• London’s contemporary art offerings are abundant and varied, so my route takes you on a wide sweep of the city—from south, to central, to east—to visit familiar faces and new discoveries.
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    London’s contemporary art offerings are abundant and varied, so my route takes you on a wide sweep of the city—from south, to central, to east—to visit familiar faces and new discoveries. It’s a full day, so pace yourself and take a moment to rest when you need it.

     

    Start with Rae-Yen Song’s exhibition at William Hine in Camberwell. This is their debut solo show in London and also precedes their largest institutional exhibition to date, at Tramway, Glasgow—where they are based, and my hometown—later this year. Song’s work does not hold back; it is always maximal, always building worlds. It's great to see them included in this year’s London Gallery Weekend.

     

    I’m a fan of SOUP and the artists they work with, so the next stop is Tulani Hlalo’s solo exhibition, which I’m sure will not disappoint. From there, I recommend heading north to Lisson Gallery. (You can take the Number 136 or 343 bus to Elephant & Castle, and from there the Bakerloo line to Edgware Road—or brave the 40-minute cycle.) There, take some time with Omar Kholeif’s curated group show, which spans the gallery’s two spaces, courtyards, windows and adjacent street corners. I’m intrigued by the show’s exploration of polyglotism, and the idea of speaking from various places at once.

     

    Next, back on the Bakerloo line—this time to Oxford Circus for Pace Gallery. They’re staging the first solo exhibition in Europe of works by Australian artist Emily Kam Kngwarray, who I’m ashamed to admit is new to me. Her work feels like something that needs to be seen in person to fully grasp its tones, marks and rhythms. With Tate’s retrospective opening in July, this offers a more intimate chance to spend time with the work.

     

    Then head to WORKPLACE—another gallery I love and who represent some of my favourite artists. They’re staging three solo exhibitions: Ki Yoong, Eve Ackroyd and Joseph Jones. Each of these artists makes very gentle, tender paintings, and I’m enjoying softness in art at the moment. During last year’s LGW, I visited my friend James Fuller’s brilliant show at South Parade, so I’m looking forward to seeing their exhibition this year of paintings by Judith Dean. I’m interested in the way she brings together images sourced from the public domain—specifically Wikimedia Commons—to form a kind of visual conversation.

     

    To finish, head east to Public Gallery and Nicoletti. Public works with some of my all-time favourite artists, like Adam Farah Saad, so I’ll definitely be making a visit to Dottie Attie’s show. At Nicoletti, don’t miss a stellar line-up of artists: Abbas Zahedi, Akeem Smith, Chloé Quenum, Diane Cescutti, Haroun Hayward, Tanoa Sasraku and Theresa Weber—a fitting final stop.

  • Route

    London’s contemporary art offerings are abundant and varied, so my route takes you on a wide sweep of the city—from south, to central, to east—to visit familiar faces and new discoveries.