Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top exhibitions to see across London this Summer. If you are looking for more exhibitions, check out his previous top 5.
Christo: Air at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill
We often take the air around us for granted, but it’s given presence and weight in this exhibition, where a large piece of polyethylene bound with ropes keeps the air hanging above us, as if it could come crashing down as we walk under it and our heads skim its surface. This work by Christo and Jean-Claude dominates the gallery space, which also includes sketches, maquettes, and a Volvo wrapped in fabric. Until 21st August.
Dale Lewis: Lost Illusions at Edel Assanti
While holding onto his usual critique of contemporary British society, Dale Lewis has got more personal with his paintings, including one that incorporates memories of his deceased grandfather, and lots of flowers and butterflies, reflecting his recent studying of horticulture. The work that grabbed my attention was the Christmas Tree whose baubles reference protests over asylum hotels, and the legacies of COVID and Brexit. Until 14th August.
Nor here, Nor there at Robilant
This is the first exhibition since the gallery (formerly Robilant & Voena) split into two separate galleries. Robilant has assembled impressive contemporary artists, including a landscape made of fish hooks by Yoan Capote and Vittorio Marella’s tender figurative works of bodies seen from behind. I was also drawn to Raya Kassisieh’s copper roots, leaves and stem that appear to be both living and dying, made all the more poignant by the artist’s Palestinian heritage. Until 7th August.
Anna Freeman Bentley: Conduits at Lehmann Maupin
Each one of these paintings of domestic interiors is filled with details that hint at who may live here, whether that be in the curtains, the chairs or the lampshades. It probes our own assumptions about wealth, class, gender and every other defining characteristic we apportion to persons who aren’t even there. Until 14th August.
Willi Siber: Dimension V – Baroque Nature at Bluerider
Dips, curves, holes and colours in these works mean you have to resist the temptation to run your hands across them. The artist applies no narrative to the works, and they feel like a playful exploration of creating abstract forms in all their variations. Each piece will have you guessing what it’s made of in this illusory exhibition. Until 16th August.
All images are copyrighted by the respective artists and galleries. Christo photo: © Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. Courtesy Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation and Gagosian. Dale Lewis photo: Tom Carter. Robilant photo: Eva Herzog.
