Art
Canary Wharf has been building its public art collection for the last thirty years and it now includes over 100 permanent pieces by over 50 world-renowned artists, including, Henry Moore, Ottotto and Helaine Blumenfeld, across a variety of media. The ‘open-air gallery’ spans the entire Estate so you can do a tour of all the artworks, and the best place to start is with the Canary Wharf Art Map.
Camille Walala’s geometric designs are instantly recognisable and she’s brought her signature patterns to Canary Wharf with ‘Captivated by Colour’. Originally installed at Adams Plaza bridge as part of the inaugural London Mural Festival, the colourful work, which creates an optical pattern that shrinks and elongates as you move through the tunnel, is now a permanent addition to Canary Wharf’s public art collection.
YINKA ILORI | BASKETBALL COURT
Canary Wharf has opened its first ever 3 x 3 basketball court at Bank Street Park and it’s been designed by renowned British-Nigerian artist Yinka Ilori. Yinka brings his colour-obsessed style to this vibrant installation that covers the entirety of the court’s surface and the walls that surround it. The theme of the installation is ‘Be The Best You Can Be’ and the court aims to inspire visitors to the area as we emerge from a difficult period, and it’s free to the public so you can get down there between now and the end of October and shoot some hoops.
WHITE CUBE
The contemporary art gallery became famous for exhibiting the YBAs and since it moved to its huge Bermondsey location it’s hosted exhibitions on Tracey Emin, Cerith Wyn Evans, Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley and Sarah Morris.
Opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985 so he could show his collection to the public (although it’s only been on its current Duke of York Square site since 2008), the Saatchi Gallery is known for contemporary art exhibitions and blockbuster shows like Chanel: Mademoiselle Prive and Tutankhamun: Treasues of the Golden Pharaoh.
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS
The Royal Academy of Arts, which is led by artists and architects, has been showcasing art that ranges from ancient sculpture to contemporary paintings and everything in between for over 250 years. As well as an annual Summer Exhibition, which is the largest open-submission exhibition in the world, the RA has held shows on the likes of Russian revolutionary art, Anthony Gormley, Gauguin and the Impressionists, Tracey Emin and art from Oceania.
MADDOX GALLERY
Maddox Gallery was only established in 2015 but has already become a huge part of the contemporary and modern art scene in London. They’ve previously showcased some of the most respected and emerging artists alongside world-renowned figures such as Banksy, KAWS, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.
Filled with trees and cascading water features, Jubilee Park is a little oasis of calm amidst the atmosphere of the city. It’s the place to head for when you need to find some zen and when the sun is shining over the grass, there’s no better spot in the neighbourhood to sit and relax.
HENRY MOORE | DRAPED SEATED WOMAN, OLD FLO
Created by Henry Moore in 1957 and partly inspired by his memories of sheltering during the Blitz, bronze sculpture ‘Draped Seated Woman’, or ‘Old Flo’ as she’s more affectionately known, was originally installed in Stepney housing estate before being relocated to Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the 90s. She’s now back in the East End as part of Canary Wharf’s public art collection, taking pride of place in Cabot Square.
WESTFERRY CIRCUS
In addition to the beautiful landscaped garden space filled with seasonal flowers and shrubs, Westferry Circus is also home to a number of sculptures that form part of Canary Wharf’s public art collection, so it’s a great place to kick back and appreciate the artworks.
INxSANIxTY PRESENTS GIDAN TUNANI
Artist INxSANIxTY is kicking off Black History Month in Peckham with art experience Gidan Tunani at Bussey Building. ‘Gidan Tunani’ translates to ‘House of Thought’ in Hausa, a northern Nigerian language, and aims to challenge a range of ideas surrounding the human condition. INxSANIxTY has drawn on his Nigerian heritage for the exhibition, as well as touching on topics likes identity, displacement, faith, race, Africanism and colonisation, which includes oil paintings, drawings, digital paintings, video art, sculpture and more. It’s free to attend, so just register here.
Thurs 1st – Mon 5th October 2020, 10am – 10.30pm (Thurs preview: 6pm – 10.30pm)
133 Copeland Rd, Peckham, London SE15 3SN
@inxsanixty
TIM WALKER | WONDERFUL THINGS
The V&A is hosting a big solo exhibition of British fashion photographer Tim Walker. Not only will Walker be showing new photographs, inspired by the collections housed at the V&A, but the exhibition will also explore the impact of his collaborators, models, designers and muses on his images. Walker is known for his inventive and fantastical photographs – he shot the 2018 Alice in Wonderland-inspired Pirelli Calendar – so this is sure to be a knockout show.
JOSEPH BEUYS | IMPORTANT SCULPTURES FROM THE 1950s
BASTIAN is showing five of Joseph Beuys’ sculptures from the 1950s that have not been exhibited in the UK before. Presented alongside documentary photographs, the exhibition is a rare chance to see some of his early works and understand how he used mythical references to explore spiritualism in modern life.
Maddox Gallery in Mayfair is hosting photographer Haris Nukem’s exhibition Faith. The show explores the ideas of righteousness, morality and spiritualism in the modern age, commenting on the likes of tribalism, fame, social media and online trolls by mixing classical imagery and iconography with a contemporary aesthetic.
MARK LECKEY | O' MAGIC POWER OF BLEAKNESS
Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Leckey is taking over Tate Britain with a new large-scale installation exhibition. Featuring new work, including a life-size replica of a bridge on the M53 in the Wirral and an audio play inspired by foklore and his pre-teen experiences, as well as his seminal pieces Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore 1990 and Dream English Kid 1964–1999 AD 2015, the show will be an atmospheric audio-visual experience.
This independent double-level gallery space has been around since 2008 and it’s an established Banksy specialist – as well as regularly showing his pieces, Hang-Up is the world’s largest dealer in authentic limited edition Banksy prints. The gallery also exhibits a range of contemporary artists like Harland Miller, David Shrigley, KAWS, The Connor Brothers, Lauren Baker and Nina Saunders.
Victoria Miro is a contemporary art gallery that showcases a mix of established and emerging artists, although it’s probably best known for showing Yayoi Kusama’s spotted pumpkins and infinity mirror rooms (you can tell when there’s a Kusama show on as there’ll be queues snaking out the door). The Islington space even has its own garden, which is often used to host installations.
Deptford Does Art does exactly what it says on the tin, and then some. Run by Zuzana and her husband Dan, it’s a gallery that exhibits local art, with the artists that show in the space providing workshops and talks. There’s also a shop selling prints, cards and gifts in there, and a vegan cafe.