Lightbulb moments: Mike Nelson, ‘Extinction Beckons’, Hayward Gallery

Has dystopian unease ever been so much fun? Mike Nelson’s exhibition is as serious and sinister as it needs to be. But I felt strong notes of dark humour, and the interactive elements display unchecked, unabashed brio. * ‘Extinction Beckons’ is a suitably foreboding name for an exhibition that – as the accompanying text makes…

Fright wing: ‘The Horror Show’, Somerset House, London

Emergency! Emergency! I made it to this show unforgivably late in the run, and at the time of writing it only has a week remaining. If you’re in or near London and can find the time, I would recommend it purely for the heady, intense experience it offers. Failing that, I hope you find the…

France Mitrofanoff présente ‘En Chemin’ pour ArtMuseLondon

Là-bas au bout du chemin de terre, c’est la forêt. Une clairière baignée de lumière; la pénombre des arbres révèle des verts tendres alternant avec des bruns profonds. Au centre, la diagonale sombre du chemin. Le vent incline les tiges qui se prêtent aux mouvements libres de mon pinceau chargé de couleurs; quittant la clairière,…

Organised K-os: ‘Hallyu! – The Korean Wave’, V&A, London

‘Hallyu’ – the eye-catching title of this big-ticket exhibition at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum (‘V&A’) – translates as ‘Korean wave’, the phrase used to describe Korean culture’s steady rise to prominence over the last 25 years or so. Informed by a K-pop aesthetic, it’s a heady, day-glo, assault-on-the-senses experience. Throw yourself into it and…

Picture This : Australian artist, Daryl Austin, presents his latest work

“Veiled monument, Tarndanyangga, 2022” is one of a series of paintings depicting my immediate urban environment. As a daily habitual walker negotiating these spaces it is evident that they are in a process of continual change and disruption. I try within these paintings to utilise motifs as depicted here of a known/unknown monument undergoing restoration….

Picture This : French Illustrator Serge Bloch ‘I Wear the Hat’

What I find interesting in collage, is the relationship between the glued object and the graphic line, and what transpires between the collection of the collage and the drawing. For me, collage is humour, the coming together of two artistic impulses. The titles to my drawings are often playful, made up of strands of poetry…

Lightbulb moments: Cornelia Parker at Tate Britain

The exploding shed is probably the image familiar to most. But the joy of seeing so much of Cornelia Parker’s work all in one place shows just how consistently she has sought to reach the heart of the (subject) matter by systematically taking it apart or changing its form – violently or otherwise. * The…

Walter Sickert Unsettles and Enchants at Tate Britain Retrospective

Walter Sickert is a bit of an enigma. Brilliant certainly, rather weird, probably. Author, Patricia Cornwell, wrote a book about him, claiming that he was the Jack the Ripper. She is not the first writer to associate Sickert with the infamous murderer. Other writers postulate that Sickert was the Ripper’s assistant. What is undeniable, is that Sickert…