SHOWnews: London Gallery Weekend

Sophie Podolski: Wisdom Should be Sung at CCA, Goldsmiths

Emblematic of a time marked by youth disenchantment, artist Sophie Podolski was more than just a young woman with potential. Although just 21 at the time of her death by suicide in 1973, Podolski had managed to build a phantasmagoric world around her by working on an extraordinary volume of writings, drawings and collages throughout her short life, all of which surmount to a total of over 300 artistic materials. A wildly impressive feat for any young artist to achieve, let alone Podolski who, diagnosed with schizophrenia, spent much time in and out of psychiatric clinics in the years up to her death. Building on the first ever exhibition dedicated to her in 2018, Wisdom Should be Sung at CCA offers visitors a more nuanced opportunity to engage with the artist's surreal works that borrow from styles unique to everyone who is someone in art history - Beardsley and Warhol included - as they quite literally sing with wisdom; a testament to Podolski being wise beyond her years. If you ever needed a quick creative fix this weekend, look no where further, Podolski is an artist who did it all before she even had the chance to start.

Sophie Podolski: Wisdom Should be Sung at CCA, Goldsmiths is open to the public until 24 August, 2025.

if you seek amy by Ela Kazdal at vitruta Kings Cross

For those old enough, the phrase 'If You Seek Amy' is synonymous with that of other notorious British slang insults. For others, it rings as a distant reminder of the The Script; who remembers Danny O'Donoghue? As for Ela Kazdal? It's neither of these things, but rather a whirlwind of halftone dots, photograms, vinyl stickers, and lace courtesy of the artist's recently-released short film if you seek amy, which deconstructs iconic pop stardom from Britney Spears to Beyoncé, altering it into faint, flickering reverberations. 

It's undeniable that for the last 25 years, society has been held in a chokehold by the idea of 'the celebrity', or is it the other way round? However you perceive fame, just know that Kazdal is one step ahead of you, deconstructing images of our favourite stars into nothing but a faint monochromatic blur of pixels indicative of voyeurism as much as they are elusiveness - a quality many celebrities crave yet few truly relish once found. Available to view at vitruta in Kings Cross this London Gallery Weekend, this video installation extends the dialogue initiated in The Luster, an exhibition organised by Display Fever at the same North London-based site last month. Nothing is more distorted than fame, but Kazdal's film is a strong contender, taking this pre-concieved notion to new astronomical heights.

if you seek amy will be screened to the public at vitruta, Kings Cross on Saturday 7 June between 19:00 and 21:00 BST, coinciding with London Gallery Weekend.

The Newly Opened V&A East Storehouse, Stratford

What's better than a life-size box of tricks? Or a curiosity cabinet fit for a giant (and their family of 10)? Spoiler alert: not much. If you happen to stumble east this weekend, make sure you pop into the new V&A East Storehouse which holds enough relics to surprise even the most eccentric and legendary of antiques dealers. All we'll say is yes, that rumour of the new V&A East Storehouse housing a 1954 Balenciaga evening dress is true - as is the fact that it also has the largest Pablo Picasso work made (ever) - the rarely displayed Ballets Russes Le Train Bleu stage cloth.

Long story short, it's an all-new, purpose-built space, located at East Bank in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and houses over half a million objects spanning every creative discipline you could possibly imagine. Consider it an extension of the famed museum's archive, but available to view for the public as it offers visitors the rare insider opportunity to glance behind the scenes of a working museum. As for those actually working? Take note of their uniforms... designer Robyn Lynch certainly didn't mess around when she got the call.

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me by Lize Bartelli at Roman Road

When you find the kind of love that is accepting as much as it is honest and easy, you know you've struck a goldmine. So rare, so pure, it's hard to remember this love is possible during moments when you feel like it only exists on other planets. Sometimes, it's much easier to dream - which is exactly what Lize Bartelli has done for her latest exhibition conveniently titled Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me at Roman Road gallery.

Choosing to paint a world where beauty, identity and resistance intersect, the show, which takes its title from The Smiths' 1987 melancholic ballad, firmly anchors itself in challenging - and subsequently overturning - the everyday expectations placed on women: 'expectations that have echoed through history, shaping perceptions of desirability, power, and self-worth', notes the press release. And so springing this manifesto into action, the artist's subjects may appear to embody a stereotypical collective of the ultra feminine at first glance (characterised by smooth skin and striking outlines) but once one looks closer, you'd realise that gestures tell a different story. One reclines with a cigarette, while flashing a victorious hand of cards, while another nonchalantly holds a phone mid conversation. Of course, both are in the nude; so comfortable in their own magnetism to the extent it is beyond questioning - and it certainly isn't posturing. Pop down to Roman Road gallery to absorb their magic.

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me by Lize Bartelli at Roman Road is open to the public until 11 June.

Powder Puff: Florence Houston at Lyndsey Ingram

Since when did London become obsessed with food? Obviously the capital has always been known for its cultural gastronomical hotspots but post-pandemic, the city’s white-clothed cooks have been working at an undeniably quicker pace than ever, with a new small plates restaurant opening every week. (Why are they always small plates?) Tapping into this foodie-crazed phenomena is artist Florence Houston with her exhibition Powder Puff at Lyndsey Ingram, providing a more intricate (not to mention, painterly) look at the food that people tend to look at rather than eat. Think Jellies and cherries and custard cakes and pink swirls of well, quite frankly, crap. Not to look at but definitely to digest. We digress, but there is certainly a strikingly endearing emphasis on the-wibbly-and-the-wobbly-but-not-so-much-sturdy kind of delicacies that artfully bridge the gap between what we find attractive and what we find repulsive.

Florence Houston’s Powder Puff is open to the public at Lyndsey Ingram gallery until 8 June.