Cathy's Art Diary

Disappointing installation/sculpture outside the Royal Festival Hall by Malak Mattar in response to World Refugee Week. Mattar based the work on her experience of growing up by the sea in Gaza and how its meaning changed from a place of happy childhood memories to a place from which many people cross the sea to find a better life. The work blends these experiences and was made with the collaboration of young people from Greece and Ukraine. I say disappointing as the description, which I read before I saw the work, seemed to imply a larger and more complex piece but in fact the work recreated a pile of children's giant buoyancy aids which was placed on the roof of the temporary summer bar. I realised I had seen it before and dismissed it as a decorative feature. Closes 21 September 2026

Fun installation outside the Royal Festival Hall by Lakwena Maciver and Abimaro Gubell. The work consists of a brightly coloured pavement and a soundscape which you can add to via sound boxes with large coloured buttons which create sounds you can start to mix as you play with them. I had to have a go on each of the boxes. Evidently it is encouraging us to think about "how creativity and play can nourish us" and it certainly gave me a moment of delight on a sunny day. Closes 20 September 2026

Exciting exhibition at the Hayward Gallery of a selection of work by Anish Kapoor. I love the way Kapoor’s work alters the space around it and creates optical illusions. In this case the first work you see is a huge red inflatable which takes up the whole first gallery and blocks the usual route around the space. When you work your way to the other side via various other spaces it is blocked again by a series of smaller red balls. One room is devoted to his works in the deep black to which he has exclusive artistic rights, Vantablack which absorbs 99.6% of light. Painted on walls it gives a sense of a deep hole and on objects it flattens the shape. People stop and stare and seem to be drawn into the work although others just take selfies. My favourite pieces were the highly polished sculptures on the terraces which both reflect and distort the space around them. Closes 18 October 206 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph

Clever and varied exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery looking at art inspired by the sun and the moon. The work was arranged by time of day and mixed old and new art from around the world as well as discussing folk law related to the time. It was a lot to do in one show which was well laid out with clear commentaries. There were witty touches like including a large photograph of Noel Coward on a beach for the zenith ie midday section. Think about it. Stand out works of course included Luke Jerram's "Helios" which I last saw at the Old Royal Naval College and it's always fascinating to see it in different spaces. I loved an Evelyn Dunbar of seven figures representing the days of the week at different times particularly as this was the second time I'd seen work by her in a week. I liked the inclusion of costumes from the Royal Opera and Ballet as well as Margo Selby and Helen Chadwick's woven and sound installation referencing the Navajo women weavers who c...

Interesting small display at the Imperial War Museum on the singer Dame Vera Lynn. The display marks the acquisition of Lynn’s archive by the museum and including more than 600 fan letters, her own correspondence with her husband Harry Lewis, a diary from her 1944 tour in India to visit troops, and items from her tropical uniform. This display had a selection of items including that 1944 diary, a hat she wore in a film, photographs and a moving letter given to her by a soldier to send to his wife. Closes April 2027

Fascinating exhibition at the Imperial War Museum featuring paintings and drawings of London during the Second World War. Arranged in the themes of travel, the Thames, the street, shelter and personal stories, the images were well explained, describing the event shown and the artist.   The images were beautiful and featured many of my favourite early 20th century artists. I even found this Duncan Grant of St Pauls. Other shout outs to   some beautiful Evelyn Dunbar’s including this one on a Red Cross train, an image of soldiers on a tube platform by Henry Carr and one of camouflaged cooling towers by Colin Morris. Closes 1 November 2026 Review Times

Moving exhibition at the Imperial War Museum looking at how war affects children. The show felt mainly aimed at children but struck a balance between fun activities and serious information. It also balanced stories from the Second World War and those from conflicts since and including ongoing ones. The story was told via installations with real objects scattered around them. I found the first one moving as it shows a child’s bedroom from the Second World War when my mother was a child. The show looked at play, education, evacuees and refugees, indoctrination, home and health. There was a generous spattering of testaments to listen to and watch. I loved the way that objects on display were not just generic but told specific stories of real people who were named. Who could failed to be moved by things like this tiny bear owned by John Hajdu, a Jewish child in Hungary who was hidden by neighbours and who then lived in Soviet occupied Hungary. There was a video of him holding the ...

