Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top 5 exhibitions to see in London in late January. If you’re after more shows, check out last week’s top 5 where all remain open to visit.
Jakkai Siributr @ Flowers Gallery
These colourful textiles are eye-catching from a distance but they only reveal their full power when you get up close. The works depict important themes such as the racism and violence against minorities during the COVID-19 pandemic and the plight of minority groups in Myanmar who fled to Thailand. You want to examine all the little details even if they sometimes make you want to look away. Until 8th February.
Hiva Alizadeh @ Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London Bridge
These multi-coloured hanging works made from synthetic hair are gorgeous and you can touch them, gently. The works also tie back to the artist’s Persian heritage and its traditions of rug making and carpet weaving, as well as the religious symbolism of hair being a link between the human and divine in Zoroastrianism and Hinduism. Until 1st February.
Georgina Odell: Childhood Souvenirs @ Soho Revue
We all have fleeting childhood memories, but Georgina Odell has integrated them into her art. Those folding paper fortune tellers we all made at school are cast into metal, and school name tags are woven into a large wall piece. It’s a memorialisation of her school days and for most of us a dose of nostalgia. Until 8th February.
Fucshia: Delicate beings @ Kristin Hjellegjerde, Wandsworth
Through paintings and sculpture, artist Fucshia creates worlds that could be underwater or on another planet, combining references to historical paintings with a sci-fi feel. They combine the kitsch and surreal and they leave you wanting to dive into the details and figure out the story in each painting. Until 8th February.
Gloam @ Vivienne Roberts
The exhibition combines two aesthetically contrasting artists who use gold in their work and its relation to the sacred. Nick Fox’s subtle works involve the symbolism of flowers printed on delicate carbon paper and Greek ruins on cyanotypes. By contrast, Amanda Holiday’s works are bolder and more playful with heads making up the ‘pyramid of geezers’ and lots of dismembered fingers in ‘finger bowl’. The heads she uses in the works are based on the ceramic pots used as markers on the Underground Railroad in the US. Until 6th February.
All images copyright the artist and gallery. Fuchsia image copyright BJ Deakin Photography.
