I wrote this two-version short story during my residency at The Columbia in partnership with Roman Road. It is two versions of the same story. At first I titled it "This is what I tell people/This is what really happened." An audio piece accompanies this text where I recorded the second version on the story. The one that is written upside down and a little blurry. This work was shown together with an audio piece in a group show: The Edge. You can listen to the audio below: #t

Short story inspired by Georgia Elrod, Oondine, 2019 part of Tappan’s online collection: The Body. I felt it when the seed was planted. I remember it because it was the day I butt heads with a bat on my way back from school. It was dusk. That hour the bats go a bit crazy. That hour they make screeching noises. It was a baby bat that hit my forehead. Probably learning to fly. Learning to get its bearings. It took me a few seconds of looking to realise what it was. I only belie

Short story inspired by Sikelela Owen, Yui, 2019 currently part of Together, the first physical exhibition since the lockdown at James Freeman Gallery. 10th July -1st August (London - Free by appointment) He watched her as she lay there. His image reflected on what separated them. He wondered what the difference was between the sleeping and the dead. Was she dreaming? Is that the difference? Between the sleeping and the dead? Dreams. Little did he know what she was dreaming a

Short story inspired by the Sleep Series of artist Maryam Ashkanian currently shown online Grounded - How has your environment been affected by lockdown? hosted by Daniel Raphael Gallery 5th -30th June (online) I was bored. I’ve been bored ever since all this started. I struggled to get to even a thousand steps a day (my phone reminded me). The distance between my bed, the bathroom and the kitchen sink in my studio flat wasn’t long enough. An equilateral triangle of a few ste

The Approach brings to the UK Rubem Valentim's first solo exhibition. Inspired by Candomblé, Valentim was a crucial figure of Brazilian art.

Waddington Custot Gallery, London On until 15th February 2020 (FREE) I came across the work of Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908 - 1992) a couple of years ago at Frieze London. It was a painting with a dark background depicting intriguing abstract geometric lines. A very eye catching painting. I remember thinking she might be Brazilian given her name. I later discovered that she was born in Portugal and spent most of her life in France. She did live in Rio de Janeiro for a s

Freehouse, London On until 21st December 2019 (FREE) Human beings have an inherent need to reduce information, to classify. A strategy that helps us make sense of the world but with the potential unintended consequence of losing depth of meaning in the process. In a world where everything is categorised it is a breath of fresh air to see complexity celebrated. General Meeting is somewhat inspired by the concept behind the Non-Aligned Movement that began in Belgrade during the

Maiolino is more than an artist she is a visual philosopher. Any attempt to translate that philosophy into words will inevitably fail.

Tate Modern, London On until 9th June 2019 (£13 admission - worth every penny) Dorothea Tanning’s exhibition at Tate Modern doesn’t seem to be as popular as Pierre Bonnard’s. I can’t help but speculate that this is due to the disturbing quality of the paintings being used as promotional material for the show. Tanning was born in the USA in 1910 to Swedish parents. She lived to 101 and married German artist Max Ernst in 1946. At the beginning of her career she was an advertisi

White Cube Mason's Yard, London Until 9th March 2019 (FREE entry) While most of the press seems to have been focused on Tracey Emin’s exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey, Random Access Memory by Polish artist Miroslaw Balka has been flying under the radar at White Cube Mason’s Yard. The exhibition is highly timely but need a bit of contextualisation for someone unfamiliar with the artist to relate. There are two virtually identical works being shown, each in a separate room.

Tate Modern, London On until 6th May 2019 (£18 admission) I go to quite a few exhibitions every month (every week even) but I don’t write about all of them. I wait for the “calling”. When I feel that “calling” after an exhibition (same day or several days after) do I write. Pierre Bonnard’s exhibition at the Tate Modern was an odd one. I am not sure if I felt the said “calling” or not. I am still trying to figure that out. But as the saying goes: in case of doubt, do it. So h

Whitechapel Gallery, London On until 24th March 2019 (FREE) My first exhibition of 2019. YAY! And what a start! I am writing this from the Café at the Whitechapel Gallery where I have just spent the last two hours in Gallery 4 that is now showcasing one of the Whitechapel Gallery Archive Exhibitions: Staging Jackson Pollock. When I saw on Whitechapel Gallery’s website that they have had an exhibition on Jackson Pollock since September last year I wondered why I hadn’t heard/r

Royal Academy of Arts, London On until 3rd February 2019 I am writing this after my second visit to the Klimt/Schiele exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. I was with a friend during my first visit and I only had an hour, which allowed me to see three out of the five rooms. Today I spent another hour seeing the last two rooms and re-examining my favourite drawings. And it was well worth it, as in the two weeks between my visits I managed to gather a lot more cont