Phew! This was perhaps the busiest week in the calendar for quite a few months. New artists and designers are springing up and literally taking London by storm. True sparklers on the London circuit who are fearless, fun and full of great ideas. They know how to fill a home with show stopping works of art.
Many artists are barely out of their twenties while those well past the first bloom of youth get in the on the act too with cute ‘naive’ art. Richard Tuttle’s simple, beautiful pink drawing stood out among a sweet, child-like series of drawings at the Modern Art gallery in London’s St James.
Fresh out of the Royal Academy of Art, artists Lara Davies turned up at Modern Art. Check her inspiring instagram @larad123. Fellow artist Alex Lewis joined her and said he’s 30 percent Scandinavian. (The other 70 percent surely must be Liverpudlian given his similarity with a certain 60s rock icon 😉 his work is here).
Richard Turtle’s pieces are sparklers on the London circuit – just too cute

Richard Tuttle’s pieces are just too cute to miss. Beautiful little drawings on pieces of paper make for a safe haven in the current unruly artscape.

Jose Sarmiento is currently showing at the Stephen Ongpin Fine Art in Mayfair’s Park Street. His self portrait below caught my eye: speak of minimalism. Although his hand hides his face, Jose is instantly recognisable from the sketch – a massive under-stated piece which is pure Scandi style.

But yet again, the place to be for art and design lovers is Cromwell Place in South Kensington. Cromwell Place is a big house with lots of galleries. Often they show new works by different artists.
I love ceramics so to see such intricate work in porcelain was a joy! Here are two Scand-friendly pieces by Verity Pulford and Alice Walton.


Let’s not forget the absolutely thumping exhibition of Andy Warhol at Skarstedt in London’s St James’s: a real crowd-puller. Still, one of the party goers caught my eye and imagination more than Warhol did.
Check the new talent @Bezalel. Bezalel turned up waring a black cap punched with can openers and a metal screw. And why wouldn’t he? His cap got us talking, not least to him. Bezalel features in the main picture, wearing his hat.
Perhaps my favourite show of the week was Austrian artist and film maker Gernot Wieland’s Halb Nacht show.
Some of my favourite sparklers on the circuit
A series of scribblings on pieces of paper at the Belmacz gallery in Davies Street – lots of word and brainstorming and quick illustrations. It’s almost graffiti style work which is actually my favourite style.
The writings are notes to self and think-pieces as depicted in the main picture above. It’s a hugely fun exhibition because it’s so “left-field” with the scribblings and drawings.
And yet, the most fascinating show in town is the mix of people – the spectators to all this art and design on display. Their dress sense and playing with stereo types leave very little to the imagination. The biggest trend at the moment, of course, is cross dressing.
Young men particularly like to dress up in women’s clothes, handbags and all, plus nail varnish, makeup and all the right moves. They do it well. But each to their own. Certainly is a fascinating spectacle.