Alright, art enthusiasts, guess what? June has arrived, and you know what that means? Summer is making its swift entrance, so it’s time to ditch the indoors and embark on an artistic adventure through the captivating realm of London’s art galleries and their exhibitions. Brace yourselves for a delightful assortment of shows that will tantalize your senses and broaden your creative horizons.
First up on our fabulous list is an exhibition that draws inspiration from the rich tapestry of bathing scenes in the history of painting. Prepare to be immersed in a world of artistic expression as you explore the various interpretations showcased in this exhibition. Dive into the depths of creativity and emerge refreshed and enlightened.
But wait, there’s more! From diverse mediums, which include textile, sculpture, writing, collage, and video, that transport you to a realm where imagination knows no bounds to contemporary designs showcasing the power of objects in societal expectations of beauty and representation. Oh, and did we mention the rebellious characters that defiantly challenge the constraints of our world? Prepare to be captivated by their audacity, clever humour, subtle irony, and some fine portraiture that points towards the future of contemporary African art.
Now, without further ado, let’s present the grand finale: Here are our Five Exhibitions To See In London In June 2023. Get ready to embark on an artistic journey of discovery that will undoubtedly leave you feeling inspired, entertained, and hungry for more. So grab your fancy art goggles, and let’s dive into the cultural oasis that awaits us in the heart of this vibrant city!
Five Exhibitions In London To See In June 2023
Bathers at Saatchi Yates
This June, Saatchi Yates will present ‘Bathers’– a major group exhibition drawing from the rich tradition of Bathing scenes in the history of painting, in ode to the ultimate summer muse. Tracing its genesis to classical antiquity, artists have depicted the bathing figure over the ages, from the French Masters appreciation of natural beauty, to its radical reconstruction by Picasso. Today, this tradition continues to captivate the imagination, with the new exhibition at Saatchi Yates exploring this enduring subject, grounded in the birth of Venus from the sea.
The exhibition will bring together a collection of contemporary art, presented alongside renowned Post-War and Historical Masters including David Hockney, Paul Cezanne, J. M. W. Turner and Pablo Picasso. Contemporary stars such as Hurvin Anderson, Peter Doig, Henry Taylor, Eric Fischl, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye will feature in the show, creating an artistic tapestry that reflects the breadth and diversity of the Bathers theme across the history of art. Notable pieces from Jean-Baptiste Oudry, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Damien Hirst, and Auguste Rodin will also be on display.
Bathers at Saatchi Yates
Thursday 1 June – Mid-August 2023
14 Bury Street
St James’s
London SW1Y 6AL
MOKI CHERRY: HERE AND NOW
ICA London presents the first solo exhibition in a UK institution of Swedish artist, designer and educator, Moki Cherry (1943 – 2009). The exhibition explores Cherry’s expansive and collaborative practice across textile, sculpture, painting, drawing, writing, collage, and video. Here and Now displays over 30 artworks and archival material of Moki Cherry including works that have never been shown in the UK.
The exhibition celebrates her exploration of where art and life meet, her collaborative and interdisciplinary practice, and her inventive resolve in the face of gendered challenges working both as an artist and mother – issues which remain pertinent to artists and audiences today. Drawn entirely from the Estate of Moki Cherry, this exhibition presents a rare chance for the public to view these privately held works, which remain preciously cared for by her family.
The title of the exhibition is inspired by an untitled drawing, an abstracted figure with arms outstretched embracing the words ‘Here & Now’ against a cloudlike landscape alongside a star and birds. It reflects the artist’s longstanding study and practice of Buddhism and its teachings which focus on being in the present, rather than dwelling on the past or speculating on the future. Characteristic of Moki’s playful use of language, it recalls her jazz musician husband Don Cherry’s 1976 album Hear & Now, for which Moki designed the cover using appliqué and collage.
