Never mind whatever we said last time, that was then, this, once again is about this week and next and cake and yes you are right, we haven’t done this for a month or two, we just haven’t been that excited, not  to the power of five anyway. However, here we go with five more art things. five art things, five more art things happening somewhere around right now (or any moment now). Five art shows to check out in the coming days. An (almost) weekly round up of recommended art events. Five shows, exhibitions or things we rather think might be worth checking out. Mostly London things for that is where we currently operate and explore, and like we said last time, these five recommendations come with no claims that they are “the best five” or the “Top Five”, we’re not one of those annoying art websites that ignore most things whilst claiming to be covering everything and proclaiming this or that to be the “top seven things” or the “best things this weekend”. This Five Things thing is simply a regular list of five or so recommended art things happening now or coming up very soon that we think you might find as interesting as we think we will…

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1: Margarita Godgelf and Jess de Zilva – On big and small battles at Curious Kudu – opening on 3nd August and running until 27th August with an opening night on 3rd August (6 until 9pm) – A joint exhibition from artists Margarita Godgelf and Jess de Zilva entitled on big and small battles, showcasing two artistic approaches that explore the complex nature of human existence through the medium of oil painting.

“While both artists work primarily with oil on canvas to depict human figures, their approaches are distinct yet complementary. In her series ‘The Rite of Spring’ de Zilva presents a collection that speaks of recalibration. The paintings express a desire and force to create harmony and the need for hope. ‘Spring’ is symbolised in the colour yellow, as a daffodil and used as a metaphor for a fresh start. De Zilva’s painted female figures are testing unknown waters and reaching into hazy dreamlike spaces, balancing awkwardly, and even trying to blend in among penguins. While some are gentle, careful and considered others are more actively engaged. With clenched fists they are battle-ready. There’s a knife camouflaged among the greenery. Perhaps this cause for harmony requires a different kind of energy too?

“The world has changed so quickly. Serious items have snuck their way into our lives. They have managed to grow like rot that starts behind the shed, and spreads underground unnoticed and unattended until it’s already reached the foundations of the house you live in. I know this sounds grim. Yet, we need to hope and try and put in the effort. That’s what these works are about.”

Margarita Godgelf’s project “Nothing Personal” features faceless characters that act as conduits to explore the depths of the human psyche. Her paintings intentionally shift the focus from physicality and gender differences, erasing age-old conventions and clichés imposed on behaviour. Margarita creates a kind of secret room filled with images and revelations. This space is devoid of geographical coordinates and often exists outside of time, lying on the boundary between the real and metaphysical worlds.

Speaking about the universal, I talk about loneliness, infantilism, anxiety and dependence on society, creating the desire to close down and simultaneously declare oneself, prompting one to broadcast the alter ego. By using familiar visual cues such as stickers and selfie gestures, we endeavour to conform to societal expectations.

My faceless characters serve as conduits, through which we descend into the recesses of our beings and encounter our authentic selves. This juncture of self-revelation may prove exceedingly painful, yet unfailingly yields salutary insights.

While Margarita’s work evokes stillness, contemplation, and introspection, Jess’ art represents dynamics, hope, and the search for a path. Although they might seem contradictory, they are, in fact, two consecutive steps of the same thought process inherent to human history.

The pandemic has had a profound impact on both artists. For Margarita, the forced self-isolation served as a creative impulse to continue her project “Nothing Personal,” initially conceived as a feminist endeavour. People wearing protective masks reminded her of the veiled characters she had painted since 2005. As people sought support from society and turned to social media, personal boundaries blurred, and the hidden depths of the subconscious were exposed.

In contrast, de Zilva highlighted the emotional chaos and confusion brought on by the pandemic. In her thought-provoking allegories, she combined the figure’s poses and expressions with backdrops, symbolic and familiar pandemic-related objects.

Both artists chose realistic painting as their preferred medium to tackle artistic challenges. Their art invites the viewer to engage with universal themes and experiences that are relatable to us all. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to view their works displayed side-by-side.

The opening reception for the exhibition will take place on August 3rd from 6-9pm, and both artists will be present to discuss their work. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend. The exhibition runs from August 2nd to 27th at the Curious Kudu Gallery,117 Queen’s Rd, London SE15 2EZ.

