The Shock of the Now - Issue #139
Afternoon All,
I hope you’re all well, and welcome to Issue 139 of The Shock of the Now.
This will be the final edition of the newsletter before the customary summer break, and therefore the Recommended Exhibitions section has expanded to cover exhibitions opening before the end of this month, with nine recommendations in total.
Alongside, there are ten fresh Artist Opportunities, bringing the total listings up to twenty-three with deadlines ranging until late-September.
I hope you enjoy Issue 139, and if so do forward it along! As always any questions, comments or feedback are welcome, so feel free to get in touch.
All the best, and have a great summer, H x
Recommended Exhibitions Opening This Week (And Next):
Joseph Wilson - ‘Luv Shannon X’ Solo Exhibition - Seventeen, Haggerston (17th - 28th July, opening Wednesday 17th July, 6-9pm)
Seventeen presents Joseph Wilson’s solo exhibition ‘Luv Shannon X’.
“The installation will expand upon Wilson’s film on the life of trans-icon Luv Shannon, which premiered last week at the Rio Cinema. Merging live performance with film and photography, this show is a living embodiment of Shannon’s spirit bringing together original pieces from her home in California brought to life with archive footage and voice recordings documented by the artist between 2015-2021.” - Seventeen
‘Collective Imaginings’ Group Exhibition - Other Cinemas’ Film School x Metroland Cultures, Kilburn (19th July - 4th August, opening Thursday 18th July, 6-8pm)
Metroland Cultures presents ‘Collective Imaginings’, a group exhibition featuring works created by students of the Other Cinemas film school. Including Chanthila Phaophanit, Nia Fekri, Niki Kohandel, Amel Moyersoen, Raheela Suleman, Laith Elzubaidi, Jana Mughrabi, Vankshita Mishra, Kes-Tchaas Eccleston, Yasmin Safieddine, Bediah, Leena Habiballa, Ruweyda Sheikh-Ali, Latifa Akay, Soe-Myat Noe, Siufan Adey, Melissa Arras, Leila Gamaz and Jess Pandian.
“The exhibition explores the themes that define the film school and culture at Other Cinemas, including radical pedagogy, learning and sharing collectively, expanding and exploring our imaginations, relationship-building, working outside of an attention economy and culture of visibility. Now in its fourth year, the film school is a space for students to explore film as a creative and political medium within a community of black and non-white artists and filmmakers.” - Metroland Cultures
‘One for sorrow, two for joy’ Group Exhibition - Emalin, Shoreditch (19th July - 30th August, opening Thursday 18th July, 6-9pm)
Emalin presents ‘One for sorrow, two for joy’ at their Holywell Lane location, a video exhibition devised by Lauren Auder and Tosia Leniarska, comprising mostly anonymous videos found and submitted by special guests.
“Much ink had been spilled on the topic of total libraries. All comedy and tragedy is made up of the same stuff re-jumbled, and all of it could, so they say, be produced by an infinite amount of monkeys with an infinite amount of keyboards and an infinite amount of time (although it has been pointed out that one immortal one would do the trick just fine, the image feels less impactful). As much as it pains me to say, I do know that every time I write I’m prolonging infinity, and a poor theoretical simian's work day. Thankfully for them, there are new ways to bear witness to our human time here, and much of what follows could never be captured again. It does, however, introduce a new thought experiment, that if you give billions of apes billions of cameras and some half decent Internet access, they may capture the meaning of life anyway – if you stumble upon their uploads late enough at night, and keep them close enough in mind.” - Lauren Auder
Emii Alrai - ‘A Lake as Great as Its Bones’ Solo Exhibition - Maximillian William, Fitzrovia (18th July - 7th September, opening Thursday 18th July, 6-8pm)
Maximillian William presents Emii Alrai’s solo exhibition ‘A Lake as Great as Its Bones’.
