Nine Things: Nine Current Must-See Exhibitions
December is in full swing, with a plethora of amazing and thought-provoking exhibitions to chose from.
In this exclusive piece for After Nyne 12, Jessica Rayner chooses her nine must-sees. Follow Jess at @jessicamrayner.
Malick Sidibé: The Eye of Modern Mali
Somerset House
6 Oct — 15 Jan
Presenting the UK’s first major solo exhibition of Malian photographer Malick Sidibé, Somerset House continues to showcase a culturally diverse calendar of events. Sidibé died aged 80 earlier this year and has since been celebrated across the world for his black and white photographs that capture a sense of energy of post-independence Mali. A photographer who became known as ‘the eye of Bamako’, he strove to portray the people and culture of the city in all its vibrancy. The exhibition will feature 45 original prints from the 1960s and 1970s, with the images being accompanied by a soundtrack curated by Rita Ray, which seeks to recreate the spirit and soul of the nightclubs that gave Sidibé his inspiration.
Bloomberg New Contemporaries ICA
23 Nov — 22 Jan New
Contemporaries is a name synonymous with innovation, being the UK’s leading organisation in support of emergent art practice. For emerging artists it is becoming increasingly difficult to gain recognition in a world saturated with creatives. Since 1949 New Contemporaries have provided a platform for the art world’s ‘new blood’ creating an opportunity for fine art gradates to showcase their work primarily through the nationally touring exhibition. The New Contemporaries alumni is a formidable collection of artists including Damien Hirst and Mona Hatoum both of whom are now globally renowned names. The selected artists for Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2016 include Mary Furniss who creates visually impactful mixed media pieces and the satirical sculptures of Jamie Fitzpatrick. The exhibition strikes to produce a diverse and progressive social commentary whilst also becoming an indicator for the evolving generations’ preoccupations.
The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography from the Sir Elton John Collection
Tate Modern
10 Nov — 7 May
A name known globally as a result of his influential musical career, Elton John is also an avid art collector and for the first time the Tate Modern offers a chance to see his private collection. The exhibition will feature nearly 150 rare vintage prints from a selection of over 70 modernist artists, including a group of Man Ray portraits that will be exhibited together for the first time. After beginning collecting over 25 years ago Sir Elton now has more than 7,000 photos in his possession, including pioneering photographs and iconic images documenting era defining cultural movements and social conditions. The showcase comes as part of the Tate’s desire to establish a long-time relationship between its galleries and the singer, in order to share the pieces gathered by him over the years.
Taylor Wessing Photographic Prize 2016
National Portrait Gallery
17 Nov — 26 Feb
A leading competition in the photography calendar celebrating the best in contemporary portrait photography from across the globe. The diversity of entries in always refreshing giving a platform to talented amateurs and young photographers as well as established professionals. The exhibition includes a range of styles and each image tells the story behind its creation, from formal commissions to intimate moments. The visually dynamic selection of 58 works, some of which being displayed for the first time, explore both conventional and contemporary approaches to photography, capturing a range of characters, locations and moods.
Robert Rauschenberg
Tate Modern
1 Dec — 2 April
Rauschenberg has become known as a modern master for his global influence in the art world, changing the face of medium. He created pop art alongside Andy Warhol, positioning himself as an innovator in his field and now the Tate presents the first major exhibition of his work in the UK for 35 years. Rauschenberg was an artist fuelled by curiosity and enthusiasm for experimenting with new ways of making, working with popular imagery and materials including found objects, newspapers and silk-screen printing. The display will showcase iconic works from his decade spanning career notably his large scale screen prints of JF Kennedy and his piece Monogram, a paint splattered taxidermy goat. The culturally charged nature of Rauschenberg’s work makes for an exhibition both thought-provoking and witty, providing an opportunity to the discover the work of an artist whose influence is still felt today.
Bedlam: The Asylum and Beyond
Wellcome Collection
15 Sept — 15 Jan
The theme of madness has roots embedded across art and literature, with wellbeing and creativity continuing to become intertwined. The Wellcome Collection has developed a reputation for creating intellectually stimulating and exhibitions grounded in science, pushing the boundaries of the medium by juxtaposing artworks with expert evidence. Bedlam: The Asylum and Beyond charts the rise and the fall of the mental asylum, exploring how it has shaped the complex landscape of mental health today. The display will feature historical material, individual testimonies and works by artists such as David Beales, Richard Dadd and Dora Garcia, to interrogate the original ideal that the asylum represented, a place of refuge, and how these works reimagine the institution both as a physical and virtual space.
Fear and Love: Reactions to the Complex World
Design Museum
24 Nov — 23 April
The Design Museum presents an exhibition that highlights the importance of design not only in commerce but as part of reacting to underlying issues that inspire fear and love. The display features 11 newly commissioned pieces by some of the most innovative and thought-provoking designers and architects working today. The set of installations seek to address and explore a diverse range of era defining issues including networked sexuality and settled nomads. A multidisciplinary exhibition that aims to capture the mood of our time along with continuing to establish the Design Museum’s reputation as a cutting edge home of design fuelling debate.
NEON: The Charged Line
Grundy Art Gallery
1 Sept — 7 Jan
As contemporary art continues to develop and expand across various genres, the use of light has been at the forefront of pioneering new materials and ways of making. Grundy Art Gallery presents a major new survey that explores how artists have worked with neon, spanning from the 1960s to present day. The exhibition will feature notable names such as Tracey Emin and Gavin Turk, both of whom are renowned innovators in British art, engaging with modernist and avant-garde debates. The exhibition seeks to encompass a diverse range of ways in which artists have experimented with light to be seen rather than illuminate.
The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined
Barbican
13 Oct — 5 Feb
‘Vulgarity exposes the scandal of good taste’ a quote that perfectly summaries the Barbican’s exploration into the inherently challenging but compelling territory of ‘taste’ in fashion. Vulgar, a word that is both potent and provocative, conjures strong images, feelings and ideas to us all, The Vulgar: Fashion Redefined invites audiences to re-examine exactly what makes something vulgar and why it is such a contentious term. A display that charts fashion from the renaissance through to contemporary design, showcasing over 120 objects including historical costumes to couture and ready-to-wear looks with contributions from leading designers such as Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton.
