Arty Outings
A few of my favourite art exhibitions.
- Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon, Southwark Cathedral
Gorgeous planetary sculpture with an audio soundtrack. Forget fly me to the moon, you can walk under and around it, and pose!
Like the Gaia installation, the Museum of the Moon is on tour. See if the Moon is coming to your area! https://my-moon.org/tour-dates/
2. FIFTEEN: Through the Lens of the Next Generation at Oxo Gallery, Southbank, London
This free exhibition organised by the charity Street Child highlights the dreams, hopes and ambitions of fifteen young people through their photographs. What does it mean to be a fifteen year old in Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Uganda and Ukraine?
Get an insight into their daily lives, education, family, friends and what matters. I’m still thinking about a classroom mentioned which didn’t have any chairs, and the war battered classroom from Ukraine. Lots of hope and dynamism here too.
F I F T E E N; Through the lens of the next generation (street-child.org)
3. Over-hyped, Over-here? Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms, Tate Modern, London
I cheekily jest — I finally did the thing and joined the queues and the hype. And it wasn’t too long a wait. In small groups, you enter two rooms — one with a gently spinning twinkling chandelier disappearing into mirrored infinity, so that you appear surrounded by chandeliers in every direction. The other contained lots of hanging lights which changed colour in gentle twinkling sheets and water! (When this second room of coloured lights resets you are temporarily plunged in darkness for three seconds and there is the peril that you could accidentally step into one of these shallow trays of water!) It is beautiful and simply clever, but I was expecting more than two rooms, and many more spots! But I’ve since learnt that these are the largest of her mirrored infinity room installations.
Enjoy the gorgeousness and the strange photos of 1960s installation art — part love-in, part Austin Powers. Be very impressed at what Yayoi Kusama can persuade people to do in the name of art! as well as using the experiences of her mental health treatment for artistic expression.
My favourite exhibit was a stunning mirrored cube. Peer into one of the coloured spots on it and you can see infinite reflected coloured glass bubbles.
Do say ‘hi’ to the lovely people explaining how the mirrored infinity rooms work before you go in — apparently no-one does!
Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Rooms | Tate Modern
4. El Anatsui’s Behind the Red Moon — Tate Modern, London
Epic and beautiful, massive glittering panel hangings are suspended floor to ceiling in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern. As much as you can look at both front and back. One is a sculptural cascade of black using all kinds of metallic materials — thousands of crushed bottle tops and fragments. Go behind one with a house on the front and it’s a poppy field! Another is beautifully red and hanging above is one all yellows and golds — sun colours.
5. The Connection Photography Group, Charing Cross Station Foyer, London
The Connection which practically supports people experiencing homelessness has a great exhibition of photographs by their members. Stunning works ranging from nature and still life to portraits — all incredibly beautiful and life affirming works.
The Connection at St. Martins — End Rough Sleeping in London (connection-at-stmartins.org.uk)