“For her first exhibition with the gallery, Alrai continues her investigation of material histories that reference archaeological sites and museum displays. She works with gold, pewter, silver, copper, and clay: materials with an embedded hierarchy that were used on the palace-like boats built on Lake Nemi in the 1st century AD. In a new series of drawings, Alrai uses bitumen to depict topographies reminiscent of the ancient landscapes around Lake Nemi.” - Maximillian William
Appau Jnr Boakye-Yiadom and Harun Morrison - ‘Dono’ Two-Person Exhibition - Somerset House, Strand (19th July - 20th October, opening Thursday 18th July, 6-8pm)
Somerset House presents ‘Dono’, a two-person exhibition of new work by Somerset House Studios resident artists Appau Jnr Boakye-Yiadom and Harun Morrison.
“Taking its title from an Akan Adinkra symbol and name for a double skin talking drum, Dono expands on the artists’ shared interest in sound, exploring untranslatable and non-linguistic forms as tools of meaning-making. A collaboration initiated by Somerset House Studios, and developed in dialogue with one another, Boakye-Yiadom and Morrison consider musical, linguistic and architectural forms of meaning-making, interrogating the boundaries of language.” - Somerset House
‘Phantom Hymn’ Group Exhibition - Modern Art, St. James's (20th July - 14th September, opening Friday 19th July, 6-8pm)
Modern Art presents the group exhibition ‘Phantom Hymn’ a their Bury Street location, featuring Michael Ho, Michael E. Smith, Michelle Uckotter and Joseph Yaeger.
“Playing with imagery drawn from cinema alongside other mass cultural tropes, the artists are aligned in their production of works which are both disquieting and sympathetic, ambiguous yet uncanny. Anonymous and absent bodies feature throughout the exhibition or are represented through material proxy. When viewed together, the collective impact provokes an effect similar to the attempt to recall an incomplete or false memory. Eluding resolution and open to interpretation, the narrative remains inscrutable.” - Modern Art
Alexander Aitken - ‘Tender’ Solo Exhibition - Galleria Objets, Shoreditch (19th - 31st July, opening Friday 19th July, 6-10pm)
Galleria Objets presents Alexander Aitken’s solo exhibition ‘Tender’.
“Tender is a solo exhibition by Alexander Aitken, exploring the themes of Reincarnation, Love, and the ideals of Home. Aitken’s practice maintains a stubborn relationship to the ceramic lexicon, employing an automatic sculptural practice with a painterly energy that plays with the tenets of materials tradition.” - Galleria Objets
Jimi & Madeleine Famurewa - ‘Pipe Dreams’ Duo Exhibition - Staffordshire St, Peckham (25th July - 11th August, opening Thursday 25th July, 6-9pm)
Staffordshire St present ‘Pipe Dreams’, a collaborative project conjured by Jimi Famurewa and Madeleine Famurewa.
“Pipe Dreams will combine soundscapes, large-scale drawings and an installation. The project is a cross-disciplinary celebration of leisure pools in the South East, examining what they meant to the people who visited, reflecting on the loss of similar community spaces, and exploring how they can become more diverse and inclusive. This exhibition will be the centrepiece of our annual Festival of Community. Exploring notions of community, place and belonging, Staffordshire St will become a locus for playful creativity and celebratory knowledge sharing.” - Staffordshire St
‘Working Girls!’ Group Exhibition - Gallery 46, Whitechapel (26th July - 11th August, opening Thursday 25th July, 6-9pm)
Gallery 46 presents ‘Working Girls!’, a group exhibition curated by Mathilde Friis, featuring A.S.W.A.C, Vex Ashley, Betty, DaddyBears, Aj Bravo, Mercedes666 (Performance: Thursday 25th July, 7pm), Modest Gold, Whoretographer and more.
“Working Girls! examines the intersection between contemporary art practice and the sex industry. The artists in this exhibition explore various aspects of the sex industry in their work, including fetishisation, gender and sexuality, kink, desire, fantasy, community, and friendship. Their artistic practices span multiple mediums, from textile, and photography, to painting and film. This exhibition aims to challenge established aims to challenge established societal norms by addressing the stigma often faced by sex workers, encouraging the audience to reflect on the boundaries between art, sex, labour, and the market.” - Gallery 46
Artist Opportunities:
Inclusive Practices Fund, Freelands Foundation. Deadline - Friday 19th July.
