Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top 5 exhibitions to see in London in November and December. If you’re after more shows, check out last week’s top 5 painting shows, of which all but one remain open.
Goshka Macuga @ London Mithraeum
The artist has created a striking cave installation with sculptures hanging from the ceiling and erupting from the floor. Along the wall are loaned works from the Imperial War Museum’s collection showing the destruction of cities including an explosion, a raging fire and a dying horse impaled by a railing. Rebuilding on top of old ruins is the cycle of most cities and this exhibition and the Roman Mithraeum below it are a testament to that. Until 18th January.
Geumhyung Jeong: Under Construction @ ICA
Her fusion of electronic parts and the human skeleton may predict a future when humans and machines become irrevocably entwined. Scattering them around the exhibition makes us feel like we’re in the lab of a mad inventor creating Frankenstein’s monster. It’s eerie and unsettling, and I’m here for it.
Until 15th December.
Mythology Reinterpreted @ Mazzoleni
This exhibition unites living and dead artists who all focus on ancient myths, including Giulio Paolini’s three busts where the middle one has crumbled as the two on either side look on and Jorge Méndez Blake’s hyper-real drawings astonishingly made using coloured pencils, alongside a painting by Giorgio de Chirico. * Extended Until 24th January.
John Monks: Palette @ Long & Ryle
I’ve always loved John Monk’s ‘distressed’ style of painting interiors and this is another excellent array of those plus a few exterior landscapes in his trademark style. They are often painted at a large scale and it’s great to get lost in the details of his works. Until 10th January.
Nicola L.: I Am The Last Woman Object @ Camden Art Centre
It’s all about the body and touch in Nicola L’s show that’s both playful but also has a strong commentary on the treatment of women’s bodies as objects. She died in 2018 so we can’t touch a lot of works for preservation reasons but there is a giant fluffy sculpture we can clamber into, unzip and stick our hands and feet inside. It’s what her works were designed for and it makes the show so much more engaging. Until 29th December.
All images are copyrighted and courtesy of the respective venue and artist. ICA photo: Rob Harris. Mazzoleni image: Todd White photography.
