Art picks for June/July

Art picks and reviews for June/July 2014

Until the end of July is a great time to catch degree art shows and to discover emerging artists. If you're outside London, try go to an event near where you live to see work by new local artists before they are tempted to move away to the big smoke. Or look for exhibitions by emerging artists at local contemporary art venues over the summer.

A Stack of History, 2013.
Fine Art degree dissertation, art history books arranged vertically by size, paper slips.

Degree show guides and showcases.

a-n Degree Show Guide - Flick through this free magazine online or download it
Tips for art buyers  - A page of advice from a-n for buying work by emerging artists 
Free Range -  A guide to a season of FREE graduate Art + Design shows at the The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, East London  (29th May - 14th July)

Exhibitions June/July 2014

Vikings: life and legend
It's got Vikings, as you'd expect, and I love the British Museum but this is a popular exhibition and so it'll be very busy. However, if you don't like slow-moving crowds (see review below) you may not be in a hurry to visit ...
Blurb: 'Discover the Viking world in this major exhibition – the first at the British Museum for over 30 years.'
Review: 'Vikings at the British Museum is hell. Terrible viewing conditions; like the slowest moving buffet queue in THE WORLD. Disappointed :( ' Emily Speed (@speedina) April 25, 2014
British Museum, London. Until 22 June.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/vikings.aspx

Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs
One of the first pieces of modern art that I enjoyed as a child is The Snail (1953), which usually lives at Tate Britain. Look out for the mini-snail inching its way around one of the bold slabs of colour.
The blurb: 'Henri Matisse is a giant of modern art. This landmark show explores the final chapter in his career in which he began ‘carving into colour’ and his series of spectacular cut-outs was born.The exhibition represents a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see so many of the artist’s works in one place and discover Matisse’s final artistic triumph.'
Top tip: Sunday evenings will be set aside for a quieter exhibition viewing experience, with visitor numbers restricted from 20.00–22.30.
Tate Modern, Bankside, SE1 9TG.  (0)20 7887 8888 / Until 7 Sept.
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/henri-matisse-cut-outs

Marina Abramović: 512 Hours 
At the start of 2014, I'd said that the exhibition that most intrigued me was the prospect of seeing Abramović at the Serpentine Gallery and a possible takeover of Kensington Gardens. As the first performance approached we heard that Marina felt intimidated by her prospective British audience, saying "The British are sarcastic. They make fun of everything.", and that has been bourne out responses in various articles have ranged from the unexpectedly emotional through to rebellious irritation at being directed by the artist and her assistants. This hasn't scared off visitors though and the queue to take part apparently starts very early and stretches into Kensington Gardens, with some people bringing chairs for their wait.
Top tips: Entry is free of charge and on a strictly first-come, first-served basis. There is no advance booking. Due to the limited capacity, visitors may be expected to queue outside, so bring  water, sunscreen and an umbrella for the time you may be required to wait. Galleries open 10am - 6pm, Tuesday - Sunday, plus bank holidays
Serpentine Gallery,  London W2 /  44 (0)20 7402 6075 / Until 25th August.
http://www.serpentinegalleries.org / Look out for 'A.G.N.E.S' if you fancy an interactive experience on the website.

RA Summer Exhibition
A vast sprawling exhibition in the main galeries of the RA, the show annually shows a wide range of work, mostly for sale. The joys include seeing work by well-known contemporary artists, the lows include sore feet as you reach the end. Judging by the reviews on BBC Arts, this year's most interesting curated room will probably be that by Cornelia Parker, who has selected around a black and white theme.
Blurb:'The largest open submission exhibition in the world'; 'Held without interruption since 1769, the Summer Exhibition displays works in a variety of mediums and genres by emerging and established contemporary artists.'
Top tip: If you want to buy something to take home you might also like Not the Royal Academy (below)
RA Main Galleries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD / 020 7300 8000 / Until 17 Aug.
www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/15

Twixt Two Worlds
'This display maps the pivotal moment in cinema history when still photography evolved into moving images' A Whitechapel Gallery collaboration with the Contemporary Arts Society, using magic lanterns, slides withr pioneering cinema imagery and contemporary artists to revisit the history and techniques of early film.
Whitechapel Gallery, Gallery 7, London E1 7QX / +44 (0)20 7522 7888  / Until 31 August
http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/contemporary-art-society-twixt-two-worlds

Not the Royal Academy
A Salon des Refusés for some of the artists who didn't make it into the RA Summer Exhibition but nevertheless have commerically viable work. Worth a look if you want to see more traditional work suited to a domestic setting.
LLEWELLYN ALEXANDER GALLERY, 124-126 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE 1 8LN UK (Opposite the Old Vic Theatre) / Tel: 020 7620 1322/1324 / Until 16 Aug.
http://www.nottheroyalacademy.com/

BP Portrait Award
Another popular open submission prize and exhibition. Mostly representational art and I rarely agree with the first prize selection, tending to prefer the runners up, but I still love to go and see what is thrown up each year. The travel prize is also always interesting.
Top tips: Admission Free, open late Thursdays and Fridays.
National Portrait Gallery,  St Martin’s Place,  London,  WC2H 0HE / 020 7306 0055 / Until 21st Sept.
http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/bp-portrait-award-2014/the-exhibition.php

Outside London

Bristol - Jeremy Deller: English Magic
Jeremy Deller's English Magic tours to Bristol in April, for the second leg of its trip around England. This time the exhibition's local links will include include new installations and commissions made in direct response to the museum’s own collections; including paintings of the Bristol Riots of 1831 by William James Muller and a display of taxidermy, handpicked by Deller.
This was one exhibition I was very glad to visit at the William Morris Gallery, as I couldn't get to the Venice Biennale and I wanted to see English Magic in person. Jeremy Deller makes the kind of work I'd like to be making myself. I need to find my own way there, so I take work like his as an inspiration that the art world still supports artists making socially-inclusive artworks.
Top tip: See the events list.
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1RL. Until 21 September
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/leisure-and-culture/jeremy-deller-english-magic-exhibition

Mondrian and Colour
Blurb: 'See over 50 works spanning Mondrian’s journey, many from the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, which holds the largest collection of Mondrian’s paintings, along with exhibits from museums and private collections in Europe and the USA.'
Turner Contemporary, Margate, Kent CT9 1HG / + 44 (0) 1843 233000 / Until 21 Sept.
http://www.turnercontemporary.org/exhibitions/mondrian-and-colour

Mondrian and his Studios
The partner exhibition to Mondrian at the Turner Contemporary (above)
Blurb: 'This brand new exhibition, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of the artist’s death, provides fresh insights into Mondrian’s practice and explores his relationship with architecture and urbanism.'
Tate Liverpool, Liverpool / Until 5 October.
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/mondrian-and-his-studios

More useful links

The Guardian - Art and Design
The Telegraph's art exhibitions and reviews.