The Inclusive Practices Fund will support organisations to reimagine engagement and education; aiming to foster belonging and connection between young people in primary and secondary school, their teachers and visual arts spaces. Freelands Foundation are looking for bold and diverse approaches to art education initiatives which meet the needs of all young people, with specific attention to representation of work by minority ethnic* artists and the norms of engagement which may impact young people’s experience and comfort.
ReRooted Residency, Arbeit Studios. Deadline - Sunday 21st July.
Arbeit Studios is delighted to announce the launch of the third residency for ReRooted Residency Programme 23/24. For the upcoming residency, they are looking for an outdoor creative piece that would be at its core a community engaging and sustainable addition to the garden. They are particularly interested in creatives who live locally and are from underrepresented groups in the art sector. The residency period is for 4 months and each resident will receive a fee of £4000, a workspace for the duration of the residency, a production fee of £1,000 and a workshop fee of £150 per workshop. Applicants must be 18 years or older and professional artists who reside in London, working in ecological minded arts in any creative field.
Open Call, Dreamtime Fellowship 2024–25. Deadline - Sunday 28th July.
Spike Island is pleased to announce the fifth edition of the Dreamtime Fellowship, a programme initiated and fully funded by Bristol-based artist Luke Jerram. The Dreamtime Fellowship 2024-25, is now open to applications from artists currently living in Bristol, working across any media. The successful applicant will be granted: 24-hour access to a shared studio space at Spike Island for a year (from October 2024 to September 2025); Annual membership to the Spike Island Associates network, which offers free access to regular talks, studio visits from artists, critics and curators, and peer-to-peer learning and support; A £5,000 bursary; Three one-to-one mentoring sessions with Luke Jerram throughout the year.
The Smith Residency, Cove Park. Deadline - Monday 29th July.
The Smith Residency is a new residency for a UK-based visual artist and recent graduate (graduating from 2019 onwards) of either The Glasgow School of Art, Goldsmiths University of London, or University of the Arts London. This two-week fully funded residency offers time for self-directed studio work and the development of new ideas and projects. Residents will receive individual private accommodation and studio, a fee, a travel allowance, and a research/materials allowance.
Open Call, Residency open call for artists based in Japan, Gasworks. Deadline - Monday 29th July.
This residency open call is for an early-career artist based in Japan. The eleven-week, fully funded residency will take place at Gasworks in London from 30 September to 16 December 2024. Gasworks residencies programme supports professional development, cultural exchange, and artistic experimentation. All their residencies are self-led, non-prescriptive and process-based; they are about enabling artists to research and develop new work, engage with the city, and build their networks. This residency is supported by Japan House London Trust.
Open Call, A New Atavism, Form Works Collective. Deadline - Tuesday 30th July.
Form Works Collective are looking for essays, pieces of creative writing, poetry or any other form of textual submission to respond to the title of their upcoming exhibition A New Atavism. Successful submissions will be included in a book to go alongside the exhibition. Atavism refers to the resurfacing of something that is foregone. It is a word that has become malleable, having been repeatedly revisited, redefined and reclaimed over time. Arising from its biological definition came its appropriation by the social Darwinist movement, and since then it is frequently used to refer to a socially inert and backward-looking society. The exhibition reevaluates the word atavism, thinking of it instead as a way of creating a continuum which connects our collective history to our collective future. Form Works therefore invite people from all backgrounds and professions to respond to their theme with a similar innovative, experimental and unorthodox twist. They envisage the book being a further way of exploring atavism and how it could be a useful prism to think about the world that we build for ourselves. Submissions: formworkscollective@gmail.com
In partnership with Turner Contemporary, Margate-based community organisation People Dem Collective (PDC), expanded performance platform Diasporas Now, and PRAH Recordings are seeking proposals from global majority-identifying artists at the intersection of music, performance art, dance, and other audiovisual performance-based practices. It seeks primarily sound-based interpretations of the ethos of improvisation, intuition and experimentation to nurture alternative cultural discourses. Two artists will be selected and invited to perform at Movements from the Margins, part of Turner Contemporary’s late night Turner Lates events series, on Friday 30 August 2024. The event, organised by PDC and Diasporas Now, is inspired by the gallery’s current exhibition Ed Clark, the first institutional exhibition in Europe dedicated to this pioneering artist. Selected artists will receive a week-long funded residency at PRAH Recordings in Margate in 2025, including complimentary on-site accommodation and access to fully equipped music recording studios.
