Six standout things to see and do this May
Is there a more delightful time of year than wisteria-filled May? As we get set for summer, we’re in high spirits, not least because of the inspiring happenings in our diaries. From a series of workshops at a London bakery’s new homeware space to a retrospective on a Turner Prize nominee in West Yorkshire, here are six things to keep you busy throughout the month ahead.
‘Tellurico: Modernissimo’ at Spazio Leone
When Gennaro Leone, one of our favourite east London design dealers, announces a new presentation at his gallery, you should sit up and take note. His curatorial eye, penchant for bold one-off pieces and in-depth knowledge of Italian design means we always leave feeling inspired after a visit to the Spazio Leone showroom. And now, located among a cluster of studios on Amhurst Terrace in Hackney Downs, the gallery is playing host to a show titled ‘Tellurico: Modernissimo’.
For this exhibition, Naples native Gennaro is highlighting the material-led work of fellow Italian Francesco Pace, a Netherlands-based designer who runs the multidisciplinary practice Tellurico. More than 20 works have been beautifully presented within the showroom, including originally commissioned and existing pieces by Francesco. Among these are his unfinished collection of wooden chairs, for instance, and sculptural furniture made from self-developed materials, which sit alongside classic and contemporary objects from Spazio Leone’s own design store. ‘Tellurico: Modernissimo’ runs until 7 May and can be visited by appointment on Monday to Friday and is open to all on Saturday and Sunday.
Concrete Communities, an evening of celebration and debate in Sheffield
Does architecture really impact the way we feel? This is the question journalist and brand consultant Leanne Cloudsdale will be asking a panel of design experts on 10 May, at The Workstation in Sheffield. The event, titled Concrete Communities, will see Leanne and her guest speakers come together to celebrate Park Hill, the behemoth Grade II-listed brutalist masterpiece designed by J.L. Womersley.
Although it has defined the Sheffield skyline since it was completed in 1961, by the 1980s the neglected estate was underfunded and crime-ridden. Having been purchased by developers Urban Splash in 2004, Park Hill has since undergone major refurbishment and is now home to some 1,500 residents – including Leanne. “The magic of the place is hard to unravel,” she says. “It has soul, history and fosters a genuine sense of community spirit.” With Concrete Communities, she aims to discover what exactly makes it so special. Is it down to the people living there? Or is it the architecture?
Joining Leanne on the panel is the regeneration director of Urban Splash, Mark Latham; the director of Open City, Phineas Harper; environmental journalist Sadhana Jagannath; and our own head of editorial and brand, Charlie Monaghan. Tickets are free and can be booked here.
‘Samuel Ross: LAND’ at the White Cube
As the founder of menswear label A-Cold-Wall* and design studio SR_A, Samuel Ross is renowned for translating a signature aesthetic inspired by the Bauhaus, brutalism and British class system to everything from slick technical sportswear to utilitarian metal chairs. Now on display at White Cube in Bermondsey, south London, however, is a show dedicated to a different catalogue of his work: Samuel’s never-seen-before art.
Titled ‘Samuel Ross: LAND’, the exhibition features a collection of large- and small-scale abstract paintings and a trio of geometric powder-coated steel and aluminum sculptures in orange, burgundy and yellow. As the show notes read, the works have been inspired by “imagery of collapsed landscapes and supine bodies to explore the subject of the Black experience”. When we recently visited his studio in the basement of his family home in Northamptonshire (which you can read more about in Issue No.6 of our magazine, which lands on 3 May), Samuel, who hails from a line of painters, described this venture as a “return to what I’ve always wanted to truly do”. ‘Samuel Ross: LAND’ runs until 14 May.
Pictured: (top) Samuel Ross ‘LAND’ © the artist. Photo: © White Cube. (Above) Samuel Ross, UPON, (2022)
Lasdun, the National Theatre’s new restaurant
If you find yourself walking along a particular stretch of London’s South Bank, just downstream from Waterloo Bridge, it’s impossible to ignore the National Theatre. Designed by Denys Lasdun and completed in 1976, the sprawling concrete spectacle is one of the architect’s most divisive buildings, with King Charles once likening it to a nuclear power plant. Here at The Modern House, however, we think it’s a remarkable example of brutalism. And now, from 11 May, along with its architecture and calendar of events and screenings, there’s another reason to visit: its new restaurant, Lasdun.
The project is the brainchild of Jon Rotheram, Tom Harris and John Ogier, who met while working at St John in 2008, before Jon and Tom went on to run the treasured Hackney pub the Marksman, while John co-founded Lyle’s with chef James Lowe. While Lasdun’s interiors – think slick concrete walls and dark wooden floors – are a tribute to the namesake architect’s signature modernist aesthetic, the food is a lesson in contemporary seasonal cooking. Marksman enthusiasts will be pleased to hear that, along with brasserie-style dishes, some of the east London establishment’s best-loved plates (such as its famed brown butter and honey tart) are on offer too. And while pre- and post-theatre menus are available, we suspect Lasdun will be worth a reservation, whether you’ve something to see at the National or not.
Pophams Home, a beautifully curated shop and workshop
Pophams is best known for its impeccable pastries and handcrafted cappellacci (it featured in our guides to both London’s best bakeries and pasta), but it has recently added a new string to its bow. Introducing Pophams Home: an exquisite homeware space next to its London Fields bakery and restaurant (find the other outposts in Islington and Victoria Park). Decorated in a pleasing neutral scheme, the shop has been beautifully curated with a selection of ceramics, glassware and textiles created by independent makers.
But our favourite thing about Pophams Home might be the upstairs purpose-built workshop, designed to host a series of events in collaboration with artisanal craftspeople – each accompanied by food and drink from next door. This month, the line-up includes a wax-carving jewellery workshop with London-based maker Corrie Williamson on 18 May, where you can make your own bronze ring or pendant, and a woodcut printing class with artist Alex Brooker on 21 May. If that’s not your thing, perhaps the collage and wine event will take your fancy: on the first Wednesday of every month, attendees are encouraged to use all materials available to create a mixed-media piece, aided by a glass of natural wine to help the creative juices flow.
‘Salon Paintings’ by Hurvin Anderson at the Hepworth Wakefield
For Turner Prize-nominated artist Hurvin Anderson, who was born in the Midlands to Jamaican parents in 1965, the Afro-Caribbean hair salon played a pivotal role in his upbringing and understanding of his culture and identity. When he first painted a Birmingham-based barbershop in 2006, it inspired a body of work that would continue to evolve for more than 15 years – and it’s now the subject of a solo retrospective opening at the Hepworth Wakefield in West Yorkshire on 26 May.
‘Salon Paintings’, as the exhibition has been suitably named, is the most exhaustive showcase of Hurvin’s barbershop paintings to date. Featuring more than 30 works spanning still lifes, landscapes and portraits, it includes his first painting in this genre and the politically charged Is it OK to be Black? (2015), which depicts significant figures of the Civil Rights movement such as Malcolm X and Dr Martin Luther King. There are also two new pieces on show that not only complete this body of work but are the largest within it. ‘Salon Paintings’ will also give insight into Hurvin’s artistic process via sketches, drawings, archive materials and the 3D models of barbershops that he uses to create his own. Until 5 November 2023.
Pictured: Hurvin Anderson, Flat Top, 2008 © Hurvin Anderson. Courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Hugh Kelly. (Below) Hurvin Anderson, Studio Drawing 1, 2006 © Hurvin Anderson. Courtesy the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Richard Ivey
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