"hey baby, come for the sushi dinner"
All submissions are welcome at spittlesubmissions@gmail.com. Published on Tuesday mornings, click here to subscribe!
This Week
š¦ In-demand art job opening as āEvents Assistant / Au Pairā donāt all rush at once
š¦ Models! Miami! Million dollar cheques!Ā
š¦ Ghosts, Skulls, Snakes, Bats - spittle is stirred
Events, 28 September - 4 October
š§ 28 September | 6:30pm | Megan Rooney in Conversation with Hans Ulrich Obrist , Thaddaeus Ropac, W1S 4NJ [Green Park] | Book here
š§ 29 September | 7pm | Mark Corfield-Moore: Neither Here Nor There [Exhibition tour with wine], Cob Gallery, NW1 0SG [Camden Road] | RSVP to victoria@cobgallery.com
š§ 29 September | 5ā9pm | Julie Bena: The Den, Nicoletti Contemporary, E2 9DG [Cambridge Heath] | Exhibition runs until 6 November | Free
š§ 29 September | From 11am | Theaster Gates: A Clay Sermon, Whitechapel gallery,Ā [Aldgate East] | 9 January 2022 | FreeĀ
š§ 30 September | 4ā8pm | Mickalene Thomas, Levy Gorvy, W1S 4PY [Green Park] | Exhibition runs through 13 November | Free
š§ 30 September | 6ā7pm | Sofia Mitsola in Conversation with Dr Flavia Frigeri, Pilar Corrias, W1W 8EF [Oxford Circus] | FreeĀ
š§ 1 October | from 11am | Alvaro Barrington: Spider the Pig, Pig the Spider, South London Gallery, SE5 8UH [Peckham Rye] | Exhibition runs through 21 November | Free
š§ 1 October | Opening 5ā7pm | Nicola Tyson, Sadie Coles, Davies St, W1 [Bond Street] | Exhibition runs through 6 November | Free
š§ Until September 30 | Art Lovers Movie Club screening of Richard Fungās Dirty Laundry (1996) | Free
Exhibitions of the Week
Unconvinced Familiar: Sofāya Shpurova and Jean-Baptiste Janisset, The Chapel at Oxford House, Bethnal Green. Now closed, information here
The nomadic project-to-watch, Fabbrischenker, presented a finely curated duo show in a former church in Bethnal Greenāstrangely located on the third floor of a community building. Shpurovaās and Janissetās works are conceptually linked through religion; with Shpurovaās paintings referencing 15th-century Russian icon painters, while Janissetās sculpture departs from Christian imagery and graveyard forms found around Marseille. Ghosts, Skulls, Snakes, Batsāhaunting iconography was distributed throughout the show. And yetāeven without the help of their reverential surroundingsāthe tantalising gothic works by this up-and-coming duo are still stirring spittle.
Phantoms of Surrealism, Whitechapel Gallery, until 12 December 2022. Information here.
The small (upstairs) gallery at Whitechapel has been transformed into an archival exhibition celebrating the āLondon International Surrealist Exhibitionā, held at the New Burlington Galleries in Mayfair during the Summer of 1936. The show spotlights the role women played in surrealismāboth as artists and organisersāand standout works include paintings by Stella Snead and Grace Pailthorpe. We particularly enjoyed an incredibly detailed scale model of the exhibitionācomplete with an enviable chaise loungeā¦
Hot Links
š āTrad LARPers are the canary in the coal mineā - As predicted by this infamous blog post which did the rounds in March, the New York Times confirms that sex positivity (and sex-positive feminism) is OUT.Ā
š āDerek called us the Shock Troops of Gay Liberationā - As an act of political protest in the 90s, Derek Jarman was canonised by an activist group of gay male 'nuns' known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. A new doc explores what happened after the Sisters ātook a trip down to Prospect Cottage to lay hands on their beloved Dessieā.
š„ Why the 1% love ritualised waste - Models! Miami! Million-dollar cheques! - nothing in the world of ostentatious wealth destruction escapes the ethnographic gaze of Sociologist (and former 90s party-circuit model and sushi party attendee) Ashley Mears, whose thesis examines why excessive consumption is just so damn appealing to the mega-rich.
š āPornographic anachronistic nostalgia on paperā- Natasha Stagg profiles purveyor of mischievous kitsch, John Currin, for Gagosian Quarterly. Some great quotes: āIf I was honest about what I really wanted, it would be that people would fall in love with me by looking at my paintings.ā Same here <3.
š āThe street has lost its savourā - Joel Meyerowitz once said, but his Tuscany home certainly hasnāt as it appears in Joelās shoot for Jil Sanderās new collection. The images are gorgeous; Hopper-esque in their sculptural approach to light and (bright) desaturation.
ā āIām sorry we canāt be together in person because youād be able to smell the Bergamotā - London stalwart The River Cafe have just released their first podcast featuring none other than Bergamot-smelling actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Even better is that RC co-founder Ruth Rogers interviews a stellar line-up of cafĆ©ās loyal customers.Ā
š¬ āTo say Iām not a control freak at all would be preposterous. You have to be a control freakā ā The Guardian profiles beloved filmmaker and king of kitchen-sink dramas Mike Leigh, who discusses āradicalā casting, class politics, and why he hates to compromise. Donāt miss a screening of his full oeuvre at BFI Southbank from 18 October to 30 November.Ā
šļø Who commissioned Confederate themed stained-glass windows in the first place anyway? - Two stained glass windows in Americaās National Cathedral which celebrate confederate generals are set to be replaced with designs by Kerry James Marshall - his first foray into the medium. About time!!!
Basel Bulletin
Our roving reporter attended Art Basel so you didnāt have to, bringing back such gossip you wouldnāt believe! spittle had to remember not to stoop to Kenny Schachter levels, so please see below some heart-warming memories from the weekend:
An [unnamed upcoming artist] missed his plane back to NY due to excessive partying. Not upset for long, they decided their only option was pulling a white-wine fuelled all-nighter, to minimise the risk of sleeping through the re-booked flight.
Haegue Yangās tactile works were physically irresistible to fairgoers who couldnāt help prodding the (pretty much COVID shaped) spinning sculptures ā much to Yangās galleristsā displeasure.
LL Bean bags are the gallerina bag of the season, check out here & add personalised monogram for extra brownie points. Pair with On Running shoes for this seasonās most convincing twee/GORPcore art-world look.
Artists to watch: Amande del Valle, Elza Sile, Justin Fitzpatrick, Diamond Stingily, Elaine Cameron-Weir, Matt Copson, Sarah Slappey, Atiena R Kilfa, Miriam Laura Leonardi, Zadie Xa, Jonathan Lyndon Chase.
Add-to-Cart
Think time is moving faster and faster? Accelerationism is real. Check out Distanzās new publication which is already seeking to historicize the NFT market explosion. With no clear mention of Beeple, this publication spotlights the genuinely radical intersections between art and Web 3.0 tech, with gorgeous accompanying illustrations. Proof of Art: A Short History of NFTs is available here for ā¬38.00. spittle is also floating ideas to self-publish an ethnographic study of Clubhouseās lockdown rise and fall, stay tuned for imminent funding round.
Parting Shot
Stuck between careers in child development and arts-related event coordination? For those looking for both unusual and exceptional opportunitiesā¦ read on. The Institute of Art and Ideas is looking for someone to fill the split role of āEvents Assistant / Au Pairā. Living at the top of a valley in the Black Mountains does sound wonderful! Driving license and love of countryside, essential.
Love,