THE TAGLI’s Mentorship Award 2024. Deadline - Wednesday 31st July.
The recipient of the Mentorship Award will have the unique opportunity to be mentored by THE TAGLI team in collaboration with The Folco Collection. Together, their vast experience they will provide a year-long commitment to regular mentor meetings, bespoke career coaching, and access to industry knowledge. Fueled by THE TAGLI’s vision for inclusion and transparency in the art world, the recipient of the Mentorship Award will be assisted in launching their career and developing their practice in an open and dynamic manner in line with the current market dynamics. The recipient will also receive a £500 benefit, and inclusion in a public facing, physical exhibition.
Forma is inviting artists who are currently studying or have recently graduated to take part in the upcoming London presentation of Artists’ Film International (AFI’24), taking place between 26 September - 26 October, 2024. For AFI’24, the fifteen international partners have commissioned and selected powerful works by talented moving image artists from their region, who explore the theme of Solidarity. The programme considers solidarity as a collective form of resistance, togetherness and interdependence, and addresses the ways in which solidarity is needed, sought and enacted on micro and macro scales. In keeping with this theme, they would like to open up space at FormaHQ for several emerging film-makers to share work which looks to explore the different ways that solidarity can be articulated through moving-image. For the presentation at FormaHQ, They are keen to explore how solidarity resonates with our local communities, and they particularly welcome films that speak to our local area. Successful artists will have their film screened at FormaHQ for a dedicated period during the month-long presentation of AFI ‘24 and will receive a £100 screening fee. Submission requirements: Student/s or Graduate/s in the last 2 years; A single-channel work; Under 15 minutes running time.
The Eamonn McCabe Bursary. Deadline - Thursday 1st August.
In recognition of the significant legacy and widely-held respect across photography for Eamonn McCabe, the RPS, in partnership with Eamonn McCabe’s family and The Guardian and Observer newspapers, has launched the Eamonn McCabe bursary. In 2024 the bursary will provide £3000 to a photographer aged 25 years or under to deliver a photography project responding to the theme of ‘sporting endeavour’. The project should normally be new, not previously exhibited or published. Applicants should be aged 25 years or under on that date, and living, working or studying in the UK.
Source Photography Writing Prize 2024, Source Photographic Review. Deadline - Thursday 1st August.
Source Magazine are always looking for new writers. If you've not written for Source before, they invite you to send them an article. The winning entry will receive £500 and they will either publish it or commission you to write an article for them in the future. All short listed entries will also be considered for publication or for future commissions (paid). Most of the writing in Source takes a specific form: book reviews, exhibition reviews or texts introducing sets of pictures, so these would be good models to follow. But they are also interested in others forms of writing so if you want to submit something in a different form then please do. Their interest in photography is not only about the photographs that appear in books and exhibitions; it touches most aspects of life and they like to read about those encounters too. Articles must be no more than 700 words, and should not have been published previously.
Sarabande Studio Residency Programme 2024. Deadline - Thursday 1st August.
Sarabande are now accepting applications for their 2024/2025 studio residency programme. Lee Alexander McQueen CBE established Sarabande with the ambition to support the most creatively fearless minds of the future. Sarabande looks for individuals with a unique vision and a dedication to their craft. To date, Sarabande has nurtured over 250 artists and designers, each with unique approaches, disciplines and backgrounds.The residency programme caters to creatives at a pivotal point in their career. Their buildings are home to a diverse array of artisans, reflecting the wide range of talents Lee worked with for his own collections. Their artists include sculptors, fashion designers, jewellers, textile designers, painters, performance artists, silversmiths and ceramicists. Sarabande is also home to filmmakers, animators, photographers, digital designers and visual artists.