MOKI CHERRY: HERE AND NOW
Wednesday 31 May – Sunday 27 August 2023
ICA London
The Mall, St. James’s
London SW1Y 5AH
SIMONE BREWSTER: THE SHAPE OF THINGS
NOW Gallery on London’s Greenwich Peninsula will presentits 2023 Design Commission, The Shape of Things, by one of the leading voices in contemporary design Simone Brewster. Open to the public between 29 June – 24 September, The Shape of Things is an exploration of the power of objects to communicate societal expectations of beauty, representation, and the talismanic qualities of objects that we use to empower ourselves. The exhibition explores the concept of “intimate architecture” the affect that texture and three dimensional form have on memory and emotion. The Shape of Things is an emotive display of objects that gain significant personal meaning from the tension and interaction between itself and its audience.
The exhibition presents a diverse range of works from furniture to painting, jewellery and sculpture that investigate the hidden linguistics behind design that are inherently entwined with societal norms and ideas of race, gender, equality and more. The Shape of Things encourages the viewers to reconsider their perception of everyday objects and the way we interact with them. Celebrating Brewster’s multidisciplinary approach to design and architecture, the boldly-coloured and geometric design envelops the viewers in an immersive display of colour and form. The viewers are also invited to use stamps designed by Brewster to create new designs inspired by her strong visual language.
SIMONE BREWSTER: THE SHAPE OF THINGS
29 June – 24 September 2023
NOW Gallery
The Gateway Pavilions
Peninsula Square
Greenwich Peninsula
London SE10 0SQ
Javier Calleja: Still on time
Javier Calleja‘s expressionistic children with their pale pink cheeks are not as naïve as they seem. Over the last several years, the Spanish artist has been portraying them in paintings, drawings, sculptures, and installations where they have the rare ability to instantly transmit a feeling, emotion, or state of mind to the viewer. But what these characters and their short missives tell us either candidly or mischievously is about our particular place in the world. As they adapt to the contemporary environment, they subtly jeer at the absurdity of our time through poeticized quotidian scenes.
Though he has a major exhibition at the Centro Cultural Fundacion Unicaja (Palacio Episcopal) in his native Malaga since March 2023, Javier Calleja here presents some twenty new paintings and drawings, thoughtfully assembled to offer a rich and exhaustive synthesis of a pictorial universe in constant evolution. Still children or not quite teenagers, his signature characters resist the world, sometimes with tenderness, sometimes with a casual rebelliousness, and always with a keen sense of humor or touch of irony.
Javier Calleja: Still on time
1 June–29 July 2023
Almine Rech
Broadbent House
Grosvenor Hill
London, W1K 3JH
United Kingdom
Cherry Aribisala, David Olatoye: Tête À Tête
Pi Artworks London is delighted to present Tête-À-Tête, a duo exhibition featuring the works of emerging Nigerian contemporary painters Cherry Aribisala, (UK) and David Olatoye, (Nigeria).
Co-curated by Kayode Adegbola and Jade Turanli, this exhibition triggers a dialogue between two artists whose practices transcend the realm of portraiture and point towards the future of contemporary African art. Coinciding with London Gallery Weekend, this show aims to champion the distinct pictorial style and influences of these two emerging artists.
Cherry Aribisala draws inspiration from comic books and the Pop Art Movement of the 1960s to create figurative portraits of Black subjects surrounded by recurring floral motifs. Her new series of paintings interweaves escapism, world-building, and visual storytelling while rejecting artistic limitations on media or form. David Olatoye, on the other hand, is best known for his meticulously executed stylised portraits that merge figuration and interior design.
His works blend idealism and accentuates intimate moments with a focus on familial relationships, everyday life activities, and daydreaming. His new body of work can be interpreted as an ode to self—interrogating the uncertainty of life while honouring self-care. He illustrates a personal visual journey through oblique perspectives and experiments with pictorial space to conceal our surface understanding of what we are seeing.
Cherry Aribisala, David Olatoye: Tête À Tête
25 May–10 June 2023
Pi Artworks
55 Eastcastle Street
London, W1W 8EG
United Kingdom
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