|
|
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
art : features 5 funky galleries In the same spirit as our londonlostandfound cinema guide, I am presenting my five favourite exhibition spaces in London. This is obviously not an exhaustive list but intended to give you a taste of what's on offer, or at least where to start. It's also highly subjective and often based on the quality of the coffee served in each gallery's cafe! ICA (Charing Cross tube) On the Mall, just off Trafalgar Square, lies the Institute of Contemporary Arts. The name says it all. This is, and always has been, the nerve centre of London pretentiousness. It is so nauseatingly cool that it's post-cool. It has a vital and unique atmosphere. TATE BRITAIN (Pimlico tube) Since the opening of Tate Modern , the old Tate has politically repositioned itself into providing a cool, calm and authoritative take on both contemporary and traditional art. A beautiful building to be in, the Tate now rules again from it's commanding location on the river. SERPENTINE (South Kensington tube) Set within Kensington Gardens, this one floor gallery with it's high rooms has an amazingly dreamlike, spacious quality to it and it is no surprise that many major retrospectives are held here each year. The bookshop is understandably famous too. WHITE CUBE (Old Street tube) This is the holy shrine of the Hoxton trendies. Another amazing building, which is well worth a visit. The upstairs gallery is too small but who cares? There is such a feeling of now about the place. Go there for the ironic haircuts and the snow wash denim. Be a Shoreditch twat for the day. WHITECHAPEL (Aldgate East tube) Always on the ball, the Whitechapel is usually a good mix of cutting edge new art and major artists' retrospectives. They are not afraid to change their rooms to suit exhibitions and the cafe (designed by artist Liam Gillick) is a cool place to muse on what you've just seen. TD |
Interview: Tate's
Head of Collections
|
|
|
||||
