The TMH Edit: five wonderful ways to fill December
With end-of-year parties and a seemingly never-ending to-do list, December can be an overwhelming time. But don’t let that put you off filling the diary and embracing this time with cheer. From a new design store shining a light on Mexican craft to a celebratory Japanese feast, here is our edit of five brilliant things to do this month.
La Paloma
La Paloma is a new online store selling Mexican ceramic, glass and woven crafts, with family at its heart. The name is taken from a bricks-and-mortar shop in Dublin that sold artful objects sourced from the Latin American country in the early 1990s. The brains behind that business, Mexican native Rosario Lawson, is one-third of La Paloma today, which she now runs with her son, Christopher, and daughter, Kirsty, in London.
The neat edit of beautiful handmade homeware includes sculptural clay candle holders, stacks of richly glazed casserole dishes, mouth-blown glasses and palm baskets. The team at La Paloma says they hope that their collection “demonstrates the beauty and ingenuity of Latin American craft and design and presents a less-seen vision of Mexican culture”. Everything is made in limited runs, so it’s worth acting quickly if you spot something that takes your fancy. Any purchases can be posted across the UK, but you can also pick up your selections from locations in E5, E8 or N7. Photography: Elif Tanman
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly in League with the Night at Tate Britain
It’s second-time lucky for Lynette Yiadom-Boakye at Tate Britain. This month, we’re rejoicing in the return of the British artist and writer’s first major exhibition, Fly in League with the Night, at the art institution, after it was sadly cut short due to the pandemic in 2020. It’s the most extensive survey of Yiadom-Boakye’s career to date and will run until 26 February 2023.
The retrospective features more than 70 large-scale imaginary portraits of characters dreamed up by Yiadom-Boakye or inspired by found images, reflecting her artistic output over the past 20 years. The works, executed in oil paint, are enigmatic and fascinating, leaving you longing to know more about the fictional subjects. Four portraits in the 2020 show couldn’t be secured for this iteration, but they’re more than made up for by the addition of two brand-new pieces, plus two others that couldn’t make it before.
Pictured: (top) A Transformation, 2022; 6pm Cadiz, 2012; (bottom) Tie The Temptress To The Trojan, 2018
Five-year anniversary menu at Koya City
We’ve long been fans of Japanese udon noodle bar Koya, but we’re particularly excited to visit its City branch between 6-11 December, when it will be celebrating its five-year anniversary with a menu of blackboard specials from over the years.
Founded by John Devitt and Shuko Odo, whose 1960s Forest Hill townhouse featured in Issue No.2 of our magazine, Koya is known for its experimental dishes that push the boundaries of Japanese cuisine. Anyone for octopus karaage with juniper-pickled cucumber and spicy nori salt? Or grilled brill head with king-oyster mushroom dashi? Yes please. On offer alongside the standard menu, the nine specials are available for both lunch and dinner and can either be ordered as individual dishes or as a selection of smaller plates for big groups. The perfect antidote to turkey and pigs in blankets, we say.
Distant Though Near at Francis Gallery, Bath
In Bath, Japanese culture is the focus of the latest exhibition at Rosa Park’s Francis Gallery, which is presenting the work of emerging Paris-based artist Rosemarie Auberson. Titled Distant Though Near, the exhibition runs from 3 December to 11 February, with softly coloured works looking particularly at home within the serene and clean-lined space.
Inspired by Auberson’s Japanese heritage, the abstract pieces explore the relationship between object and space, experimenting with layers of pigment and different canvas types, which range from rough to paper-thin. “As I painted, I was entirely focused on my conversation with the support material – and how the paintings reacted,” the artist said of her latest body of work. Also shown alongside the art are five beautiful stoneware sculptures, which Auberson created in collaboration with her friend the ceramicist Juliette Teste. Inspired by Japanese takamura – a headrest that was used by geishas to protect their hair while sleeping – the pieces manage to be both domestic and deeply spiritual.
A Circle of Friends at Fred Rigby Studio
There’s little that gets us more excited at this time of year than a festive art and design market – especially when it’s been curated by furniture designer Fred Rigby. Hosted at his light and airy workshop and showroom in Hackney (avid readers will remember our visit earlier this year), the three-day bonanza brings together more than 20 makers and designers, selling everything from lighting and prints to textiles and ceramics.
We’ll be making a beeline for Palefire, a small London-based studio set up by Rowena Morgan-Cox, whose first lighting collection, made predominantly from moulded paper pulp, blurs the boundaries between art and design. Other highlights include exquiste drawings and photography by Lottie Hampson, and vintage ceramics and small homewares from online shop Eesome. A Circle of Friends takes place 16-18 December at 5a Gransden Avenue, London, E8 3QA.
RELATED ON THE MODERN HOUSE
Cover Stories: five new architecture, art and design books for your shelf
Five things to do and see this September
Five things to do and see this August
Five things to do and see this July
Five joyful things to do this June
Six standout things to see and do this May
Five things to do and see this April
Six things not to miss this March
Five uplifting things to do this February
The TMH Edit: five ways to beat the January blues