Five joyful things to do this June
And just like that, it’s June: summer is here and – come rain or shine – our disposition will be thoroughly sunny, thanks to all the delightful things in our diaries. From an exhibition making a splash (and getting us in the mood for sun-soaked days to come) to a slick coffee-table book on one of the world’s brightest architects, here are the five events, exhibitions and launches to have on your radar this month.
‘Chris Ofili: The Seven Deadly Sins’ at Victoria Miro
Pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth: yes, we’re talking about the seven deadly sins, which are the inspiration behind a new series of works by Chris Ofili. The YBA and Turner Prize winner (he was the first Black artist to scoop the award, earning recognition for incorporating elephant dung into his work) has spent the past six years deep diving into each of the capital vices, asking what it means to be sinful. The resulting dreamlike paintings, featuring human beings and mythical creatures alike, will be on display at the Victoria Miro in Islington, north London, from 2 June. Raised as Roman Catholic, Ofili had long felt compelled to explore unholy behaviour, thanks to its Biblical origins. But while it would perhaps make perfect sense to dedicate each painting to a singular sin, he decided to do things differently. As the show notes read, each piece comprises “a spectrum of excessive and transgressive behaviours”. As the artist explains: “I think the works are more about the inner feelings one has about the sin – not necessarily only in the moment of committal – than about what happens afterwards, or the idea of judgement.” To coincide with the exhibition, Ofili is also publishing a catalogue in which seven writers (including Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Hilton Als and Inua Ellams) have been invited to pen poems and essays in relation to his study. As in the paintings, the authors have not been limited to writing about a single sin, but have been asked to contemplate the seven together. ‘Chris Ofili: The Seven Deadly Sins’ runs until 29 July. Chris Ofili, The Pink Waterfall (detail), 2019-2023 © Chris Ofili. Courtesy of the artist and Victoria Miro
‘Bathers’, a summery group show at Saatchi Yates
Whether making a splash in the sea or going for a swim in a lido, there’s nothing that says summer quite like taking a cool dip when the sun is bright and beaming. In fact, this pastime has been capturing the imagination of artists for centuries – and now it’s the subject of an exciting new exhibition at Saatchi Yates in Mayfair, central London, which is celebrating the art and tradition of bathing.
‘Bathers’, which suitably runs throughout summer, from 1 June to 10 August, features a superb spectrum of paintings that showcase scenes of soaking throughout history – from Denijs van Alsloot’s 1614 depiction of nudes frolicking around lakes in forests to Pablo Picasso’s 1928 painting of a solo sunbather on the seaside. This spectacular show also shines a light on works from those including JMW Turner, David Hockney, Peter Doig, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye and Damien Hirst to name a few, as well as Saatchi Yates-represented contemporary talents such as artist Sujin Lee and artist Kottie Paloma. The exhibition is free to attend and there are curator-led tours available every Saturday throughout June.
(Top) Kottie Paloma, Holiday in Bavaria, 2023; (above) Pablo Picasso, Baigneuse, 1928; (below) Tesfaye Urgessa, Untitled, 2023
‘GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNG’ at Hauser & Wirth
In Bruton, Somerset, Hauser & Wirth is celebrating its Swiss roots with an extraordinary new exhibition titled ‘GRUPPENAUSSTELLUNG’. The particularly playful – and provocative – presentation, which runs from 3 June until 1 January 2024 and is divided into three acts, will bring together more than 20 names in homage to the traditional notion of kunsthalle: an artistic space, not too dissimilar to a museum or gallery, which showcases radical works and explores contemporary social and political issues.
Taking over the entire site – that’s five galleries, an outdoor sculpture garden and, at times, its on-site restaurant Roth Bar and Grill with a series of events (including an opening party in the courtyard on the 3 June) – the multidisciplinary exhibition aims to be a destination for interaction and discovery. The names on the line-up that had us at “hello” include Cindy Sherman, Franz West, Paul McCarthy, Phyllida Barlow and Mika Rottenberg, among many others, with works ranging from film and photography to lighting and installation.
Mika Rottenberg, Cosmic Generator (video still), 2017 © Mika Rottenberg. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Little Kudu, South African small plates in Peckham
And now for some food… Introducing Little Kudu, a South African-inspired tapas restaurant opening on 21 June under the railway arches in Peckham, south-east London. It’s the third in a series of restaurants (following suit from Kudu and Kudo Grill) founded by husband-and-wife duo Patrick Williams and Amy Corbin. Just like its elder siblings, Little Kudu will champion the food of Patrick’s native South Africa – but this time, it will be served as small plates.
The menu – put together by chef patron Patrick and fellow South African Chase Wagenhauser – features dishes including braaibrodjie (a South African-style cheese toastie) with smoked tomato chutney and red onion, smoked peri-peri mussels with coriander, and cured trout with gin pickle and cucumber crème fraîche. And what better way to wash it down than with a fine South African wine? Little Kudo has an expertly chosen edit of bottles from regions including Cape Town, Swartland and Stellenbosch. Bookings open on 7 June.
Alchemy: The Material World of David Adjaye by Spencer Bailey
Sir David Adjaye is beloved by design and architecture enthusiasts for all sorts of reasons – from his thoughtful (and thought-provoking) interpretations of public spaces to his contemporary residential projects, such as Lost House and Fog House, both of which we previously sold. As fans, we’re delighted to hear about the launch of this exquisite coffee-table book, edited by Spencer Bailey, which not only rounds up the Ghanaian-British architect’s most remarkable buildings, but looks at each of them through the lens of material – a particularly important element of his practice.
Alchemy: The Material World of David Adjaye, which is published by Phaidon on 22 June, has been split into five sections: stone/concrete, wood, metal, glass, and rammed earth. Each explores how Adjaye selects, uses and combines materials to make some of the most extraordinary structures around the world. “Rich, red precast concrete, composed with recycled glass shards, envelopes the building’s structural form, forming a glinting jewel-like surface,” reads a caption on his magnificent Ruby City art centre in Texas, USA. More than 30 global projects, spanning public, commercial and residential, feature in the book – from the timber and concrete Gwangju River Reading Room to the 2010 Moscow School of Management, which was cleverly built from glass and aims to encourage student reflection.
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