Goings-On Mar 24. Part IV
How to meet spring in London and the UK
NB: This is a long letter with lots of images and links; please, open it in your browser or on desktop if your email provider truncates it.
Until I actually made it to São Paulo, I expected something wildly different from anything I’d ever seen before. That was not my experience this week. Below is a puzzle of visual memories from all over the city. Some things, however, bear special mention:
Nothing can stop a Brazilian tree. Greenery is everywhere. Literally every store and gallery has a massive, extraordinary garden surrounding it.
Architecture and design are simply unbelievable - bold, bright, surrealistic, yet still convenient.
Names of fruit are unpronounceable, and I have packed several kilos worth of tapioca.
In 10 days I’ve visited about 30 galleries - although I rarely came back with an empty business card holder, I have to admit, it felt great every time. I’ve also learned that I’m that horrible influencer who makes tons of content and doesn’t post anything. Please forgive me, I’m still learning - just much slower than expected. I will now make an official promise - I am going to share everything I got (including eating and shopping tips) both here and on my Instagram.
For now, let’s return to the island of never-ending rain and imperial might, and see what it has to offer in March. This fourth and last part of March’s Going’s-On is entirely dedicated to London. It covers 13 events, with eight new ones and five that had been mentioned previously, which are still on and deserve your attention. Some of them I’ve already seen, others are selling out quickly, some shows would be a miracle to attend, some will be repeated later this year.
Mar 6 / Classic Music / Dance Re-imagined by London Philharmonic Orchestra with Edward Gardner and Wayne McGregor / Royal Festival Hall
I found at least four shows by Wayne McGregor in London this month. I don’t exactly understand how that happened - maybe it’s personal dedication on the artist’s part. Certainly not something any of us should complain about. So, here is the first one: if you expect to see a classic McGregor’s performance, you would be very much disappointed. It is something totally different. Citing the creative team:
Human and digital intelligence combine to form a kinetic, sculptural video installation that is suspended above the orchestra on the stage, opening a portal to new expressive worlds and reimagining how dance can be created and experienced.
However, I would prefer to go out and form my own opinion, rather than experience the fear of missing out, a feeling all-too familiar for my generation. Moreover, the repertoire is strong with a world premiere by Tania Leon.
From Mar 6 - Jul 27 / Musical / Opening Night by Ivo van Hove and Rufus Wainwright / Gielgud Theater
I first mentioned Ivo van Hove in Goings-On Mar 24. Part II. Here is his second performance - and a musical at that! I would have never imagined myself recommending this genre. But come on, a show directed by Ivo van Hove and starring Shira Haas … This is going to force me to see my first musical in what I think is literal decades.
Mar 7-10 / Ballet / New York City Ballet’s Mixed Bill / Sadler’s Wells
Although I've never seen anything by NYCB, I do highly recommend keeping track of the tickets here (only single-day tickets are available). However, I’m certain you can find some by purchasing Sadler’s Wells membership card or signing up for tickets alert. The evening programme contains four one-act performances. All of them are great, but I’d pay extra attention to Justin Peck’s Rothunda and Kyle Abraham’s Love Letter (On Shuffle) - I love the romance between James Blake and ballet.
Mar 12-13 / Ballet / Autobiography (v95 and v96) by Wayne McGregor / Sadler’s Wells
The second out of four performances by Wayne McGregor happening in London this month. This iconic show have had 96 (!) different versions since it premiered in 2017. It has everything you need to make a blockbuster out of ballet - a techno soundtrack, light installations, the dancers’ perfect bodies and phenomenal technique. II saw it in the Bolshoi Theater, although the tickets to that show costed 300$ instead of 15 quid. Luckily, all I had to do was to arrange an expedient visit to Anna Frank’s House for the daughter of a well-known American billionaire, and my boss had no choice but reward me.
Mar 20-23 / Ballet / Assembly Hall by Kidd Pivot/ Sadler’s Wells
As I’ve already mentioned here, the new production from Crystal Pite’s own company is on tour, and it’s going to visit almost every single European city and festival until the end of the year. I’m going to announce each of its stops in future letters, so you can track when it gets near you. I plan to see it in April in Paris.
Until Mar 23 / Theater / The Motive and the Cue / Noël Coward Theatre
Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton and Tuppence Middleton as Elizabeth Taylor star in this brilliant play, which offers a glimpse into the politics of a rehearsal room and the relationship between art and celebrity.
1964: Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under John Gielgud’s exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.
Until May 6 / Exhibition / When Forms Come Alive / Hayward Gallery
I have received several personal messages mentioning this show as a must-see. This might not be obvious from the title, but it explores contemporary sculpture featuring works by 21 international artists, including Ernesto Neto, Franz West and Tara Donovan.
Until May 26 / Exhibition / The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art / Barbican Art Center
Recently I have been paying a lot of attention to the usage of textile in visual arts, including embroidery and tapestry. I relate it to my personal process of finally tapping into my Iranian heritage instead of rejecting it. It was a 100 percent right decision to continue presenting textiles tto my clients and collectors as pieces of art that go beyond its first-glance decorative role. And if you are not convinced yet - here is an exhibition guide for pre-visit study.
As an artistic medium, textiles can speak to the joys and pains of being human, as well as the larger structures and systems that shape our world
Shows from February newsletters that are still on:
Until 17.03 / Exhibition / Barbara Kruger / Serpentine Gallery
Full Month / Theater / Tim Price’s Nye feat. Michael Sheen / National Theatre
Full Month / Theater / The Picture of Dorian Grey feat. Sarah Snook / Theatre Royal Haymarket
Full Month / Theater / A MIRROR feat. Jonny Lee Miller / Trafalgar Theatre
Full Month / Exhibition / DIVA / V&A
I have a perfect idea for a weekend escape. Just a two hour train ride from Victoria Station, and you’ll arrive to Kent Coast, and then to Margate, where you will have a chance to visit Turner Contemporary and a great show of my dear friend Dr. Flavia Frigeri.
Until May 6 / Exhibition / Beyond Form. Lines and Abstraction. 1950-1970 / Turner Contemporary, Margate
… a group exhibition presenting abstraction as a radical global language shared by women artists in the twenty years following World War II.
… the exhibition brings together the works of more than 50 artists to examine how, through abstract forms, materials and modes, women pushed the boundaries of artmaking while tackling seismic cultural, social and political shifts. Comprising over 80 artworks, predominantly sculpture, the exhibition traces how the language of abstraction developed on a global scale.
Unsurprisingly, I’m skipping my trip to Frieze LA and my attempts to purchase and negotiate for clients online (yesterday, I left for dinner and found 74 new emails I had to through in just a couple of hours).
When you receive this email I will most likely be on the plane back to Tel Aviv (my homesickness has grown so much worse in recent years, is this something to do with age?), extremely tired after an over 24 hours trip. This letter draws the overview of March’s cultural adventures to a close, with us having covered Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Vienna, Belgrade, Florence, Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Dresden, Hamburg, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.
I started to receive encouraging feedback from people I highly respect, but also from subscribers, who might not even know my real name. This motivates me to continue writing, and inspires dreams of going even further with this project. First, you are going to get double the weekly emails, including guest pieces, starting this week. Second, you might already be aware, but this year brings the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale, curated by Adriano Pedrosa and titled Foreigners Everywhere (Apr 20-Nov 24). The theme explores the notion of the Other. This is an incredibly important topic for me, and I believe for most people, to some extent. Therefore, from this week onward and until the biennial opening you are going to get personal stories of the Others, which we encounter everywhere we go - maybe one of them will be about you?
Don’t lose your spirit! It’s two days until spring!
Yours,
Miri