Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top gallery exhibitions to see in London this June. If you are looking for more exhibitions, check out his previous top 5.
Ambie Drew: Soft Bodies, Cold Machines at Arebyte
A pink dresser, soft toys, and all of this feels like a playful take on a teenage girl’s bedroom. However, there are darker undercurrents as Ambie Drew has purchased beauty items pushed to her by social media, and some look more like torture devices. The film in this exhibition includes vomiting, bleeding from the mouth and other disturbing imagery that highlight the dark side of the cult of beauty that is pushed on young women. Until 2nd August.
Emily Allchurch: Flow at James Freeman Gallery
Each work in this series marks a different point along the River Thames, separated by about 20 miles and by months of the year, so it takes us from the source in January to the mouth in December. Each work is a meticulous photo collage from the many photographs the artist has taken, filled with detail, from rubbish floating in the water to a graceful heron and the hulking Thames Barrier. Until 20th June.
Magda Kuca: Blood of my Blood at The Old Operating Theatre
Using older photography techniques, such as wet plate collodion and chemigrams, Magda Kuca’s works are placed throughout the museum. Given her mum is a surgeon, who also underwent cancer treatment, it’s a deeply personal exhibition in the perfect venue. Outlines of her mother and her are placed in the theatre, while some smaller works reference the history of healthcare, in an exhibition about how human bodies and lives fracture and repair. Until 18th June, ticketed.
Shao Fao: Refrain at White Cube, Mason’s Yard
These delicate drawings in ink on rice paper need to be seen up close to appreciate how phenomenally detailed they are; even cameras will fail to pick up all the subtle variations in shade. The theme of the oversized rabbit, eyes closed, appears regularly, and his bird and snake work is a stunner. Until 27th June. You can read our interview with Shao Fan: HERE
Taste and Decency at Gazelli Art House
Who defines what’s in good taste and what’s decent? All the artists in this group show consider this topic, whether it’s Rosie Gibbens’ fleshy patchwork of tongues and other body parts, plus her dangling eyeballs, or Rachel Maclean’s overly cutesy but not entirely happy baby surrounded by presents and pink balloons. Olivia Sterling has a Colin the Caterpillar cake being sliced, and there’s a Jann Haworth doll with her breasts exposed. Until 11th July.
All images are copyrighted and courtesy of the respective artists and galleries. Ambie Drew photo: Max Colson. White Cube photo: © Shao Fan. Photo © White Cube (Theo Christelis).