Young Wimbledon Artist in Residence 2024, Wimbledon Museum. Deadline - Friday 2nd August.
The YWA in Residence Scheme at Wimbledon Museum provides a collaborative platform for Merton-based artists aged between 18-25 to explore items from their archives which are not usually on display, and bring them to life. This is a one-month opportunity for creatives to develop and then exhibit work in a studio and gallery space and to interact with the historic Wimbledon Village Club and Lecture Hall, the local community and visitors to the Museum.
The In Practice 2025 Open Call, SculptureCenter. Deadline - Sunday 4th August.
SculptureCenter is pleased to announce that their annual open call for artists is now open. In Practice 2025 will generate a yearlong series of solo presentations. They invite artists who have not yet had an institutional solo exhibition in New York City to submit proposals for solo exhibitions in designated gallery spaces at SculptureCenter. Artists are also invited to propose off-site projects, publishing initiatives, performances, and nontraditional formats, which will be considered based on feasibility. Up to seven artists will be selected to participate in the program from spring 2025 to winter 2026. Proposals should reflect new work to be realized in 2025-26.
This residency open call is for an early-career artist based in the Philippines. The eleven-week, fully funded residency will take place at Gasworks in London from 6 January to 24 March 2025. Gasworks residencies programme supports professional development, cultural exchange, and artistic experimentation. All their residencies are self-led, non-prescriptive and process-based; they are about enabling artists to research and develop new work, engage with the city, and build their networks. This residency is supported by Mercedes Zobel.
Open Call, 2024-25 Programmes, Conditions. Deadline - Wednesday 14th August.
Conditions is a low-cost studio programme for artists. It gives studio space and structured critical conversations to develop each artist’s work, as well as encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and collective work on exhibitions and events. Conditions offers participating artists a programme of talks, support and workshops from a wide range of Associates comprising artists, writers, musicians, performers, curators and educators. It aims to provide an alternative model to the increasing cost of both studio space and education for artists in London.
Studio Programme is the largest programme at Conditions and has run since 2018. It is studio-based and is designed to give critical feedback and opportunities to present and make work, both individually and as a group. Digital Lab Programme is housed within Conditions studios and is for artists who want to work experimentally with emerging 3D and digital based technologies including VR and 3D Printing. The programme provides facilities, technical support, and critical engagement to develop new work. The programme is delivered in person and online. Online programme is a new mentor-led programme. This programme is organised around a 12 month period of 1:1 conversations. It is aimed at artists who want a structured conversation with feedback on developing work.
Call for Photographs, Disability and Representation, Autograph. Deadline - Monday 19th August.
This open call is for emerging photographers with a series of work which explores issues relating to disability and representation. The successful applicant/s of this open call will receive a £312 fee and an online exhibition on Autograph's website. Autograph is committed to sharing the work of creatives who use their practice to address issues of race, representation, identity, human rights and social justice. They select and publish content based on relevance and quality and they are keen to share the work of individuals with lived experience of marginalisation, misrepresentation and/or inequality.
The 2025 East London Art Prize, Bow Arts. Deadline - Tuesday 27th August.
The East London Art Prize celebrates and promotes the incredible talent and diversity of art made in the cultural hive of east London. Proudly sponsored by Minerva and Prue MacLeod, the winner receives a cash prize of £15,000 and a solo exhibition at Bow Arts’ Nunnery Gallery. The runner-up second prize is a year’s studio space with Bow Arts. The entire shortlist is presented at an exhibition at the Nunnery Gallery, with all artists given mentoring and career development opportunities. The prize is open to any artist living or working within an ‘E’ postcode, encompassing E1-E20, SE1-SE28 and EC1-EC4. Submitting artists should hold an arts degree, equivalent arts qualification or be able to show demonstrable commitment to their practice. Artist collectives/joint submissions are accepted.
