Tabish Khan, the @LondonArtCritic, picks his top gallery exhibitions to see, all within walking distance. If you are looking for more exhibitions, check out his previous top 5.
Sabrina Tirvengadurum: Beauty Fall at Space Ilford
Beauty standards have now become even more surreal, with AI tools that let you submit your face for analysis, then rank you and suggest how to improve it. Sabrina Tirvengadurum tackles this in a brilliant exhibition that highlights how beauty standards are Eurocentric, with a machine that can analyse your face and faux beauty products with satirical names such as ancestral erasure balm and symmetry setting spray. Until 24 October.
Gabriel Orozco: Chronotopic at White Cube, Bermondsey
This is an exhibition filled with inventiveness and playfulness. We walk in under a ceiling filled with umbrellas, so we assume the soundtrack is rainfall, only to realise it’s applause. A room is filled with beams from a destroyed temple, with little toy Ferraris placed upon them, and one of his most famous works, the Citroën DS, sliced into pieces and reassembled into a narrower car, is the show-stealer. There are works on paper, ceiling fans dragging fabric and a lot more that I won’t pretend to understand. We’re in the world of Orozco’s imagination, and it’s a joy to explore it. Until 8th November.
The Wages of Decadence at James Freeman Gallery
This excellent group exhibition brings together the biblical post-apocalyptic paintings of Elena Unger with the more ecological yet equally haunting work of Juliette Losq. Alongside them are the glittery, striking sculptures by Carolein Smit featuring Achilles’s leg and a waiting skeleton, paired with the smaller sculptures by Edgar Ward that reference the underworld and art history. All four artists are excellent in their own right and work well together here. Until 10th October.
Taring Padi: Rakyat Pasti Menang at Ibraaz
Indonesian collective Taring Padi presents its large-scale protest banners, which feature references to the country’s history, including historic protests, references to mass graves, politicians and the military. It has a powerful presence in a space designed for gathering and discussion. The exhibition is split into two chapters, each examining the country’s issues in the aftermath of the Suharto dictatorship. Until 22nd November.
Quentin James McCaffrey at Alison Jacques
A frame sits on the floor as if waiting to be hung, or maybe one that has fallen from the wall? Slivers of light hit the walls, and other paintings feature mirrors with reflections that shouldn’t be possible, given that the viewer isn’t in them. These works sit somewhere between the real and the surreal and are brilliantly executed. Until 3rd October.
All images are copyrighted and courtesy of the respective gallery and artist. Sabrina Tirvengadurum photo: David Mirzoeff. Ibraaz photo: Ollie Hammick.
