Another week, another Five Art Things thing, That’s a Julia Maddison piece hanging in the window of a Cultivate show up there, that was last year though and we are heading towards the end of this one now. We don’t need an editorial here do we? Shall we just get on with it and never mind the bliss or the selfies in front of the art or whatever we said last time. Normal service is miles away from being resumed, am I still falling out of love with art? Did I say that last time? And the time before? Are we done here?
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 as we repeat ourselves. 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: Paul Dash – Dancing in the Street at Felix & Spear – 10th December until 8th March 2026 – Now these five recommendations are usually in no particular order but we really do have to start off with the wonderful paintings of Paul Dash, they really are a treat when you see them in the flesh, in real life, when you can just stand in front of them.
“Felix & Spear is pleased to present Paul Dash: Dancing in the Street, an exhibition of paintings, drawings, and etchings by the British-Caribbean artist Paul Dash (b. 1946)”. A show that is coinciding with the launch of a new publication on the artist, the exhibition celebrates Dash’s enduring commitment to art, education, and the representation of diasporic experience.
“A key member of the Caribbean Artists Movement, Dash’s work traces scenes of everyday life and communal celebration with rhythmic energy and deep cultural resonance. His compositions evoke the movement, colour, and ritual of social gatherings—spaces where histories of migration and belonging find joyful expression. The accompanying publication, edited by Cameron Amiri, Director of Felix & Spear, features newly commissioned essays, offering new perspectives on Dash’s artistic and educational contributions, serving as an essential resource for curators, educators, and researchers alike”.
“It has been a privilege to edit this book dedicated to the life and work of Paul Dash,” says Cameron Amiri. “His paintings, distinguished by their chromatic intensity and rhythmic structure, emerge from his trajectory from Barbados to Britain and from the broader histories of the Caribbean diaspora. They engage critically with questions of memory, belonging, and identity, while simultaneously foregrounding the enduring significance of community and cultural resilience.”
About Paul Dash: “Born in Barbados in 1946, Paul Dash came to Britain in 1957. He trained as an artist at Oxford Polytechnic and the Chelsea School of Art and went on to teach for more than twenty years in London secondary schools before becoming a lecturer in Educational Studies at the University of London. He was awarded his PhD by the University of London in 2009 and retired in 2011 as a Senior Lecturer in Educational Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Dash was a member of the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM). He remains a practising painter and has exhibited at numerous venues across the United Kingdom and internationally. His works are represented in major public and private collections. He was awarded the Senior Fellowship of the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to art, craft, and design education. He is also a recipient of the Barbados Government Golden Jubilee Award for Outstanding Service to the United Kingdom and the Windrush Award for Outstanding Achievement in Education” And on top of that, can I just add Paul is a really nice guy to talk about art with, I have been lucky enough to do so a couple of times during his studio open days in Hackney Wic
Felix & Spear is found at 71 St. Mary’s Road, London, W5 5RG. The space is open Wednesday until Sunday, 11am until 6pm weekdays, Midday until 3pm on the weekends. More about Paul Dash
2: Julia Maddison, A Small Show About Love at Southgate Studios – 6th December until 7th December 2025, with an opening event, which I guess means cheap wine and socialising, on 6th Dec between midday and 4pm, in fact those are the opening times from both days. Julia is of course another regular on these pages a well as as a part of our Cultivate shows. “A Small Show About Love is a kind of immersive diary about a difficult time for the artist, Julia Maddison. Hung like a chaotic wardrobe, strewn with garments, drawings and messages, and perhaps containing a fragile slither of hope, as another lonely year draws to a close”.
“Squashed into this small, wedge shaped space (now known as the J6 Gallery), Maddison is planning to make a dressing room full of neglected and unwanted garments, embellished with short messages of longing, loneliness and despair. Not without humour, she will take us through the ruins of her recent personal life. The show will be open for 2 wintry afternoons, with cake and wine” – see, told you there would be wine…
Southgate Studios is at 2/4 Southgate Road, London, N1 3JJ
previous Julia on these pages
And on we go, Helch in a gallery? We didn’t expect that, or maybe we did, they all turn up in galleries in the end, new piece on the street jsut to publcise a print release or a coffee table book. Do like seeing a Helch on the street or by a trainline though…
3: Helch, No Half Measures at BSMT – 4th Dec 2025 until 18th Jan 2026 with an opening on Thursday 4th December, 5pm until 9pm – “He’s been an enigma, an unknown word on bridges and bypasses. Helch has lived a nocturnal life in the city for years. This December, he finally steps out of this shadow, claiming full ownership of his unmistakable style and the visual language that has defined him across the city’s concrete surface”. I always took it as a name rather than a word but then what do I know? They all succumb to the gallery and fame and fortune in the end, will the old bill turn up though?
BSMT is proud to present ‘No Half Measures’, the first-ever exhibition by Helch marking the first time original artworks by the artist will be available to the public in a comprehensive solo show. For a figure whose reputation was built outside the system, this moment signals a rare crossing of worlds: from motorway walls to gallery walls. Since 2018, Helchs tag has dominated London’s landscape and beyond – sprawling across viaducts, train lines and rooftops in unapologetic block caps, cementing his status as one of the UK’s most recognisable and elusive graffiti writers. ‘No Half Measures’ pulls that same raw energy indoors, translating the adrenaline and attitude of the street into tangible form. Riding the tension between visibility and anonymity, individuality and recognition, this landmark exhibition will redefine our understanding of Helch and his work. Still anonymous.Still everywhere. But for the first time, available.