Open Call, Dream This Silly:Reject good judgement, Queer Youth Art Collective. Deadline - Sunday 1st September.
Queer Youth Art Collective (QYAC) is the UK’s only national LGBT youth service working specifically in the arts. They provide a place for young LGBT people (18-28) to breathe a little easier, share experiences, advice, resources and creativity. In Sep 2022, QYAC presented their third exhibition of inspiring, strange, challenging and visionary art- works: Tendrils. The exhibition featured over 50 young LGBTQIA artists from across the UK. This year they are returning to Queer Circle’s gallery space and are inviting all LGBTQIA+ people aged 18-28 to take part. There is no specific theme to respond to, so feel free to submit any work you want.
Open Call, Deptford X Artist Weekender. Deadline - Sunday 1st September.
Deptford X are delighted to announce a new programme for 2024; the Artist Weekender. This is a programme of local artists’ projects selected by open call and taking place in Deptford, between Friday 18 and Sunday 20 October. There is no Deptford X festival this year and the Deptford Artist Weekender is happening in its stead. Deptford X welcome submissions for all kinds of project, including (but not limited to): Workshops, Performances, Exhibitions, Installations, Screenings, Talks, Printed media. Deptford X are looking for submissions that showcase the variety of artists and practices in Deptford. They will select 6 – 9 projects and will choose the submissions that work best together to create a varied weekend of programming. Deptford X will fund all accepted submissions for the Deptford X Artist Weekender. They will offer an artist fee and a production budget for each accepted project. The fees are £400 for each project and up to £400 production budget for each project.
Dulwich Picture Gallery has partnered with the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) to create a site-specific, playable sculptural installation for the Gallery’s new sculpture Garden. Architects, designers, and artists are invited to submit their ideas for a unique installation that will invite wonder and play from audiences of all ages, while welcoming visitors to the Gallery. This new competition is a unique opportunity for a creative designer or design team to gain a public commission that bridges the intersection between art, architecture and design. A child’s perspective sits at the heart of this brief and strong collaboration with the Gallery’s Programme and Engagement team on addressing local audiences will be essential to its success. The commission will have a long-term home (c. 10 years) within the garden and is planned to be installed in spring/summer 2026. The winning team will be announced in December 2024 and awarded a budget of c.£80,000 to develop and deliver their design in partnership with Dulwich Picture Gallery and its audiences.
Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize 2024, Gallery 1957. Deadline - Monday 16th September.
Gallery 1957 is proud to announce the fourth edition of The Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize, an art prize dedicated to women artists living and working in Ghana and its diaspora. Named after the prominent Ghanaian Queen Mother, the prize aligns with their mission to support and uplift emerging and established artists. The prize is open exclusively to Ghanaian women artists either living in Ghana or across its diaspora. In the future, Gallery 1957 look forward to expanding the prize to include all African and African diaspora identifying artists. The first prize winner will receive an artist residency and exhibition at Gallery 1957, as well as GH₵50,000. First runner up will be awarded GH₵30,000 and second runner-up will receive GH₵20,000.
Online Drawing Development Year, Royal Drawing School. Deadline - Wednesday 25th September.
The Online Drawing Development Year is a three-term remote learning course, featuring a structured series of drawing courses, lectures, mentoring sessions and one-to-one tutorials with practising artists that will complement and develop your own studio practice. Students will curate their own taught programme from their online drawing courses. Over the year students will benefit from: Up to three online daytime drawing classes per week every term (or equivalent) equating to 540 hours of live tuition; Core online classes exclusively for Online Drawing Development Year students; Tutorials with a member of faculty; Mentoring sessions with Core Tutor; Peer-to-Peer crits; Termly online series of lectures and in-conversations with artists, curators and art historians; Professional development series in the final term; Access to termly Digital Streaming Studio; The opportunity for two days of in-person Core classes at their Shoreditch studios and locations in London.