Five art things, on we go then and never mind whatever we said last time, that was then, this, once again is about this week and next and needing more (just more, nothing less) and yes you are right. Here, for what any of this is worth are 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. We do aim to make this 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: Billy Bagilhole, Wide Eyed Embers at Rhodes Contemporary – From 5th July until 31st August – “We are delighted to present Billy Bagilhole’s debut Project Room exhibition, ‘Wide Eyed Embers’. This new series of paintings on canvas follows the artist’s reoccurring characters through their surreal, yet familiar, world of symbolism and enigmatic narratives that evoke the Welsh countryside and the sprawling plains of Spain. Featuring Bagilhole’s signature palette of vibrant colours blended with a melancholic imagery, the new works explore identity, memory and the human condition”. They used the V word, we’ll let it pass again, at least they didn’t say Billy’s vibrant colours were iconic!
Billy Bagilhole, born in 1994, “is celebrated for his unique blend of traditional techniques and modern themes. His childhood on Welsh farms and in the forgotten Spanish settings of spaghetti westerns profoundly influenced his work, inspiring the cowboy imagery and animals frequently seen in his pieces. Bagilhole’s artistic journey began in a household rich with his father’s paintings and prints. From a young age, he drew Native Americans, animals, and religious figures, imitating his father’s art. This early exposure, coupled with his father’s passing when Bagilhole was six, left a lasting impact, driving his passion for creativity…”
Rhodes Is at 65 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7LW. The gallery is open Tues – Fri 11am–6pm and Saturdays 12pm-6pm, the show runs from 5th July until 31st August
2: Second Contemporary African Art Show at London Lighthouse Gallery & Studio – 15th July until 15th Aug 2024 with a late evening opening on 25th July (6 until 9pm) – We are expecting this to be rewarding, not sure about their hype but hey, we’ll go with it and go see – “Following the success of our inaugural group exhibition of Contemporary African Art in April, we are thrilled to announce our second Contemporary African Art Exhibition, running from July 15th to August 15th. This time, we’ve expanded our horizons to bring you even more exceptional talents from Ethiopia and Cameroon, along with exciting new artists from Ghana and Nigeria. If you enjoyed our April exhibition, you will be captivated by the extraordinary collection we have curated for you this July. Our mission remains to illuminate the dynamic evolution of contemporary African art, which keeps challenging and transforming the prevailing narratives and perceptions. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness the unfolding of this evolution”
London Lighthouse Gallery & Studio is found at18 Lyell Street, London City Island, London, E14 0SZ, The gallery is open daily, 11am until 7pm (midday until 6pm on Sundays and Monday)
3: London Calling – Read And Destroy at Pure Evil Gallery – The opening night is this Thursday 11th July at Pure Evil Gallery (6-9pm). “Last year’s show was a block party! Come on down!” said Pure Evil. I guess most of the info is there on the flyers. We’re talking a Rad Magazine photo exhibition and book launch, so lots of skateboards and hopefully all the associated culture. Personally Skate Muties From The Fifth Dimension was my skate flavoured reading preference, sounds like it should be quite a night though. Click on that green flyer to enlarge it and see more. We were always bumping into RAD back in the early days of bother them and us here at Organ (about time we cane up with a book)
Pure Evil Gallery is at 108 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4XS
4: James Hesford, The Lone Composer at The Horse Hospital – 11th July until 1st Aug 2024 – “An exhibition of compositions and graphic works by composer, artist and writer James Hesford”, go watch the video, that will tell you more than we can – “The Horse Hospital and Raft welcome you to the world of The Lone Composer, the first retrospective of composer, artist, and writer James Hesford. Graphic works, majestic classical and experimental compositions, radio broadcasts, performance, DIY publications and novels, have all merged, cross-pollinated and informed one another across the many years of James’ practice, to create a rich, complex, funny, melancholy and kaleidoscopic world within a world, where reality and the imagination intersect to tell of the real struggles and triumphs that constellate The Lone Composer’s journey, an anti-hero for our times”
The Horse Hospital is found at Colonnade Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 1HX. The exhibition runs from 11th July until 1st Aug 2024. The space in open Tuesday through to Sunday, 10am until 6pm
Here’s something from 2009 from James – “The First Berlin Painting Composition was written for twelve classical guitars – again in a circle – 20 meters in diameter (smaller than the previous circle due to the volume of the instruments). The imagery is taken from the circular canvas – it looks like a bell – a bell tower occupied by bells and sparrows or refugee buderigars. The contrast between the intimidating bells – intimidating in weight,volume and size – and the small birds – fragile but fast in movement and whit – is the image that drives the piece – a daily battle for dominance – no one wins – coexistance, however uncomfortable, is the only option. This is more apparent in the second movement”.
