Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top 5 exhibitions to see in London. If you are looking for more exhibitions, check out his previous top 5.
Richard Avedon: Facing West at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill
A uranium miner and a coal miner covered in mud and soot, an undocumented migrant worker, shirtless and bearing scars. This is a world away from the fashion photography of Richard Avedon, and it’s all the stronger for it. With his stark black-and-white portraits of the working classes from the heartland of the USA in 1985, there’s a rawness and a personal touch to each image. Until 14th March.
Jihye Park: When the stars fall asleep at Rhodes
The natural world meets the straight lines of the man-made as animals are placed throughout a hedge maze, and cacti pop up through and around a window frame. Is this nature reclaiming our world, imposing our structures on nature, or a bit of both? These surreal and magical scenes are brilliantly painted, and you discover new details on repeat viewings. Until 28th February.
GBA 2025 Winners Exhibition at TM Lighting Gallery
Ten early-career sculptors were tasked with creating work on the future of our planet, how we’re changing it, and how we can live more sustainably. It’s a varied exhibition that includes a water tower by Amanda Cornish, whose tiles are made from Earth extracted from the banks of the Thames, each tile bearing a museum-style tag. Another highlight is Bev Duckworth’s pressed plant life atop discarded leopard print clothing, an imitation of nature colonised by nature itself. This year’s guest curator is Freeny Yiani, owner of CLOSE gallery. Until 11th March.
Kari Anne Helleberg Bahri: The Second Skin at BlueRider Art
We often associate soiled and discarded clothing with times of war and tragedy, but in Kari Anne Helleberg Bahri’s hands, they become joyful works. We’re encouraged to get hands-on with work made from gloves, touching them with our own hands, since they no longer house their own. Whether it’s oven gloves or shirts, these clothes were our second skin, and she wants them embraced once more. Until 15th March.
Massimilliano Gottardi: Zero at Alice Amati
Can we alter our fate, and can we sway it in our favour? It’s the question asked in this surreal exhibition, where clovers are growing inside an icosahedron filled with insulation. Maybe a four-leafed one will eventually appear, while a giant structure made of wax has had holes melted through it, splattering wax on the floor. Downstairs, it gets trippier in the dark, as tanks of water hold cutlery, a wax-paper aeroplane, and a stereo, as if they are time capsules holding on to past memories. Until 28th February.
All images are copyright of the respective artist and gallery. Avedon image: © The Richard Avedon Foundation, Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd, Courtesy Gagosian. GBA awards photo: David Owens. Alice Amati photo: Tom Carter.
