What makes a show Roundup-worthy?
I see about 18 shows each week, and everyone always wants to know which ones I’d recommend. That’s one of the reasons why I started the weekly Roundup. To share my shortlist of must-see shows, or at least the ones that are interesting enough to warrant a recommendation.
Discounting the X factor that happens when you have a personal or emotional connection with a work of art, there are a few universal things that I always consider when weighing up the Roundup, and that doesn’t always mean the art is aesthetically pleasing. There’s a lot of work I love that I wouldn’t want on my walls, but that’s a different set of criteria I’ll write about another time. When it comes to the Roundup I try to check my aesthetics and identify things I think are worth seeing.
Here’s how I assess that:
It has to engage me. — Beauty? Curiosity? Disgust? A good work of art could and should elicit any number of emotions, except apathy. Bonus points if it makes me laugh.
The way that it’s made. — Nothing sends me running faster than poorly made work. High quality is key. That could be a single, subtle detail or an artist’s entire process.
Unique or exceptional. — New is always good, but I have to remind myself that what’s new to my readers might not be new to me. It’s always OK if something’s been done before, as long as now it’s being done better.
Totality of the show. — Even this week’s groups have some underwhelming works, but I’ll rarely suggest you go to see a single standout piece in an otherwise duff exhibit. There should always be multiple things worth seeing.
Worthy of a repeat. — Like a good meal or great customer service, a Roundup-worthy show is one I’d eagerly experience again.
My favourite shows are the ones that meet all of the above, and there’s no higher praise than someone attending a Roundup recommendation and saying “I’m glad I went”. But that’s the catch: You gotta go.
It’s cliché to say “you gotta see it in person” because that applies to every work of art, but the fact is that more often than not, the Insta-hits are actually underwhelming, and the really mind-blowing art usually looks worse on Instagram because it contains far too many things that don’t translate to a single digital image. I try to remind myself of that, but sometimes still fall foul when it comes time to plan and filter my visits.
A great example are the works of William Mackrell, recently shown at Lungley Gallery in Fitzrovia. I initially avoided the show because the previews appeared to be vaguely abstracted nude photography. That didn’t appeal, so I lowered it down my list. But eventually I went, and was unsurprised that the experience upended my expectations.
The imagery indeed begins with abstract figurative cropped photos that are printed onto aluminium. Mackrell then meticulously scrapes each and every hair off the plane, allowing the metal the shine through. Some occasional squiggles of photo paper still cling to what, from up close, looks like a thoroughly scoured surface. You need to view them from across the gallery to appreciate the overall effect, but then you’ll go back again for another squinty investigation. These are the kinds of works that wear out a gallery floor, giving you an experience that’s impossible to convey through a webpage or smartphone.
And that’s my final challenge, to succinctly explain in writing why you should go. It’s also why I feature multiple images, from both up close and a distance, to help contextualise the art you’ll encounter. I might not always get it right, but just know that if it’s listed in the Roundup I think it’s a show worth seeing.
Like this week’s five:
Issue 86
Flowers ‘frozen’ in time, an amusing window display and three great reasons to go deep into SE London, featuring: The London Group Open 2023 at Copeland Gallery; Kaori Tatebayashi at Tristan Hoare; 11 artist group show at Soup Gallery; Aidan Duffy, Callum Eaton, Rachel Hobkirk, Sandra Poulson, Scott Young, Vilte Fuller at Hannah Barry; #BRICKFLATS at The Smallest Gallery in Soho.
Read the full issue online for mini-reviews of each show, with 40 photos!
More Reviews:
In addition to the Roundup, here’s a show I reviewed in detail
An Edible Family in a Mobile Home (2023) @ Tate Britain
A faithful recreation of a 1976 edible art installation. Yes, it’s cake!
What else, and what didn’t make the cut?
In addition to Lungley Gallery, The Artist Room also had a Roundup-worthy show that I saw too late in its run to list in the Roundup. (Oh, and their new venue on Great Chapel Street is gorgeous!) I was invited as someone’s guest to explore the Royal Academy Schools Open Studios night, which was incredibly interesting but it’s hard to fully appreciate work in progress when you’re viewing it out of context and without explanation. Still, that was a much better experience than half a dozen other shows I saw that I won’t disparage because, hey, someone out there will like them. Probably.
So…. What do you think?
Did you enjoy the think-piece in this week’s newsletter? Would you like to read more editorial style articles like that? Please get in touch via e-mail or Instagram DM. I’d love to read your response to what I wrote.