Away from the Frieze Pavilions: Other Exhibitions in London

Away from the Frieze pavilions in The Regent’s Park, here are some highlights of current exhibitions at London art galleries, featuring artists from different geographies engaged in diverse art practices.

1. The Imaginary Institution of India, Art 1975–1998, Barbican Centre

In collaboration with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, the Barbican Centre presents an exhibition of over 30 Indian artists active between 1975 and 1998. This period was marked by significant social changes, economic challenges, and rapid urban growth. Organised around themes of communal violence, gender dynamics, urbanisation, class shifts, and connections to indigenous practices, the exhibition provides a comprehensive exploration of Indian art during this era.

2. Antonio Calderara: A Certain Light, Estorick Collection

Presented in partnership with Lisson Gallery, this exhibition offers the first UK museum presentation of Calderara’s work, bringing together around 50 pieces. Initially, he explored colour and form through portraiture, landscape, and still life, depicting his native Italy. Transitioning to geometric abstraction, he simplified his compositions with flat blocks of subtle colour, moving towards a more minimalist approach. Calderara’s restrained and finely balanced abstract style draws parallels with Giorgio Morandi’s work, and artists such as Josef Albers and Agnes Martin.

3.  Robert Longo: Searches, Pace and Thaddaeus Ropac

Pace and Thaddaeus Ropac present ‘Searches’, a two-part exhibition by American artist and filmmaker Robert Longo, revisiting his 1980s series, ‘Combines’. As a prominent figure from the Pictures Generation of the 1970s and 80s, Longo appropriates and manipulates images to probe our relationship with visual media, authenticity, and originality in art. Using a meticulous process involving enlargement, reframing, and drawing from sources like television, film, news, personal photos, and the internet, he challenges viewers to reconsider their position within a saturated consumerist society.

4. Lygia Clark: The I and the You & Sonia Boyce: An Awkward Relation, Whitechapel Gallery

Whitechapel Gallery brings together two exhibitions of work, by Lygia Clark and Sonia Boyce, that explore the relationship of these two artists with the themes of interaction, participation and improvisation. While Clark (Brazil, second half of the 20^th century) and Boyce (UK, present day) work in distinct periods and geographies, they share common interests in the role of artist and viewer. Visitors are invited to consider the ways in which these artists’ approaches to audience interaction overlap and diverge. The exhibition highlights how different cultural, historical, and political conditions have shaped their work and their commitment to exploring the boundaries between art and life.

5. Nairy Baghramian: Jumbled Alphabet, South London Gallery

Nairy Baghramian’s exhibition features sculptures and installations developed over two decades. Her work combines geometric forms with natural materials, challenging traditional notions of form and materiality. The ‘Misfits’ series, central to the exhibition, is presented on a low platform that alters the gallery’s spatial dynamics and promotes viewer interaction. The sculptures evoke bodily shapes while subverting expectations, celebrating uniqueness and imperfection. The exhibition encourages discussions about behaviour in various spaces, with some sculptures inviting tactile engagement while others remain out of reach.

6. Turner Prize, Tate Britain

This year marks the 40^th anniversary of the Turner Prize, which is awarded to a British artist for a recent outstanding exhibition, rather than celebrating the artist’s entire career. This year’s nominees are Pio Abad, Claudette Johnson, Jasleen Kaur, and Delaine Le Bas, who engage with varied themes, from cultural memory and colonial histories to identity, tradition, and personal narratives. The exhibition features an array of different media, including drawings, sculptures, installations, and immersive environments. Viewers encounter pieces that reference historical collections, challenge established myths, and explore themes of marginalisation, renewal, and the dynamics of cultural heritage.

Ana Teles for London Art Walk
October 2024