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 are well into Frieze week and all that comes with it. Here, for what any of this is worth, 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…

And we should add, that entry to these recommended exhibitions and events, unless otherwise stated, is free.

1: Jesse Weidel, Charles Williams and Phil King, Citizens and Subjects at the born again New Art Projects –  We did already preview this three person show last week, but hey, it is good to have the gallery back in a new space, we’ve kind of missed it. More here- ORGAN PREVIEW: Fred Mann’s New Art Projects is to reopen as a new project space and show room in October with a show featuring Charles Williams, Phil King and Jesse Wiedel…

“Historically, being a non-Republican state, colonial Britain had subjects rather than citizens. Time of course stumbles on, as do stubborn common-sense habits and laws. Rather than an encyclopaedic ambition to make sense of any of this, the three painters in this show simply manifest the edges of contemporary life’s manifold circuses. It might be easy to dismiss their works as mere carnivalesque drollery, but no, weighty realism insists within the uncomfortable levity. Here, laughter is a form of self-defence and masks (thereby revealing) actual vulnerabilities; real subjectivities are invented.

Jesse Weidel lives and works in Eureka, California, and his paintings develop a dystopian nightmare vision of countercultural breakdown in that rural habitat of drug victims, just about inhabiting sickly religious and other mad delusions. Aliens and alienation stalk the land on BMX bikes ridden by prematurely aged methamphetamine visionaries. Entropic sourness infects his paintwork – there is no ‘outside’ to this sprawling hopeless habitat, which indeed feels theologically cosmic in scope.

Charles Williams might seem to hail from somewhere far away from such enervated horror and bad survival strategies, and yet even in one of England’s home counties, sun blasted Kent, there is infection underlying the relative NHS guaranteed gentility. Freakishness rears its head in the form of Williams’ odd animals, hinting at a kind of queasy animation, all treated with Delacroix-like painterly mastery that only adds to the incongruity. Williams is developing into a master colourist and yet, rather than decadent aristocratic Shakespearian and Orientalist romantic fantasies from lost empires, his eye is cast on local subjects. He doesn’t resist his caricaturist eye – the graphic crudities of Gillray and Rawlinson insist from beyond the 19th century, despite the refined paint passages that he expertly deploys.

Phil King ranges far and wide, a reluctant world citizen, and he too presents populations – half recognisable personages – paintings as leftover bits and pieces of grand projects. Dysfunctional crowds, (he painted a morbid Question Time audience artificially populated by deadly red-faced right-wing goons sitting uncomfortably alongside late great artists etc). He is currently struggling with a painting of the 2020 Cheltenham Racecourse crowd as the spread of deadly contagion in that officially sanctioned mass spreading event took hold. King’s work is a kind of history painting defined by partial, fragmentary, sensibilities. Horatio Nelson effigies and half recognizable film stars rub shoulders. His is an art of lookalikes and yet sometimes even that definition dissolves in painterly blur.

It might all seem to take the horrible and the awfully failing as humorous motif and thereby to stroll inappropriately beyond the pale, but participation in sanguine realism is not only a form of resistance but is also hopefully empowering, and these painters (both citizens and subjects) are great exemplars of it – while simply offering us unlikely ‘good paintings’.

New Art Projects, is now at Ground Floor, 357 City Road, London, EC1V 1LR. The Inaugural show at the new space begins on October 12th and will run until December 17th 2023. There’s a two DAY private view weekend October 14/15th 11am until 6pm

2: Nicole Eisenman, What Happened at Whitechapel Gallery – 11th October until 14th January 2024 – The Whitechapel  isn’t generally the kind of gallery that needs our coverage, then again you could say that in terms of most of what we’re covering this Frieze week, we are mostly  interested in the artist-led spaces and events and Whitechapel did rather mess up First Thurday and mess around the galleries involved. but hey, a Nicole Eisenman retrospective –  “This Autumn, we present the first major UK retrospective of the artist Nicole Eisenman (b.1965, Verdun, France, lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, USA)”.

“Nicole Eisenman: What Happened brings together over 100 works from across the artist’s three-decade career – many of which have not previously been shown in the UK.  Encompassing large-scale, monumental paintings alongside sculptures, monoprints, animation and drawings, the exhibition showcases the extraordinary range and formal inventiveness that characterises her practice.