Beautiful exhibition at Messums London of work by contemporary artists in the theme of the totemic. Like many of the galleries over the summer this was an excuse to show work by artists they represent and in this case it was themed around the idea of totems. The blurb said "Across cultures it (the totem) has always symbolised more than a mere object: a spiritual and social emblem, imbued with energy, almost living, carrying the history of a people within it. …..But, at the heart of this exhibition is the sense that a totem is a unique expression of who we are, and of what we have chosen to value." I'm not sure I got that from the works but there we a number of artists I really like represented so I was happy. There was a beautiful small sculpture of three men by Laurence Edwards and I always delighted to see Antony Williams exquisite egg tempera portraits. New discoveries for me included wacky life sized human figures in shades of blue creating pieces of furniture ...

Interesting exhibition at Flowers Gallery of landscapes, both real and imagined, by contemporary artists. This was a lovely selection from the traditional to the more abstract. I loved this one by David Helper which, on first glance, looked very usual but when you got close you realised the brown layer at the bottom is earth applied to the canvas. There was a striking work in the window by Tai Shan Schierenberg and a lovely realistic picture of wild flowers by Gerard Neumaier which felt quite Flemish. I was interested to see a Welsh landscape by David Dawson who was Lucien Freud's assistant and inherited his studio. It's good to see him work which is less Freud like. On the more abstract side I loved Lucy Jones' bright picture of trees along a path. Closed 7 August 2026

Engaging video installation at Sadie Coles HQ by Helen Marten. The work consisted of five monologues voiced by women with images which seem to act as a stage set for the words. As far as I can make out Marten wrote the scripts and the film was animated by Adam Sinclair with a sound by Beatrice Dillon. I didn’t have time to watch all five but I happened to be there as "The Lover" began so I sat and watched it and was transfixed. The words were almost poetic with some lovely imagery that I wish I been able to note down. Closed 12 September 2026

Bright exhibition   at Sotheby's of new work by Hassan Hajjaj. I have often seen Hajjaj's work in exhibition but not seen a whole show devoted to him. He produces colourful, clear photographic portraits surrounded by a frame of multiple food tins. These works featured London cultural figures. It's only reading the blurb again now that I've realised Hajjaj designs the clothes that the sitters wear. The show included a fascinating video of him taking the pictures. I hadn’t realised before that they are photographed in the street against a textile pinned to the wall behind. I liked the way the figures seem, to have been photographed from low down so that they proudly look down to the viewer. Closed 7 August 2026

Fun exhibition at Gagosian Grosvenor Hill presenting two works by the late Christo. “Air Package on a Ceiling” was conceived by Christo and his partner Jeanne-Claude in 1968 but had not been realised until this show. The work consisted of a hanging of plastic sheeting supported by rope with the idea of containing air and therefore making air a tangible object. The second work is from 1981 “Wrapped Automobile—Volvo, Model PV-544” which shows a wrapped car which had been owned by Serge de Bloe, a dealer and friend of Christo. When he bought a new car he didn’t want to get rid of the old one as it had sentimental value so he asked Christo to wrap it. It can’t help but make you smile. These two works were shown alongside sketches and plans for other unrealised projects.        Closed 21 August 2026 Review Guardian  

Interesting exhibition at Annely Judy Fine Art presenting five contemporary artists who look at memory, inheritance and traces of the past. I think my favourite was Lauren Moses who draws on historic images and deconstructions them into swathes of colour. There seems to be a fashion for his at the moment and I like it. I also liked Laura Footes big views from windows expressed in beautiful blues and greens. Reading since I gather they come from her experience of chronic illness but I saw beauty and calm. Jess Allen shows fine, small sections of faces in close up implying the fragmentation of the self,    Paul Majek draws on his families archive and memory to look and loss and change and Cece Philips   presents interiors with people missing or misty often with the figure being a self-portrait. Closed 28 August 2026

Interesting online lecture from the Victoria and Albert Museum introducing the 2026 illustration awards exhibition at the museum. Curator Annemarie Bilclough explained how the awards operates then talked us neatly through the runners up and winners in each category. She ended with the overall winner, Annabel Wright, who then joined the talk to tell us more about her poster campaign for an exhibition “Views of Glasgow : A Window into Communities” for the Hunterian Museum. She explained the images in the work and how she re-ordered them for various formats. I have been to the exhibition since and it was useful to have done the talk as the categories were not that clear in the show.

