The Joy of Exhibitions
A round up of recent recommendations and welcome!
Hello and welcome to my first newsletter! This will be a sporadic journal-like email updating you on my upcoming shows, collection releases, notes from the studio, and some #culturevulture recommendations. This particular newsletter will be the latter.
First of all, a confession.
I’m a serial exhibition hunter/stalker/goer/lover. My favourite app to find these is Art Rabbit, it tells you the nearest exhibition to your location, how long it’ll take you to walk there, and the other various exhibitions nearby. It’s pure genius. I usually try to cram three in a day, four at a push.* To me there’s nothing better than a day exhibition hopping, it’s my guilty pleasure - and I like to do it solo. No one to rush you along, you’ve got all the time in the world to ponder, walk as slow as you like, daydream and meander. Grab a coffee, maybe two. It’s crucial to my creative practice; almost like switching off but gaining inspiration at the same time. A release but also a stimulation. A creative meditation. Right, onto the actual exhibitions…
*I tend to have one day every two weeks as my ‘exhibition day’ but sometimes I can’t do that because, life.
Still Life by Kaori Tatebayashi at Tristan Hoare Gallery, London - on until 15th Dec
This ceramic installation immerses the viewer in a wild landscape still-life; ivy climbing across walls, weeds springing up in the shadows, tangled brambles, seed heads and thistles. An abandoned dining table laid with ceramic fruit and vegetables, crawling with snails, butterflies dancing across the walls. Nature reclaiming the dilapidated Georgian rooms, capturing a fleeting moment in time. Tatebayashi says that she’s trying to take back control and preserve time through clay, showing that nature is the ultimate artist. A breathtakingly delicate and unique display, one of my favourites of 2023.
In Midst, Unfolding by Connie Harrison at Informality Gallery, Cromwell Place, London - on until 26th Nov
If the cold grey wintery days are getting you down, run along to Cromwell Place for a serotonin hit. This exhibition will make your eyeballs pop - in a good way. I’ve been a fan of Connie Harrison’s work for a long time so had to visit her solo show with Informality Gallery. When I say you have to see these paintings in the flesh I really mean it - they are full of life, colour and texture. An embodiment of pure joy. Harrison uses a unique technique; layering paint separated with coatings of translucent wax, etching back into the paint to reveal the layers and varied shades.
The works draw you into a vibrant utopia, each painting like a scene from the Garden of Eden. Harrison takes the landscape to the right side of abstraction. Balancing blocks of solid colour with intricate marks, the colour palettes sumptuous and rich - like walking from a black and white film into a world of colour, saturation levels at max. I came away feeling nourished, pumped full of serotonin and alive.
The Feast of Fools by Eleanor Johnson at Gillian Jason Gallery, London - on until 13th Jan
Playful, provocative, ironic, Johnson’s modern take on the Old Masters is an absolute triumph. Imaginative and fun from initial glance, but look closer and the paintings reveal darker topics, taking you deeper through the layers of paint, spinning the taboo into comedic narratives. There’s a vibrant energy to Johnsons painting style, each piece tells a unique story, through the light swishes of her paintbrush - squint and more dancing figures are revealed, a banana, a pair of iced buns. I walked round the gallery multiple times and each time found something new in the works. The sign of a great talent.
Other recent recs…
WATCH
The Crown - the controversial season 6, filled with sumptuous settings and great outfits, mostly worn by Diana, played by Elizabeth Debicki who is uncannily like her.
1917 - Late to the party with this film (released in 2020) but it was on BBC player recently and I watched it last night. Wow, it’s intense - I was on the edge of my seat for the whole duration. Directed by Sam Mendes, inspired by stories his grandfather told him about his time fighting in the First World War. It follows two British soldiers tasked on an impossible mission to deliver a message to stop a battalion walking into a trap set by the Germans. All seemingly shot in one take (but actually cleverly made with tracking shots stitched together) and not surprisingly it won 3 Oscars and was nominated for numerous awards. An epic war drama - just don’t make the mistake of eating your dinner in front of it like I did.
READ
The Artist’s Journey by Kent Nerburn - for any creative struggling (when are we not) I wholeheartedly recommended you read this. It’s cemented my decision on choosing this rollercoaster path of being an artist. I’ve already reread it, and go back to it whenever I feel particularly overwhelmed.
EAT
Forno Bakery, London Fields - had the pistachio cornetto, tastes as good as it sounds - be warned you will get pistachio cream everywhere.
Honey & Spice Deli - here’s a double rec for you, if you visit the ‘Still Life’ exhibition at Tristan Hoare Gallery, just round the corner on Warren Street, is Honey & Spice, the baby of the famous Honey and Co restaurant family. A deli/store/treasure trove of delights, they do takeaway Middle Eastern inspired lunches and have a counter filled with pastries, cakes, babka, cookies, etc. My fave of the list is their tahini brownie, the size of a brick, thick, rich and moist, just how I like them. Good Lord it’s heavenly. Also had a slice of their grape focaccia while there, just to save myself from the sugar rush of the brownie. It was a combination of unique flavours, chilli, fennel seeds, sweet grapes, tarragon, all marrying to perfection. Really recommend this place, even if you don’t want to gorge yourself on cake like me, there’s an array of dry goods; excellent quality coffee, jam, chutney, olive oil, tahini, the list goes on. Go see for yourself.
COOK
Smoked Haddock Risotto - this was a made-up recipe but turned out rather well, surprisingly. Serves 2 hungry people. A lot of garlic in olive oil, a little onion, some dried rosemary, softened, added some mushrooms that needed using up, stir stir, cook. Add the Arborio rice, let it soak up the oil and turn translucent, then it’s all about adding the veggie stock slowly, mixing until it gets all soaked up by the rice and adding more, bit by bit, stirring regularly until the rice is done. While that’s cooking I wrapped the smoked haddock fillets in some baking paper with a little oil and black pepper and whacked in the oven (200 Celsius) for about 20 minutes. Once the rice is almost cooked (with a little bite to it) add some lemon zest, a good grinding of black pepper, a big pinch (like massive) of sea salt, and flake in the cooked haddock, stir. Leave to rest off the heat for 5 mins, then devour.
LISTEN
Homing In podcast by The Modern House - specifically the episode featuring the chef Skye Gyngell. A very personal, revealing interview, I love her outlook on life and passion for seasonal, locally grown produce. Her restaurant Spring at Somerset House has been on my list for a long time.
That’s all from me! Think I may have waffled on a bit. Let me know in the comments what you’d like to see in this newsletter, any particular requests, and introduce yourself. For those in London (I’m sorry the recommendations have been London centric) my studios are holding an open weekend over 1 - 3 December, come along for a mooch and do your Christmas shopping. It’s at Cockpit Art studios in Deptford, SE8 3DZ and I’m on the 3rd floor. For more regular updates on studio life, work in progress, current exhibitions and goings-on, follow me on instagram @ellenmaewill
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