2: Stéphanie Brossard and Jesús Hilario-Reyes at Frieze, No.9 Cork Street – 28th June until 13th August 2023 –  A show Curated by Ben Broome: Stéphanie Brossard ‘Notre Dame Des Laves’ and Jesús Hilario-Reyes ‘Waywardly in Low Tide’. There’s almost something interestin over the two floors of number nine, – Notre Dame Des Laves presents the work of Réunionese artist Stéphanie Brossard for the first time in the UK. Two large format installations will be exhibited, both concerning the ecology of La Réunion. Glissement de terrain and Rendez-vous are informed by the omnipresence of disaster for Réunion residents (with the threat of hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions punctuating daily life). Through these works, Brossard confronts the violence of forced assimilation and cultural upheaval that arises when natural disaster collides with the socio-economic conditions of the French colony.

Waywardly in Low Tide presents a series of sculptural works by Puerto-Rican and Dominican artist Jesús Hilario-Reyes. Utilising sound installation, concrete, metal, salt, hosiery and dehydrated hog bladders, this new body of work pulls from the artist’s ongoing exploration of fugitivity through the modes of queer nightlife, the carnival, and ‘destierro’ (an untranslatable Spanish term most closely meaning ‘being torn from the land’).

The gallery is obviously found at 9 Cork Street, London, W1S 3LL. The space is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am until 6pm

3: Charmaine Evans – Differing Perspectives at Bermondsey Project Space – A one day pop up is how this one is being billed, the day being 27th July (6pm until 9pm) and the exhibition featuring ehat looks to be a rather rewarding “collection of artworks created with a dramatic mysterious narrative acquiring multiple interpretations. Looking at the differing perspectives of social and political issues through the eyes of artist Charmaine Evans”.

“These artworks derive from photographs and news articles, which are then researched through art history and transformed into paintings,videos and sculptures. With the intention of creating a suspenseful rhythm for a lasting thought provoking impact for the viewer.  Charmaine Evans is a Brighton based artist who works intuitively to create artworks permeated in an anonymous dramatic autobiographical narrative clouded in mystery. Working from photographs and news articles transforming them from their original source material into paintings, videos or sculptures.  She works instinctively using an intentional meeting of the mind and body in a physiological space filled with tension”.

Bermondsey Project Space is at is at 183-185 Bermondsey Street (pretty much adjacent to White Cube Bermondsey), London, SE1 3UW. The show is followed by The New Masters, a show that runs from 28th until 30th July with a so called private view on Friday 28th July, 6 – 9pm, a rather bold statement from The University of Brighton and a group show featuring their current crop of artists

4: Joachim Lambrechts – No Regrets at Kristin Hjellegjerde Melior Place – opening on the 28th July and running until August 26th, with a private view opening, where you could end up getting a tattoo if you’re not careful, on Thursday 27th July (6.30 until 9pm – “For his latest solo exhibition at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, Lambrechts combines his signature use of witty word-play and bold, idiosyncratic imagery to explore the ways in which we express our identities and look for meaning in an increasingly homogenous world”.

“What does it mean to tattoo the words ‘No Regrets’ on to your skin? Is it a command or a mantra, a hope or a provocation? In Joachim Lambrechts’s latest series of paintings, faces, bare muscular torsos and shapely limbs appear heavily embellished with popular tattoo slogans and motifs against brightly coloured backgrounds.

‘It seems that today, surrounded by an abundance of information, material and influences, people are more than ever searching for themselves and a sense of belonging,’ says Lambrechts. ‘The irony is, of course, that all of this information actually gets in the way. We are fed ideals by social media and advertising so that we all end up wanting to wear the same clothes, to go to the same places, to get the same tattoos while at the same time longing to be unique.’ It is this paradox that lies at the heart of the exhibition. In each of the paintings, the figure is made simultaneously original, through the combination of symbols etched on to their body, and anonymous.