Charming online lecture from the National Gallery looking in detail at Canaletto’s “Regatta on the Grand Canal” in detail. Carlo Corsato led us around the painting bringing his local knowledge to bear. He started by getting up to look for red in the picture and explained how it is used to guide your eye around the picture. He then explained the role of the regatta and how it was raced including looking at the design of the gondolas which has changed over the years. He also took us through all the various masks that can be seen and what they mean. The talk was followed by a lively Q&A during which he explained how the prizes ranged from 40 ducats for first place to a pig for fourth. The talk was particularly resonant for me as, although I’d listened to it back home, I typed it up and am writing this from Venice.

Interesting online lecture from the Wallace Collection outlining Churchill’s artistic career. Sir David Cannadine from Princeton and x-chair of the National Gallery and Xavier Bray, Director of the Wallace Collection, discussed the topic. Cannadine is the author of “Churchill : Statesman as Artist” after being invited to give the Linbury Lecture on him at Dulwich. They covered how Churchill used his art as a statesman, his artistic mentors and how he used it for his mental health. They discussed how his artistic career took off after the Second World War when his work toured America and he had a popular show at the Royal Academy where he was elected an Honorary Academician Extraordinary, the only man to be given that title. They included some wonderful quotes such as ““Happy are the painters for they shall not be lonely. Light and colour, peace and hope, will keep them company to the end, or almost to the end of the day.”

Disappointing discussion at the National Gallery examining what makes a painting iconic. The event marked the publication of "Icons: 100 Extraordinary Objects from Sotheby's History" and brought together Patrick Elliott, curator of modern paintings at the gallery, a recently created role; Will Gompertz, director of the Sir John Soane Museum and Chloe Stead, Global Head of Private Sales in the Old Master's department at Sotheby's. Sadly the author, Elif Shafak, was billed to attend but had a family emergency and had to pull out. She might have brought a non-art world voice to the platform. They discussed what makes a painting an icon then each nominated contenders for the title from the galleries collection or from works which had passed though Sotheby's auction house. I would have liked them to pick more from the Sotheby's category as the galleries own works were well known and their stories very familiar to the audience. It was fun however to have ...

Charming exhibition at the National Gallery of landscapes by 19th century Viennese artist, Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller. I had done an online curator's introduction to this show, but you didn't really need to know a lot to appreciate these exquisite, jewel like paintings. The finish on them was beautiful and they had a shiny quality. They were small and drew you into the detail. I think the pictures of trees were my favourite and reminded me of Constables studies of trees. Closes 20 September 2026 Review Guardian

Fun exhibition at the National Gallery of children's work reacting to a painting in the galleries collection. This is an annual exercise which I always enjoy and this year the work chosen was Canaletto’s painting of the Venice regatta. Each school's children pick an aspect of the picture to explore so this year they looked at boats, the idea of a vista, masques and much more. I loved St Michael's C & E Primary Academy's take on the vista relating Venice to their home city of Birmingham. I also liked King's Meadow Primary School who spotted gold spikes on an emblem on a building which they echoed as wands. The objects they were made were beautiful and I've just realised from looking at my photos that there are just 3-4.   Closed 31 August 2026

Stolid exhibition at the Photographers' Gallery looking at Japanese women photographers since the 1950s. The show was well presented under the themes of pioneers, elevating the day, self, gender and society and experiments but it was large, taking over all three floors of their galleries. I liked that it was shown in groups by individual photographers with good information boards including quotes by the artists. However the work lacked a sense of lightness and it all felt quite serious and worthy. I met a friend after and told her where I'd been and as she said "That's a bit niche". I think the “Elevating the Everyday” section was my favourite with street and diary photography. I loved Ushioda Tokuko's pictures of the inside and outside of her fridge as a commentary on her life. I was intrigued by Yanagi Miwa's staged pictures commenting on Japanese elevator girls (although I thought they were air hostesses from the image). The one shown here was us...

