Hear that? Tick-tock, tick-tock! It’s not just the sound of the holiday countdown but also the call for dashing through the London‘s galleries before your Aunt Gertrude inevitably gifts you another scarf and sock set. So, don your best gallery-hopping boots, and let’s embark on a whirlwind tour of London’s artistic landscape with our Five Exhibitions To See In London In December 2023.
First up on our Five Exhibitions To See In London in December, is the Pictorum Gallery with ‘The Sudden Opening of Little Leaves.’ No, it’s not a botanical marvel, but rather an artistic feast featuring Tuesday Riddell, Emily Pope, and Polina Pak. Borrowing its poetic title from Sylvia Plath, this exhibit weaves personal tales of grief, life, and the art of art-making It’s a must-see as part of our curated Five Exhibitions To See In London in December.
But wait, our list of Five Exhibitions To See In London In December doesn’t stop there. Next, we saunter over to the Varvara Roza Galleries, where Winston Branch has turned the magnolia’s sweet scent into an art form. His latest large-scale wonders, born out of a prolific 2023, will leave you pondering long after you’ve left the gallery.
Then, we move on to Huxley-Parlour. Here, Catherine Repko unveils ‘A New Season’s Dawning’ – a canvas collection oozing with social rituals, memory, and a touch of nostalgia, all wrapped up in her signature muted tones. This exhibition is another highlight in our selection of Five Exhibitions To See In London In December 2023.
Fourth in line, Halcyon Gallery shakes things up with James McQueen‘s ‘If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming With You.’ It’s a pop art extravaganza starting with vintage Penguin Book covers and ending in a riot of satire, playfulness, and a cheeky monkey. Who knew cynicism could be this fun?
Finally, we land at Cob Gallery for the exhibition ‘Kindness and Hospitality from a Foreigner,’ diving into Chinaza Agbor‘s world. Expect a vibrant fusion of the figurative and abstract, where Agbor’s oil paintings explore Black female sexuality with a surrealistic twist. Hair glows, colors pop, and identities dance between conformity and joyous assertiveness.
And there you have it, our Five Exhibitions To See In London before you’re tucking into Christmas dinner. Remember, scarf and sock season is also gallery seaso
Five Exhibitions To See In London In December 2023
The Sudden Opening of Little Leaves
Pictorum Gallery is thrilled to present ‘The Sudden Opening of Little Leaves’ showcasing the work of Tuesday Riddell, Emily Pope, and Polina Pak. The exhibition’s title, ‘The Sudden Opening of Little Leaves,’ is taken from a journal entry by poet Sylvia Plath. Each of the artists showcase personal narratives that explore grief, life, death, and the ritualistic practice of making work.
The Sudden Opening of Little Leaves
Polina Pak , Tuesday Riddell , Emily Pope
16th November 2023 – 11th January 2024
Pictorum Gallery
2 Portman Square
London
W1H 6LA
Winston Branch “The Sweet Scent of Magnolia”
Varvara Roza Galleries is delighted to exclusively represent the artworks by the acclaimed British post-war and contemporary artist Winston Branch. In his exhibition “The sweet scent of magnolia”, Winston Branch will present his new body of work, consisting of large-scale canvases painted in his London studio during a prolific period in 2023. His preoccupation as an artist has been the re-examination of finding a more palatable means of expression. The excitement with which his paintings have developed over the years, has always been to explore the magic of paint: The way a total amorphous substance is transformed into an illusionary subject. It is the sensuality of the pigment of the paint that has captivated his inner voice.
Winston Branch “The Sweet Scent of Magnolia”
November 21st – December 19th 2023
Varvara Roza Galleries
Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street
St. James’s
London SW1Y 6BN
Image courtesy Huxley Parlour, London
Catherine Repko: a new season’s dawning
Huxley-Parlour is pleased to present London-based artist Catherine Repko’s second solo exhibition with the gallery, a new season’s dawning. The exhibition consists of a group of new large-scale canvases developed over the past year, exploring social rituals and symbolic moments of change and transition. Rendered in Repko’s distinct restrained and muted palette, this latest body of work continues the artist’s interest in memory, ancestry and nostalgia.
Catherine Repko: a new season’s dawning
HUXLEY-PARLOUR
1st December 2023 – 13th January 2024
45 Maddox Street
London W1S 4PE
James McQueen: If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming With You
If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming With You, the latest solo exhibition from pop artist James McQueen opens to the public at Halcyon Gallery in Mayfair on 15th November, displaying a new body of artwork using vintage Penguin Book covers as a starting point for bold and satirical paintings. The titles and sentiments on the book covers are evocative, playful and sometimes cynical. Working under a pseudonym, McQueen introduces an autobiographical dimension to the work with his trademark monkey, using this mischievous character as a kind of personal insignia.
McQueen remains an enigma in the art world, painting under a pseudonym since 2017. He explains: “Keeping behind the mask enables me to enjoy the creative process without being concerned about praise or recognition. I enjoy what I do and don’t want that to change or to be changed through judgement. I want my art to speak for itself.”
James McQueen: If You Ever Leave Me I’m Coming With You
15th November 2023 –7th January 2024
Halcyon Gallery
148 New Bond Street
London
W1S 2RL
Chinaza Agbor: Kindness and Hospitality from a Foreigner
The daughter of Nigerian migrants to the United States, Agbor’s work attempts to make sense of Black female identity through the prism of her own personal experience of growing up in the American South. Above all, as she puts it, she is motivated by the cycle that runs from ‘the death of self-esteem’ to the ever-repeated process of learning to love oneself anew as a Black woman.
Kindness and Hospitality from a Foreigner includes a suite of new oil paintings featuring Agbor’s distinctive fusion of figurative and abstract elements. Solarised patterns and planes of colour intersect with luminous skin tones as Agbor explores the inner workings of Black female sexuality. Her surrealistic compositions add auratic heat around certain bodily features – particularly hair – producing psychological portraits of an identity straining between the imperatives of conformity and difference, but nevertheless joyous and assertive.
Chinaza Agbor: Kindness and Hospitality from a Foreigner
25th November – 16th December 2023
Cob Gallery
205 Royal College St
London NW1 0SG
This was our Five Exhibitions To See In London In December 2023
Art Plugged is a contemporary platform inspired by a relationship with the broader arts communities. We provide our audience with curated insight into the world of art, from exhibitions to artist interviews and more.