Lambrechts sees tattoos as a form of visual storytelling – sometimes quite literally as in the painting Hard Times where the words ‘BLAME SOCIETY HARD TIMES’ are inked around the figure’s eyes – but also as a second skin or mask. In all three of the portrait paintings, for example, the features of each individual’s face are barely distinguishable amid the many images that surround them. Elsewhere, in the two paintings titled No Regrets, we encounter depictions of the male and the female torso that appear almost like pin-up posters or advertisements – both bodies are unnaturally sculpted to an image of ‘perfection’ while every inch of exposed skin is covered in tattoos ranging from skulls and flowers to knives, tear drops and the initials KH (present in every painting as a nod to Kristin Hjellegjerde gallery). Both figures have the slogan ‘No Regrets’ inked onto their stomachs: the message here is defiant and challenging, as if they are daring the viewer to judge the choices that they have made, but it is also ironic. The often-spontaneous decision to get a tattoo becomes a permanent mark on the skin, not only altering the person’s appearance but also the way in which they are perceived by others.

At the same time, Lambrechts notes that there has been a significant shift in how tattoos are perceived in the Western world. While tattoos were once more commonly associated with marginal or criminal groups, today they are mainstream. As Lambrechts puts it, ‘It’s almost conversative not to have one. Tattoos have become like another type of clothing or social costume.’ This is perhaps most clearly expressed by the painting Louboutins, which depicts two tattooed women’s legs walking in high-heeled black shoes. The painting uses humour to poke fun at consumerism (the brand name is split apart by a hyphen to suggest a particular pronunciation and punctuated by an exclamation mark), but at the same time, it’s easy to imagine it being adopted as an advertisement for a luxury brand which is looking to appeal to a generation of younger, edgier consumers.

For Lambrechts, the absorption of tattoos into the mainstream is no bad thing: they are a form of accessible, wearable art and in many ways, these bold, dynamic paintings are a celebration of unbridled self-expression and creativity. And yet, they also ask us to consider who or what is driving the choices that we make and how we create narratives about ourselves and others.

On the occasion of Joachim Lambrechts exhibition’s private view scheduled for Thursday, the 27th of July,  Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery is excited to welcome a renowned guest tattoo artist, Tomas Redrey. During the event, Redrey will be doing flash tattoos that derive inspiration from Lambrechts’ striking artworks. We hope that this unique event will become an unforgettable and immersive experience for all!”

Kristin Hjellegjerde Melior Place is at 2 Melior Place, London Bridge, London, SE1 3SZ. The gallery is open Tuesday until Sunday, 10an until 6pm. There’s also a Bertram Hasenauer show opennig at the same time inthe same place – “Eight Minutes, the Austrian artist’s first solo exhibition at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, presents a new series of intense, concentrated works that reflect on the painting process itself and the ways in which we read and understand images”.

5: Nicholas Ferguson – Perspective at The Coningsby Gallery – Opening on Monday 31st July and running until 12th August – “British-Swiss painter, Zoom-portrait artist, and poet Nicholas Ferguson will present a series of paintings exploring the relationship between the ego, represented by the goat, and creative genius, represented by the featherless rooster, at The Coningsby Gallery”.

“London-based artist Nicholas Ferguson’s Perspective at The Coningsby Gallery is his first solo show and will showcase a series of striking self-portraits and paintings paired with poetry, likened in their palette to the works of Peter Doig and Edvard Munch and compared thematically to Surrealism.

Ferguson believes in the transformative power of art, and he is interested in how the ego, while serving to keep us safe, can prevent us reaching our full, unbounded potential. In his paintings, the goat (ego) and the featherless rooster (creative genius) are set within fantastical narratives that occur to him intuitively.

He has exhibited in numerous group shows in London, Italy and Switzerland, winning the ‘Most Uplifting’ award at the Lockdown Collective exhibition at the Department Store gallery, Brixton, in 2021. His work can be viewed @TheColourofSplash

“Self-reflective” zoom-portrait commissions are another part of Nicholas Ferguson’s practice, and those interested in commissioning a portrait are invited to contact The Coningsby Gallery.

The Coningsby Gallery is found at30 Tottenham Street, London, W1T 4RJ.The gallery is open Monday-Friday 9am until 6pm or by appointment on weekends.