Poor exhibition at the National Maritime Museum looking at the food culture brought to the UK by the Windrush generation and its legacy. The show had good commentary boards but not many objects and some that were billed seemed to have disappeared as there was an empty case. They pointed out how people set up markets to provide the ingredients people wanted and how the food has moved from the margins to the mainstream with a good info board on taste makers from Rusty Lee to Andi Oliver. There were a couple of videos alongside the info boards but that was it. It felt like a big story to tell and it deserved more depth. It was presented by the National Windrush Museum in residence at the National Maritime Museum. I felt they needed a bit more mentoring about how to curate an exhibition. Closed 30 July 2026

Interesting exhibition at the National Maritime Museum of the winners of the Astronomy Photography of the Year awards. As ever in this annual show the works were shown on light boxes with details of where, when and how the image was taken or constructed. I preferred the works which showed some aspect of the earth in the picture to give a sense of the known. There were some beautiful images but as I go to this show every year, it is getting quite samey. I like the display but it is getting repetitive.   I also think it is quote expensive for what it is at £12. Closed 3 August 2026

Intriguing exhibition at the National Maritime Museum showing the work of ten artists who took part in an expedition to the Marshall Islands in 2023 which were affected by the testing of nuclear weapons in the 50s and 60s. The show included some interesting work but more importantly highlighted the story of the islands and the issues they face from the testing and climate change. I was amazed to learn in one explosion in 1954 three islands were obliterated. I liked these imagined machines by Solomon Ends which were painted on the beaches on the island. They are imagined devices which would draw radiation and poison out of the sand and transform it into clean air. Closes 4 October 2026

Beautiful exhibition at the Royal Academy featuring work by young artists aged from 4 to 18. I always try to go to see this show which is only on for a few weeks as you often see work of a surprisingly high quality. This year I made a special point of going as a friend's son had a piece in it, so a big shout out to Chip aged 11 and his zine about AI in art. It was a shame it was shown quite low down as it was all about the detail which was hard to see. Works which stood out for me this year with the hyperreal "Granny's Glassware" by Ella aged 16, a dark portrait of a couple called "Marriage" by Fimi aged 17 which wouldn't have looked out of place on Sky Portrait Artist of the Year and the cleverly composed urban landscape by Natalie aged 18. A special shout out to Inaya aged 16 for their "Political 'Sauces' Sources" a series of ketchup bottles each filled with a censored newspaper article about the world leader who was then refer...

Vibrant exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery South of new work by Cecily Brown. These big, bold, expressive paintings were inspired by the area around the gallery and showed abstracted vegetation and were shown with previous works dating back to 2001 covering similar themes. I loved how bright and lively they were and how they dominated the white space. They were shown with some of her drawing showcasing that she draws everyday often responding to illustrations in children's books. There was a useful leaflet which included interesting quotes from the artist making it fell like she was showing you around such as "I don’t have a central message to get across, so the subject is always just painting and how to push painting. I'm thoroughly absorbed by that". I will certainly look out for her work in the future. Checking this blog I've realised she did the wonderful new paintings around the top of the staircase at the Courtauld Gallery   Closes 6 September 2...

An excellent iteration of this annual pavilion at the Serpentine Gallery by LANZA atelier. This year's pavilion was built of brick with a glass roof, shaded by blinds. The central rounded space had a long curving wall down one side with a path along it which made me think the construction had a tail. The i nside had a small stage and the usual expensive café but otherwise the space was quite empty which I liked. Some years the space is cluttered by suggestions of things you should do there. Reading the blurb I loved the layers to the work. LANZA atelier, founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo described the work as a serpentine partly as a pun on the gallery's name and the nearby lake but also referencing the architectural feature called a serpentine or crinkle-crankle wall which originated in ancient Egypt. The shape provides stability via lateral support and requires fewer bricks than a straight wall. As ever it was a peaceful space to have a coffee and read f...

Interesting sculpture/installation outside the Serpentine Gallery of a work by Jesús Rafael Soto. As you walked towards this work it appeared to be a yellow box but as you got close you realised the yellow was closely hung soft plastic tubes which swayed in the breeze and enveloped you as you walked through it. As I was there a child was enjoying the sensation and running thought the space. I found it played with my eyes like a Bridget Riley painting and reading the blurb now I realise Soto was classed as a kinetic artist like her. It also says that the work is completed by the presence of the viewer. I would widen that to be the participant. I was interest to see this work was a relaunch by the artists estate since their death of a work originally made in 1999. Closes 25 October 2026