5: Muhammad Zeeshan, deMonsterate at Kristin Hjellegjerde, London Bermondsey – 11th July until 17th Aug 2024 – “A bridled horse stands behind a trio of doorways; a tulip grows from a poppy seed; a woman applies lipstick within a window of colour; a hand holds the stem of a plant sprouting two eyes”, made up words are thrilliant – “In his latest series of works, Pakistani artist Muhammad Zeeshan merges traditional miniature painting techniques with bold geometric patterns and symbolic imagery to reflect on themes around artificiality, censorship and freedom of expression. deMONSTERate, his solo exhibition at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, considers the ways in which human conflict, consumerism and contemporary culture continues to disrupt the natural balance of things.
deMONSTERate is a made-up word playing on and subverting the multiple meanings of ‘demonstrate’ – to show the existence or truth of something, or to take part in protest – to instead evoke the image of a monster consuming something (‘de-monster-ate’). This monster, Zeeshan explains, is humanity, ravenously devouring everything in its path and leaving behind an artificial existence, one which is so far disconnected from nature that we no longer have a sense of what is real. For Zeeshan, this artificiality is often epitomised by contemporary art spaces, particularly art fairs where works are presented to be photogenic and shareable. In other words, the superficial appearance of the art or booth display is valued more highly than the context or symbolism of the work.
At the same time, these spaces still provide artists with a platform to discuss difficult topics and voice dissent. It is that tension that Zeeshan is interested in: the points at which resistance and conformity meet. One painting, for instance, evokes a labyrinthine space with floating walls evoking the impermanent architecture of an art fair booth which has been painted hot pink, supposedly one of the most ‘Instagrammable’ colours. Within this no-place, two delicately painted, translucent images appear suspended like visions from a different world. On the left there is a Bengal tiger, a symbol of strength, power and wilderness, the untamed forces of nature, while on the right a plant sprouting two disembodied eyeballs reference historical depictions of Saint Lucy as a symbol of suffering and resistance. The contrast between these complex and ancient symbolisms and the superficiality of the space is highlighted by a feeling of incoherency or incompleteness: nothing quite fits together.
Another work depicts a horse that appears both too large for the surrounding space and too traditional in style for the contemporary setting and vivid, luminescent hues. The idea of artificiality is further highlighted by the tulip that appears to grow out of the horse’s stomach, sprouting unnaturally from a poppy seed. The same horse appears again as an outsider in another painting, lurking behind a spire-like shape that was inspired by the gates of a museum Zeeshan visited in Germany. Inside this shape there is a woman applying her lipstick. The image comes from the 1963 film Mahanagar (The Big City), which tells the story of a small-town girl who moves to the big city and has to adjust to a different way of life, which is perceived as being more exciting and cosmopolitan but also less connected to nature.
Significantly in all of the paintings we are followed by eyes. We look at the image and it looks back at us. How we are supposed to interpret this gaze is ambiguous – is the horse’s side-eye stare accusatory or searching? – but it has the effect of shifting the focus inwards, of inviting us to contemplate how we perceive and exist in the world and what impact that has on the wider picture”.
Kristin Hjellegjerde, London Bermondsey is found at 36 Tanner Street, London, SE1 3LD. The gallery is open Monday until Saturday, 11am until 6pm
Back in 2009 James Hesford was involved in this. – ‘THE CIRCLE’ – 24Hours Non-Stop Action on Site Art installation/Painting by IVANOV + CHAN and music composing by James Hesford at The Horse Hospital .
THE ORGAN 