As the latest lockdown recedes into a wintry past, new hope flourishes in the N1 arts scene. With exhibitions, plays and performances blooming throughout the borough, Poppy Sowerby gives a rundown of where to go this Spring
A trendy cosmopolitan centre tucked safely out the way of Central London’s commercial galleries and theatres, Islington has always been a hub of emerging talent in the arts. Now, on the other side of the pandemic, artists are beginning to stick their heads above the parapet. From comedies to collages, our arts venues are serving a host of original delights this spring – and with culture vultures half-starved from a year of pandemic restrictions, you may well find yourself elbowing your way to the front…
The Prisoner, Daniel Hosego
James Freeman Gallery
15 April to 6 May
Oh Lord, these chains! The next stage in his mission to mine value from the modern secular world, Daniel Hosego’s The Prisoner will also mark the artist’s first exhibition of works created under lockdown. Showing at Islington’s James Freeman Gallery, Hosego’s prints use mass production techniques to navigate a post-“death of god” globe, carving out an exciting new commentary on art history. Replete with motifs from both the Renaissance and modern culture, Hosego’s work straddles the two discourses to great and godless effect.
This Place Where I Stand
No 20 ARTS
Currently online, gallery reopens in April
Cross Street’s No 20 ARTS gallery, leading by example with its “relaxed, open and accessible” approach to contemporary art since its launch in January 2017, is currently hosting an exhibition with a series of bright lights from the London art scene. This fresh look comprises a curated selection of works by Amy Leugh-Bird, Shaun Fraser and Simon Kidd. Until April’s in-person reopening, you can find the exhibition via No 20’s online showroom, and view This Place Where I Stand sitting comfortably on your sofa.
Exchange – Paintings by Lisa Milroy
White Conduit Projects
20 May – 16 July
It’s all change for Lisa Milroy, as a curated host of works from 2003 to the present prepares to occupy White Conduit Projects from 20 May. Exchange explores the artist’s preoccupation with transmission and transformation, typified by her use of Japanese techniques and materials. The single painting Off the Rails (Japan) will dominate the entire upstairs gallery; elsewhere, viewers can look forward to her trademark painted dresses and characteristic textile-led approach in this interactive exhibition, showing in the Angel gallery until 16 July.
Dance Nation
Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Currently online, Singin’ in the Rain starts showing from 30 July
Launching on 30 July is the hotly-anticipated stage version of Singin’ in the Rain. Starring musical favourite Adam Cooper, the show features timeless hits from the MGM film. And if you just can’t wait for theatrical action, Sadler’s Wells’ curation of twelve distinct dance works will surely satiate those who for too long had only a kitchen to boogie in. Dance Nation, an adventurous new collaboration with BBC Arts, features Matthew Bourne’s comedy-ballet Spitfire, Boy Blue’s electronic tour of identity in Whyte, and Candoco Dance Company’s daring composition Face In. It is available now on their website.
Book your tickets for Singin’ in the Rain here.
The Seasons Turn, Idris Khan
Victoria Miro Gallery
13 April to 15 May
Another of the important reflective pieces emerging from the hiatus of creative and physical art space over 2020, Victoria Miro gallery’s hosting of Idris Khan’s The Seasons Turn might well signal the turning of a new leaf for the hibernating art scene. Riffing on Vivaldi’s concerti The Four Seasons, Khan’s works are awash with sombre blue, and flooded with reflection. The two installations will be shown from 13 April to 15 May at the Wharf Road site; 28 watercolour and oil collaged pieces gesture towards a new dawn.
Queue, Spencer Sweeney
Gagosian Gallery
22 February – 1 May
Don’t be put off by the name; Queue, Spencer Sweeney’s latest tour of the subconscious, will be worth the wait. Held at Davies Street’s Gagosian gallery as soon as lockdown allows, the exhibition will run until May, and plans to confront viewers with a host of familiar, and unfamiliar, faces. Sweeney’s studies of the human form cluster surrealist figures in mundane places: in each (in a nightclub, at a bus stop or in a clinic), the striking bodies and faces stare down the gallery-goer.
Everything Is Absolutely Fine
King’s Head Theatre
Opens 15 May
It’s something only ever uttered in times of crisis, but the King’s Head Theatre on Upper Street wants you to know that Everything Is Absolutely Fine. Alice Keedwell’s exploration of a life steeped in anxiety is an alarmingly relatable but undeniably refreshing take on the comedy-musical format. With music by House of Blakewell’s Harry Blake and direction by Valentina Ceschi, you’re bound to enjoy the belly-laugh-filled saga of occupational therapist, Alice.
Book your tickets here.
Italian Threads
The Estorick Collection
19 May to 20 June
Flinging its doors back open on 19 May, the Estorick Collection in Canonbury Square will begin its renaissance by delving into the world of MITA with its Italian Threads exhibition. MITA was a Genovese textile firm founded in 1926, which orchestrated collaborations with talents including Gio Ponti, Fortunato Depero and Ettore Sottsass Jr. The movement will be celebrated in this 50-year retrospective, touring moments from Futurism to Abstract Expressionism. The gallery has extended the show to 20 June and works alongside the Wolfsoniana in Genoa; keep your eyes peeled for the ticket release and make sure you get yours pronto.
UPLANDS, Louise Ashcroft
Bobinska Brownlee New River Gallery
22 April – 23 May
Slightly outside Islington’s perimeter but worth the bus journey; Louise Ashcroft’s disruptive new show Uplands promises to hold a middle finger up to the stuffy gallery culture of yore. The ramshackle and adventurous exhibition will be held on an industrial estate in Walthamstow, where Ashcroft fashions ‘trashimation’ figures from discarded objects scattered around an “asphalt island of opportunity”’. Characteristically interrogating the public sphere, the show will be a subversive and shocking antidote to the art establishment. If nothing else, you’ll leave with a new appreciation for tarmac. Bobinska Brownlee New River Gallery are actually a home gallery so if you’re planning a visit, drop info@bbnrgallery.com an email and they’ll get back in touch with more details.