About Helch: Despite his recognisable aesthetic, Helch remains anonymous. He has never stepped into the mainstream, yet his signature is everywhere: on bridges, on city buildings, on the elevated lines. His graffiti is social intervention, a bold claim of presence, a voice that echoes across infrastructure.
About BSMT, their words not ours: “BSMT is a Dalston gallery born in 2015 from a disused basement, now street-level, dedicated to connecting street culture with the gallery space. It champions emerging and established artists across urban and contemporary art, runs a boundary-pushing programme, supports causes it believes in, and keeps exhibitions authentic, community-minded, and culturally enriching” – a gallery we covered lots and lots via these fractured pages back in their earlier days, indeed a space we supported lots with out Cultivate hats on, we were even there with mops and buckets when that basement flooded during one of our shows, alas none of it was enough for them, it is an oft told story, shame really, what was that Joshua Compston line about aircraft carriers?
The Gallery is found just down the road from Rio Cinema in Dalston, Hackney. Opening hours: Wednesday – Saturday: 10am – 5pm, Sunday: 11am – 5pm. BSMT Space is found in a shop-like space at 529 Kingsland Road, Dalston, London, E8 4AR.
Previously on these pages…
ORGAN THING: Eoin’s painterly movement, the Irish painter’s London show is well worth your time…
Oh there’s been loads of Basement Space coverage, mostly back when it really was a friendly basement space…
4: Paths Crossing at 112 Askew Road, London W12 – Open now and running until December 31st – A three artist pop up show in what currently appears to be a closed down high street restaurant. A proper old school pop up artist-led art show then, the kind of thing that doesn’t happen much these days. We’ll know more once we’ve been to have a look (watch this space). Three artists; Raoul Coombes, Sarah Butterfield and Vesna Parchet, an artist who’s featured regularly on these pages as well as in our Cultivate shows and well,
Paths Crossing happens at 112 Askew Road, Shepherd’s Bush, London W12 9AU. Mondays to Saturdays, 10am until 6pm. For ,ore go explore the Instagram feed the three artists – Raoul Coombes / Sarah Butterfield / Vesna Parchet
Two of Cultivate’s on-line shows that feature Vesna –
Cultivate presents Mixtape No.9 – an online art exhibition…
Here’s some more images of Vesna Parchet’s gloriously painterly paintings…
5: Print Club London – Mega Xmas Pop-Up at MC Motors Warehouse – 4th December, 5pm until 9pm – “Join us in Dalston for Print Club’s Mega Xmas Pop-Up — one night of art, music, drinks and exclusive limited-edition prints”. I guess we can just about live with it without Grinching too much now, it is getting closer…
“We are back at MC Motors” so sat Print Club, “our favourite venue and home from home, right next door to Print Club! We are back and bigger than ever! Join us for one night only at our Mega Xmas Pop-Up here at our studios in Dalston, a festive celebration of all things Print Club. Discover a curated collection of exclusive pieces and limited-edition artworks, with prices starting from just £75. Choose from framed and unframed prints, all ready to take away and gift to your special ones (or yourself, because you deserve it). Expect a joyful evening of art, music, drinks, and good vibes surrounded by the best of Print Club’s creative community”.
MC Motors Warehouse is at 28 Millers Avenue, Dalston, London, E8 2DS. This is a one day only thing on Thursday, 4th December, 5pm until 9pm, entry is free but they are asking you to get on a list, I bet they’re not going to turn you away if you’re not on the list though, they want to sell you a print, they’re probably going to bribe you with mince pies. Get on the list here or via the Print Club website
And shall we just quickly mention this…
Underbelly with Richard Amor and Sean Worrall – 12th until 14th Decmber with an opening on the Friday evening, 6pm until 8pm, 12th December – Now I tend to keep a low profile around Christmas in terms of art and fairs and galleries but this invite looked a little different, I do like the punk rock DIY artist-led feel of what Richard does with his Underbelly space and especially outside his Underbelly space under that railway bridge (that bridge where we did once put on a Cultivate show long before Richard starting doing things there).
This will be a three day show, opening night, Friday 12th December, 6pm until 8pm and probably later if the weather is with us.
It will happen inside Underbelly, outside Underbelly, under the railway bridge outside of Underbelly…
And then it will carry on during the daytime over the Saturday on Sunday of 13th/14th December.
We’ll both have recent paintings on show, we’ll probably both be painting outside under the bridge, it will be informal, Richard said something about larking around although I never lark around…
You bring the wine and we’ll bring the weather, we might bring some wine as well, we’ll certainly bring some art and we’ll probably make some art over the weekend. If the weather is with us, we’ll painting outside over the weekend
Underbelly is right by the canal in Hackney at 1 Corbridge Cresent, London E2 9DS, Just off Cambridge Heath Road and over from the top of Vyner Street. Come join in..
THE ORGAN 