Phoebe Minson's Soho Art Tour
With her art trail going live on the gowithYamo app tomorrow, Phoebe Minson walks us through her exhibition choices...
October 3, 2024
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
Hi, I’m Phoebe Minson.
Some of my earliest memories are of experiencing and enjoying the arts, ever since seeing Rachel Whiteread at the Turbine Hall when I was 5. I grew up being taken to galleries and museums, and I’d always ask for paper and pencils from the assistants so my mum and I could draw together. Nothing quite lights me up like art, and so it felt really natural to study it at school and then at University. I loved the idea that by studying Fine Art I was also studying politics, sociology, literature, history, geometry, material sciences and so much else. I worked in galleries from the age of 16, and my current work in the art world is a mix of writing, talking and thinking about art - as well as nurturing my own practice and the practices of others.
I feel strongly that creative health is something everyone should think about and look after; we are all creative beings, so just like we do exercise or regular movement to build physical strength and stay physically healthy, it’s important to build creative strength and creative good health. The more inviting and accessible the arts are for people, the more easily they can engage with them and experience the benefits. It’s also important for building people’s confidence, and their understanding of the importance of the arts to the individual and also society.
October in the London art calendar is BUSY, but we’ve added one more event into the mix to spotlight the vibrant creativity on display in the area all year round; we’ve created a trail of galleries within the square mile of Soho - it’s an eclectic mix, you can dip in and out - but it takes the guesswork out of wondering if you can go in, what’s showing, and I hope there’s something for everyone! Alongside the art, we’re also happy to spotlight some of my favourite places to eat and drink (including where you’ll find the best lemon cannoli!). I can’t wait to encourage people to explore this creative little area in a bit more depth!
I’m a bit obsessed with the history of Soho - it’s evolved from 17th-century farmland, to a bohemian hangout for writers, artists, and political thinkers, for everyone from William Blake and Francis Bacon to David Bowie and Karl Marx. In the 19th century, it was a refuge for political exiles, and hugely diverse immigrant communities, who brought with them crafts and creative practices, and then last century it emerged as this vibrant cultural hub known for its artistic and creative energy. Now of course it’s somewhat gentrified, but there are still traces of the past - it’s such a tiny pocket of London, right in the middle, sandwiched between four iconic main roads, and it’s just a big melting pot of old and new.
Ok, let’s get into it… what did I choose!!?
Marlene Dumas: Mourning Marsyas at Frith Street Gallery
If you’ve never heard of the South African artist Marlene Dumas, now’s the time.
There’s a wall of portraits by Dumas at MoMA in New York which I stumbled upon in a magazine, and I became fascinated by her bold use of paint. She paints using a wet-on-wet technique (wet paint onto a wet surface), and mixes thick and thin layers of paint to create ghostly, almost transparent figures. Her muted palette often features abstract backgrounds that detach these subjects from their environments. Many of her larger-than-life portraits, sometimes reaching three meters tall, have surreal perspectives and she frequently includes nude figures, celebrating the body without shame. These portraits and figures are blurred, bleeding, almost ugly at times, but with a dreamlike quality - as if you’re looking at them through thick gauze.
Of this exhibition, ‘Mourning Marsyas’, Dumas says “Marsyas dared to challenge Apollo to a music competition. The reckless satyr who loved drinking and dancing lost and the unfair good god of reason punished him by skinning him alive. Mourning Marsyas is a homage to those prepared to die for speaking truth to power. Mourning the belief that war is a better solution to peace.”
Now, at 71, she describes her paintings as “heavy with the weight of a bad conscience, deceased loves, past failures, and present atrocities.” She pours paint onto the canvas, moving it around with a rocking motion, as if cradling it, allowing images to form and guiding the narrative that unfolds. This exhibition is ambiguous and complex, referencing deep scars of humanity and dark themes. As the forms become ever looser, the paint takes centre stage as it bleeds across the canvas. These works really invite you to look closely in a world that often encourages you to look away.
Urs Fischer: Scratch & Sniff at Sadie Coles HQ
Urs Fischer is a Swiss conceptual artist known best for his large-scale sculptures and installations. His work focuses on impermanent materials and pop culture, which he often looks at through the lens of more traditional painting genres like landscapes, nudes, and still life.
In his twelfth show with Sadie Coles HQ, Scratch & Sniff, Fischer redirects our attention to the process of making art. His mixed media approach, the scattered explosions of colour and image, and the amalgamation of painting, photography, collage, scans and more, mirrors our fast-paced engagement and consumption of digital and physical content daily. He blurs the line between digital and analogue, the original and the copied - the entire gallery floor is laid with vinyl printed to match the floors of his LA studio, adorned with paint splatters and smears. This playful exhibition is for anyone who is obsessed with - or scared of - the digital era, or who loves collecting newspaper clippings and needs inspiration for what to do with them - and the sheer space at Sadie Coles HQ is pretty spectacular, holding this work beautifully.
Victor Boullet: Dundee Marmalade at The Artist Room
Victor Boullet was born in Oslo to a Norwegian mother and Scottish father, and - having since lived in London, Berlin, and Paris - has now settled as a self-proclaimed recluse in rural Padbury. His isolated lifestyle has allowed space for an artistic practice marked by repetition and destruction, with paintings that evolve until they capture a semblance of his truth. There’s a cyclical nature to Boullet’s work, which is absorbed, regurgitated, and reconsumed once more by him before it is fed to the viewer. He incorporates the working-class aesthetics of everyday objects, connecting his art to contemporary life and engaging with marginalised audiences, giving them space in the hallowed halls of the commercial gallery. This body of work centres around Boullet’s fascination with the complexities of everyday life, imbuing his works with existential significance. Boullet’s work is monstrous, ironic, satiric and I’m so glad to see at The Artist Room - now in its new home in a converted townhouse at 20 Great Chapel Street in Soho.
House Of Mei Mei at The Smallest Gallery in Soho
The Smallest Gallery in Soho makes my heart sing. Established in 2017 by Andreia Costa and Philip Levine, it was born from a chance conversation about repurposing a bike shed space on Dean Street. The gallery - technically a former retail shop window - is ‘open’ 24/7 to passersby who can view the art from the street, making it one of the city’s most instantly accessible art spaces. What began as a passion project has since allowed Costa and Levine to stay connected to the creative world, despite their full-time jobs and family life. Without commercial pressures, they focus on selecting artists and developing brilliant exhibitions. The gallery gained significant attention during the lockdowns, offering one of the few cultural activities accessible under social distancing rules. We need more! More free, accessible, 24/7 fully funded art spaces please!
The exhibition this October is the creation of the marvellous Spanish artist MEI MEI. Peep through the window into a cosy, inviting space where elements from MEI MEI’s own studio and home have been plucked out and placed behind glass. Her iconic sculptures, felt creatures with baby doll faces, are sleeping peacefully amongst the personal items and household furniture. It’s a room you can look at, but never enter - allow your imagination to fall into the conjured wonderland of MEI MEI.
Phoebe will be giving an in-person tour of her selected galleries on 12th October - RSVP now to join!