Arranged chronologically across eight sections, the exhibition illuminates the critical, yet often highly humorous approach that Eisenman uses to explore some of the most prescient socio-political issues of the day.  These encompass gender, identity and sexual politics, recent civic and governmental turmoil in the United States, protest and activism, and the impact of technology on personal relationships and romantic lives.

A full colour catalogue will accompany the show alongside as a rich public programme to help further explore the themes and issues raised by the exhibition and gain additional insights into the artists’ work and practice.

Whitechapel Gallery is at 7-82 Whitechapel High Street, London, E1 7QX. The gallert is opn Tuesday until Sundays, 11am until 6pm.

3: Kai & Sunny, Elemental Mix at StolenSpace – 12th October until 5th November 2023 with a private view on Thursday 12th (6pm until 8pm). “StolenSpace Gallery is thrilled to announce ‘Elemental Mix’, a solo exhibition by the renowned artist duo, Kai & Sunny. The British artists return with a new body of work, which showcases the uniquely distinguishable compositions of acrylic paintings on linen”.

“Elemental Mix explores the constant shifts and changes of nature, the moment when the elements converge, creating a new beginning: a tipping point. The space, movement, and transference of colour in the work creates an atmosphere of how you might feel when subjected to the force of nature. The abstract paintings are led by the artists’ interest in lines, colours, forms and composition. Each painting captures an eloquent moment; an insight into a natural phenomenon, and radiates the connection between the forces of nature and emotions of life.

Kai & Sunny’s practice is rooted in the meticulous precision of their line work, using a variety of mediums such as ink pen or acrylic paint. Some lines in their work push and pull each other, as if caught in a constant state of flux, whilst other forms are free to flow and exude energy. The results show powerful kinetic compositions with a delicacy and tribute to nature. Their creative process is a methodical building of thin-intricate lines, structured one on top of the other, working collaboratively, colour by colour. Their approach to creating is as equally balanced as the artworks.

A collaborative piece between Kai & Sunny and D*Face will be on view as part of the Elemental Mix exhibition, along with two animation works. In conjunction with the exhibition, Kai & Sunny will release two limited silkscreen prints, and two skateboard decks in collaboration with Elemental Skateboards”. 

Stolenspace is at 17 Osborn Street, London, E1 6TD (top end of Brick Lane to you and me, just around the corner from the bloated Whitechapel Gallery.  They say the gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday 11am until 6pm (5pm on Fridays)

4: Max Marshall, Big at 67 York Road – 17th until 21sr Oct 2023, with a late opening on 18th October – “Max Marshall’s huge prints immerse you in a vivid fantasy world with bold shapes and colours. Many images are combined to create a single ultra-high-resolution print with astonishing detail immersing the viewer”

You need to register to go to the private view on Wed 18th when Max will talk about the work over a glass of wine (or two) at www.maximages.io The address – 67 York Road, London, W1H 1QB. The space is open 10am until 7pm (5pm on Saturday)

.

5: We did already mention that Cork Street itself is having a party… (Thursday 12th, 6pm until 9pm) at the same time as the Gallery hop – ORGAN PREVIEW: Frieze Week – This Thursday is the West End Gallery Hop Art After Dark night as well as what we’re told will be a Cork Street party in London’s reborn West End Art district…

“On 12 October, Cork Street comes alive as galleries at the heart of London’s art world throw open their doors for a joint party celebrating Frieze week. From 6-9pm special art events and late openings will take place down the length of the street, alongside music, drinks and snacks.

Participants include: Alison Jacques, Alon Zakaim Fine Art, Flowers, Frieze No.9 Cork Street, Goodman Gallery, Holtermann Fine Art, MASSIMODECARLO, Mayor Gallery, Messums, Nahmad Projects, The Redfern Gallery, Sam Fogg, Stephen Friedman Gallery, Tiwani Contemporary and Waddington Custot.

Meanwhile, if you haven’t had time yet them do explore A visit to Yasmin Grant’s London studio. Yasmin is an exciting artist, her work alive with colour, rich in texture…