What's on: September's must-see contemporary art
Hello, dear reader! It’s wonderful that we finally and formally meet. My name is Sandy Di Yu, and I’m a PhD student currently studying at the University of Sussex. I’m also a Canadian arts writer, covering all aspects of contemporary arts and culture. I’ll be bringing culture and art to your inbox every week, highlighting events that showcase Canadian talent throughout London and the UK.
This week, my pick of must-see contemporary art ranges from the deeply poetic to the rigorously academic. These UK exhibitions feature art by Canadian and Canada-based artists in addition to those whose time spent in Canada has inspired their practice.
curtain call, variations on a folly (2021). Installation view, Chisenhale Gallery, London, 2021. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Andy Keate.
Abbas Akhavan: curtain call, variations on a folly at Chisenhale Gallery
14 August 2021 - 17 October 2021
Montreal-based artist Abbas Akhavan's commission for Chisenhale Gallery expands on his research on the relationship between chroma key green screen technology and cob, an ancient building material made of subsoil, water and straw.
Megan Rooney, BONES ROOTS FRUITS, 2021. Installation view, Thaddaeus Ropac London.
Megan Rooney: BONES ROOTS FRUITS at Thaddaeus Ropac, London Ely House
6 September 2021 - 4 October 2021
Megan Rooney's large-scale abstract works centre on colour as the language that propels her narratives. In this exhibition, her intuitive application of layering hints at bodies and space, or perhaps something between the two, moving in tandem and at odds for compositions that overflow with poetic resonance. This exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated essay by Canadian writer Emily Labarge.
Alison Katz, Slippy, 2017. Acrylic and rice on canvas, 175 x 125 cm. © the artist (2021). Courtesy the artist and The Approach, London.
Mixing It Up: Painting Today at Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre
9 September 2021 – 12 December 2021
This critically acclaimed exhibition of a medium that has withstood the test of time presents 31 artists whose paintings marry tradition with the unapologetically contemporary. Amongst the artworks include creations by British painter Peter Doig, whose snowy landscapes of shimmering nostalgia are in part inspired by a childhood spent in Canada. You'll also see works by Canadian artist Allison Katz, whose paintings employ clever motifs to open up dialogue about art history. You can also see Allison's work in her solo institutional presentation at Nottingham Contemporary, until 31 October.
Sunil Gupta, Black Experience, 2021. Installation view, Hales Gallery London.
Sunil Gupta: Black Experience at Hales Gallery
17 September 2021 - 16 October 2021
This photographic exhibition by acclaimed Indian artist Sunil Gupta showcases 10 series of his works commissioned for Reflections of the Black Experience, a pivotal exhibition that took place at Brixton Art Gallery in 1986. Educated in the UK, Sunil spent several of his formative years in Canada before leaving to pursue a career in the arts. His portraits exemplify his unique positioning in the world aa a gay man of colour living with HIV, across the borders of India and his adopted homes of Canada and the UK.
Rita Keegan, Love Token, 1996, photo album and photocopies hand-tinted with watercolour and colour pencil.
Rita Keegan: Somewhere between there and here at South London Gallery
17 Sep 2021 -28 Nov 2021
Rita Keegan, a Caribbean and Black-Canadian artist and archivist who was one of the definitive media artists of the British Black Arts Movement, presents her first solo exhibition in over fifteen years at South London Gallery’s Fire Station venue. Interlacing multiple mediums, including the likes of digital animation, painting and scent, much of Rita’s richly historical works draw on an extensive photographic archive of her own Black middle-class Canadian family from the 1880s to the present day.
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