to see in London, and one outside London, in November.
Ken Currie: The Crossing @ Flowers Gallery
I love the looming Gothic figures afloat on a dark blue sea – you can almost feel the cold sea spraying off his works. A ferryman and a blindfolded horse await you within the darkened gallery space. It’s intense, it’s brooding and it’s top-drawer painting. Until 16th November.
Saroj Patel: Journey of the Blue Sun @ The Old Fire Station, Oxford
Be immersed in light, colour and sound from a cool blue room before venturing into a space filled with red, yellow and orange garlands. Combining her Indian heritage and related work with textiles she’s created magical worlds we can escape into. Until 16th November.
Emma Prempeh: Wandering Under a Shifting Sun @ Tiwani Contemporary
Based on memories, people and places, Emma Prempeh has created strong figurative and interior paintings that capture domestic moments. Fittingly the show includes a living room installation downstairs complete with carpet and lamp to complete the feeling of home in this show. Until 16th November.
Su Yu-Xin: Precious @ Albion Jeune
Paintings made using crushed-up organic materials and works featuring a dip that maps to the contours of ocean basins. These political works use pigments referencing the human history of environmental destruction including copper extracted from mining, bleached coral caused by warming oceans and the cowrie shells used as currency in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Until 17th November.
Disturbing Darlings @ Shoreditch Modern
Re-purposed Furbys made into even creepier creatures, doll heads in animal hybrids, and animals in plastic bags. It’s playful but also has an edge that makes you think that if this was a horror movie those artworks would come alive, it’s great if you’re missing your Halloween fix. Until 16th November.
Laura Holmes: I am in Ostrich @ D-contemporary
if you want to go abstract and colourful this is how you do it – big paintings you get engulfed and immersed in. Throw in a playful dance floor you can walk on to and it results in a fun and joyous exhibition. Until 16th November.
All images copyright the gallery and artist. Saroj Patel photo: Hannah Pye. Emma Prempeh photo: Deniz Guzel.
