This month we welcome spring’s offerings - trees bursting with blossom, bounties of tart rhubarb and the occasional April shower. In the spirit of openness and renewal, we bring you five inspiring happenings, from a literary supper club to an exhibition exploring the relationship between makers and their materials.
Persephone Books Supper Club at Castle Farm
Castle Farm, an organic farm and barn restaurant in the countryside to the south of Bath, is preparing to host a supper club inspired by Persephone Books’ reprinted cookbooks. The independent publisher is known for creating beautiful editions of neglected fiction and non-fiction by women writers, with a focus on early twentieth-century literature. A selection of cookbooks, including Florence White’s Good Things in England and Patience Gray and Primrose Boyd’s Plats du Jour, have been adopted by the Castle Farm team, who will serve a six-course meal created with seasonal ingredients grown on the land. The mainly vegetarian menu will be served alongside themed Persephone napkins which attendees are welcome to take home.
Persephone Books Supper Club is on at Castle Farm on 20 April.
The Time is Always Now at the National Portrait Gallery
This display of figurative works by artists including Michael Armitage, Lubaina Himid, Kerry James Marshall, and Toyin Ojih Odutola examines the presence – and absence – of the Black figure in contemporary Western art. The complexity of Black life is communicated through intimate paintings and drawings, bringing to life unknown personalities in a range of settings – from a flourishing garden in Nigeria to a bench on a Harlem pavement. Curated by writer Ekow Eshun, The Time is Always Now is a vital celebration of 22 esteemed artists from the African diaspora.
The Time is Always Now is on at the National Portrait Gallery until 19 May.
The Radev Collection at The Wilson Gallery
This exhibition explores a remarkable time in queer history and British art. Told through the stories of three collectors — writer and friend of the Bloomsbury Group, Eddy Sackville-West; his lover, Eardley Knollys; and picture framer Mattei Radev — it narrates a tale of friendship, love, and creativity. A vibrant collection of twentieth-century art by the likes of Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, and Pablo Picasso are on display, as well as new work by artist and columnist Luke Edward Hall. The exhibition delves into the pivotal role of the home environment and found family as a source of experimentation and inspiration.
The Radev Collection is on at The Wilson Gallery, Cheltenham until 1 September.
Objects of Contemplation at Make Hauser & Wirth
Bringing together 19 artist-makers from the UK and Europe, this curation of mixed-materials pieces spans wood, ceramic, textile, metal, and stone. Sculptor Max Bainbridge, textile artist and painter Abigail Booth, and ceramicist Samuel Chatto are just some of the talents who have created in dialogue with each other, resulting in a varied showcase which highlights the unique relationship between maker and material. This will be a special presentation in Hauser & Wirth’s gallery in London, and is intended as a demonstration of the gallery’s commitment to contemporary art in its myriad forms.
Objects of Contemplation is on at Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset until 12 May.
Do Ho Suh: Tracing Time at National Galleries of Scotland
British-Korean artist Do Ho Suh is widely admired for his compelling explorations of identity. Tracing Time, his first solo exhibition in Scotland, focuses on the role of drawing and paper in his practice, presenting Do’s signature thread drawings alongside architectural rubbings, paper sculptures, cyanotypes, printmaking and watercolour paintings. The space also includes an interactive element: a series of life-size fabric sculptures which visitors can pass through or view from the outside, prompting questions about the meaning of ‘home’.
Do Ho Suh: Tracing Time is on at National Galleries of Scotland, Modern One until 1 September.
Image 1: Le Rodeur: The Exchange, Lubaina Himid, 2016. Image courtesy of the artist and Hollybush Gardens, London.
Image 2: Persephone Books. Image courtesy of Persephone Books.
Image 3 & 4: Conjestina, Michael Armitage, 2017. Photo © Michael Armitage. Kampala Superb, Michael Armitage, 2014. Photo © Michael Armitage.
Image 5: Radev Exhibition, 2024. Image courtesy of Luke Unsworth and The Wilson Gallery.
Image 6 & 7: Installation view, Objects of Contemplation at Make Hauser & Wirth Somerset, 2024. Photo courtesy of Dave Watts.
Image 8: Karma, Do Ho Suh, 2015. Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul and London, and Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI). Image courtesy of STPI © Do Ho Suh.
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