WIN a copy of Tate's Andy Warhol exhibition book
plus: Steve McQueen makes a surprise return to Tate Modern, and interns get paid at the Met
hello and happy Thursday. i’ve had a flurry of new subscribers over the past few weeks, so if you’re a newbie: welcome! let me recap how this works. every other Thursday i send out this jam-packed edition featuring news, an interview with a culture mover and shaker, my picks on the newest exhibitions, and much more. then, on the Fridays inbetween, you’ll get the Friday briefing which catches you up on the latest news you need to know. so just know i slide into your inbox each week.
this edition is a massive Andy-Warhol-at-Tate-Modern-filled affair - hurrah! below you have a chance to win yourself a copy of the excellent Andy Warhol exhibition book courtesy of Tate Shops, and my interview this week is with one of the artists leading a workshop at tonight’s online Tate Lates which celebrates the great man’s 92nd birthday.
so let’s dive in!
i send this newsletter weekly and in my spare time. if you’ve been enjoying reading it over the past 2 years, why not buy me a digital coffee as a thank you? ☕️
catch up // NEWS
surprise! just a few weeks ago, Tate were saying their major Steve McQueen exhibition would not reopen post-lockdown. but in a U-turn worthy of the Prime Minister, it’s BACK. yahoo! news
$$$. all interns at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will now be paid thanks to a $5 million gift. the Art Newspaper
but but but. the Met is still struggling due to a $150 million deficit courtesy of corona, so has laid off yet more staff. artnet news
more bad news. and the bleak picture for US museums gets worse as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston also announces large-scale layoffs. artnet news
but some good news! visitors to the Natural History Museum in London have expressed their delight as the venue opened its doors for the first time in months yesterday. Irish News
Reaching Out. a new artwork unveiled in east London becomes one of only three public sculptures of black women in UK. the Guardian
there’s a lesson here. a tourist who snapped off the toes of a 200-year-old Italian sculpture while SITTING ON IT for a photograph has come clean after being caught on CCTV. the Times
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 the brilliant Camille Walala has added some much needed colour to White City in west London with these bright and bold pedestrian crossings. Evening Standard
Steve McQueen Static 2009 Video still © Steve McQueen. Courtesy the artist, Thomas Dane Gallery and Marian Goodman Gallery
luck up // COMPETITION
this week i’m super-stoked to have partnered with Tate Shops for a competition which is just for you, my amazing subscribers. to celebrate the reopening (and extension!) of Andy Warhol at Tate Modern, you have the chance to bag yourself on of THREE copies of the BEAUTIFUL accompanying book. it includes a unique contribution from writer Olivia Laing, an artist’s response from Martine Syms and an exclusive interview with former Factory insider, Bob Colacello, and it returns Warhol to the shifting creative and political landscape in which he lived. the images of the art works in the show are worth the RRP alone.
to win, just click here and leave me your name and email. that’s it! i’ll pick 3 winners at random from all entries received by 23:59 on Tuesday 11 August. you just need to be a subscriber in order to be eligible. GOOD LUCK
listen up // INTERVIEW
Kazvare is an illustrator and graphic designer who is forging a name for herself with her often ‘sassy sketches and searing satire’ according to Grazia magazine. her work has been featured in British Vogue and she’s collaborated with major brands such as Adidas and Facebook. her brand - Kazvare Made It - is home to striking stationery, homeware and accessories and is all about combining cultural references and influences in a way that is bold, colourful and with a huge dash of playfulness. so she’s the perfect person to run a workshop at tonight’s Uniqlo Tate Lates: Night In, an online evening of celebration of Andy Warhol where she’s re-imagined the artist as a fictional character and will encourage guests to draw, colour and decorate along with her. i chatted to her ahead of the event.
tell me about your re-imagining of Warhol as the fictitious character Ade Warhol. what gave you the idea?
Ade Warhol is a fictional British artist of Nigerian heritage creating art for his time. I have to say that when I created Ade Warhol, the art came before the artist. I illustrated the Carnation Milk tin and used colours in a Warhol-esque way. It was only when I sat back and looked at it, I then imagined Ade Warhol: somebody who in a parallel universe was making work like Andy’s but amplifying a different time and culture. The Carnation milk tin in many African households was a staple and so it is only right that Ade would pick this as something to immortalise in his art.
you've said pop art and Andy Warhol were some of your initial inspirations. what is it about him that particularly resonates with you?
I love the way he blends bold colour and popular culture. His work was also very much blended fine art and mainstream aesthetics. He made me see that you can love art and have the freedom to not just draw landscapes and plants to be taken seriously as an artist.
what can people expect from your workshop at the Uniqlo Tate Lates: Night In? and are you excited to take part?
I will be inviting everyone watching to colour in with me (there will be a downloadable PDF available to print out) as I talk a bit more about my work, influences and also Ade Warhol. It will hopefully be a relaxing and insightful affair! I’m thrilled to be taking part; I ran a workshop last year at the Tate over the summer too and although the workshop is taking a different form this year (because, corona) it is a joy to still be able to create and share my work in this way.
Kazvare Made It runs her workshop at Tate Lates tonight
your work can often be political or satirical. so how has 2020 been for your art?
2020 has certainly been a wild year so far, to say the least! There hasn’t been a shortage of things to respond to through art but it has also felt like quite a heavy year. It hasn’t always felt easy to create in this season of uncertainty and craziness. But creating is a therapeutic practice in some ways, which I’ve appreciated. I’m also grateful to hear from people who have enjoyed connecting with my work during this time as well.
the pandemic is hitting the creative industries hard. has the pandemic affected your business?
The pandemic has certainly shifted some of the ways in which I work and also some of the plans I’d made for the year. I’d hoped to run more events this year, which definitely hasn’t happened! But it has been an awesome opportunity to dream up new ways of working and connecting with people.
as museums and galleries open up, are there any you are particularly excited to visit again?
Honestly, I’d have to say the Tate Modern! Growing up, it was one of my fave places to go and so it’s amazing to be collaborating with them on the Tate Lates as I have done. I hope to get the opportunity to see the Steve McQueen exhibition as well as the Andy Warhol exhibition before they come to an end.
Uniqlo Tate Lates: Night In is online here tonight from 19:00
get up // WHAT’S NEW
this is where i pick the best and freshest exhibitions which are opening around the world. get thee to these.
Gauguin and the Impressionists at the Royal Academy, London - 60 works by painters such as Manet, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Morisot, Degas, Gauguin and more, many of which have never been seen in the UK. opens 7 August
Linderism at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge - a new solo exhibition of work by Linder: performance artist, zine-maker, musician, documentary-photographer, collaborator, muse, guru, medium and body-builder. reopens 14 August
Works on Paper at Pace Gallery, East Hampton, NY - a rare chance to see artworks from the esteemed Donald B. Marron Collection, including Henri Matisse, Damien Hirst and Jasper Johns. opens 12 August
last up // AND FINALLY
i send this newsletter weekly and in my spare time. if you’ve been enjoying reading it over the past 2 years, why not buy me a digital coffee as a thank you? ☕️