Swan Lake In-the-Round
With no traditional proscenium arch or stage-wings, and little in the way of scenery, Derek Deane’s reimagining of the classic of all classic ballets brought a sensational aspect to Swan Lake.
“NAOMI: In Fashion” at the V&A
“It does not matter that you fall down but it matters how you deal with it” is a popular wisdom which perfectly applies to how Naomi Campbell’s model career was propelled by a famous mishap in 1993.
“Making Space” with Horsehair, Shoes and Production of Clothing
Sculptures, video installations, objects, and paintings of all sizes inhabit nine galleries, the Lecture Room and the Wohl Central Hall of the Royal Academy of Arts for his year’s Summer Exhibition.
“Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection” at Christie‘s London
Christie’s showcases “the late designer’s own wardrobe and features some of the most iconic looks Vivienne Westwod created and wore during the last four decades of her life”.
From Busy Bees to an Imaginary Sewing Machine. Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection at the V&A
The exhibition undoubtedly presents a rare possibility to see many extraordinary photographic works created from the 1950s to the present day.
Battles, Self-Portraits, Satires: Women Artists 1520-1920
The show introduces women creators of oil paintings, watercolours, pastels, sculptures, photography and “needle painting” in a chronological way. The stories are as varied as the individual biographies of the artists and their works.
Rachid Koraïchi: “Celestial Blue” at October Gallery London
Koraïchi’s forms are built with straight or curved lines, sometimes blocked together, Arabic writing, sometimes mirrored. Letters, signs and symbols which are combined in a unique way on each canvas are used by the artist as “associative proto-language”.
Out Shopping: The Dresses of Marion and Maud Sambourne (1880 – 1910)
This exhibition convinces with pieces from the Sambourne House collection which are shown for the first time ever at Leighton House and in Sambourne House. Included are “rare surviving examples by leading – often female – dressmakers of the era”.
Text(-ile) Monographies: Memories, Migration and Moon Landing
A monography is a “detailed written study of a single specialised subject or an aspect of it”. Several of the most interesting text(-ile) creations at this years’ Collect fair are dedicated towards studying some deeper layers of meaning behind what is visible at first sight.
“In Front of the Lake” Guatemalan Antonio Pichillá’s first solo-exhibition in Europe
A large textile hangs from the ceiling. It is made from various white and red pieces which were woven on a traditional backstrap loom. The yellow stripe on this textile’s surface meanders from bottom to top and reminds of a snake as the artwork is moving with the breeze of someone passing.
Sotheby’s “Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own”
The Sotheby’s exhibition “Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own” shows more than a thousand items of clothing and stage costumes as well as Kimonos and shoes which will be on offer during Sotheby’s auctions in August and September 2023.
Bring Change Through Beauty
Brunei Gallery in London highlights the beauty of Japanese recycling, showcasing objects made from cotton, hemp, bast fibres, washi (handmade paper) and more. Over a hundred objects from the Karun Thakar collection are exhibited.
Animals: Art, Science and Sound at the British Library
At Animals: Art, Science and Sound at the British Library we can admire Audubon’s life-sized American Barn Owls and many more exceptional objects that are waiting to be discovered. One of them is Leonardo da Vinci’s “Codex Arundel”, Florence 1500-1508, about the flight of birds…
Portraits of Dogs at The Wallace Collection
Have you ever tried to draw, sketch, or take a photo of a four-legged friend? A video which is part of the “Portraits of Dogs” exhibition at The Wallace Collection, London, depicts Hockney while drawing one of his dachshunds.
Political Luggage, Recycled Materials and Layered Stitches
Suitcases and bags are made for travelling. Artist Anthony Amoako-Attah’s pieces of luggage aim to transport a political message. Read about this and more at Collect 23, Somerset House.
Executions
Eliza Fenning chose the dress she would be wearing for this once in a lifetime event with extraordinary care. Rumours of the time had it that she wore the fashionable muslin gown she had intended to wear for her wedding for her execution instead. The new exhibition “Executions” can be seen at Museum of London Docklands
Spain and the Hispanic World at the Royal Academy of Arts
In “Spain and the Hispanic World” over 150 treasures from the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in New York culminate in a display. The Hispanic Society Museum & Library was founded in 1904 and is “home to the most extensive collection of Spanish and Hispanic art outside of Spain,” now presented in the UK for the first time.
Discarded Ropes and a Fibrous Forest of “Abakans”
Rectangular painted cotton, painted paper collages and charcoal drawings give an overview of materials and techniques Abakanowicz experimented with. Multimedia weaving pieces made of sisal, cotton, wool, false silk and horsehair prepare us for what is to come later. A special glimpse at the “interior design” of her studio is offered.
Bark, Bat Bones and Bodily Fluids
Sustainability is a much-discussed subject, including when it comes to art. The material aspect of the works in the show “Eye of the Sun” calls for special attention. Ilma Uglobari, formerly known as Ilma Savari, presents works which are made of mulberry or fig tree bark in her first solo exhibition outside of Papua New Guinea at the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery.
Tiny Traces: African & Asian Children at London’s Foundling Hospital
The exhibition Tiny Traces does not only invite to have a look at the surface of the fabric of empire – but more so we can let ourselves be absorbed into the deeper tissues of this fabric, made to follow some of the threads which are connected to today’s everyday life.