December 2023: Jack Eames shares his latest visits to art exhibitions in London for Tribute Magazine

I was able to fit in some brilliant visits to art exhibitions in London in Winter and am excited to share my favourite shows with you! The below was originally published in December 2023.

1/ Art Exhibitions in London: Capturing The Moment at Tate Modern

As a creative, I am incredibly interested in traversing different mediums, and so was thrilled when Capturing The Moment came to the Tate Modern – an exhibition exploring the dynamic between painting and photography. It considers the influence they each had on the other, and how boundaries have been blurred between the two mediums over the years.

It was fascinating to see how the prolific uprise of photography as a medium influenced painters. And how some like George Baselitz rejected painting as a medium to capture reality (as you might with a photograph). Instead they painted upside-down figures to insist that the viewer focused on the markings of the painting instead. On the flip side to this, you also see photographers such as Jeff Wall using photomontage in his work to create the “illusion of instantaneousness”, as is often depicted by painting.

At my studio, we have enjoyed uniting painting and photography together in the past couple of years. We did this particularly on the project InKolour; my collaboration with hair stylist Mark Francome Painter, so it was incredibly engrossing to see how the two mediums have influenced each other or been used in conjunction with one another.

The exhibition is an incredible showcase of many different artists, including Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and two of my favourites – Francis Bacon and Gerhard Richter. If you’re doing a tour of art exhibitions in London this winter, then this is a great place to start.

2/ Film: Killers of the Flower Moon by Matin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese’s latest epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro is an incredible but heart-breaking retelling of the true story of the Osage Nation. It’s set in 1920’s Oklahoma, and based on the 2017 book by David Grann, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the F.B.I.”. The movie revisits the history of the crimes committed against the Osage Nation after they found an abundance of oil on their reservation in northern Oklahoma.

The film is beautifully shot, and follows the story of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his uncle William Hale (Robert DeNiro) and their relationship with an Osage family as they target them for their oil rights, combining a mixture of exploitation, romance and brutality.

“Ending on a brilliant scene with a cameo from the director himself, the final minutes feel like a parody of the sensationalised true crime format, calling into question the manner that society consumes these violent retellings of history.

3/ Book: Port Talbot UFO Investigation Club by Roo Lewis

A good friend of mine and amazing photographer Roo Lewis recently published a beautiful photobook – Port Talbot UFO Investigation Club. For the past few years Roo has been visiting Port Talbot in Wales, and taking stunning portraits of the residents there.

Roo’s fascination in the town started after actor Michael Sheen stated that there were an “extremely high number of UFO sightings” in the area. While this influences the title of the book, it is in no way the sole focus of the project, which ultimately explores the wonderful people and community of the town.

Roo’s photography is beautiful and sincere. One of his images from the book of the renowned Captain Beany is currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery as part of the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2023. Well done Roo for such an incredible achievement – please do check it out if you get the chance!

4/ Music: Roni Size & LTJ Bukem

Back in the day when living in Oxfordshire, it was one of the best free party counties! Events held primarily in fields, quarries and old warehouses. With Roni Size & LTJ Bukem on tour in 2023/2024, my friends and I jumped on tickets for their visit to one of the oldest dance venues in Oxford. Now it’s owned by the O2 franchise, back in the day it was called Prism.

These days, with a five-year-old boy and a busy studio, knowing the gig started at 11pm did make me wince. However, spending the night with friends, and listening to these two play live, I was glad I made the effort.

5/ Art Exhibitions in London: Sarah Lucas Happy Gas at Tate Britain

Sarah Lucas is an artist known for her involvement in the Young British Artists Movement, alongside Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. Quick aside: Emin is now based in Margate which is just down the road from us in Kent!

A current exhibition on at Tate Britain is called Happy Gas and spans the work of Sarah Lucas from 1991 to the present. It is a show laced with humour, sex, euphemisms and death. The curation takes you on a journey through Lucas’s various mediums, including photography, sculpture and installation, featuring her well known soft sculptures made from tights.

I find Lucas’s work is incredibly bold and playful and points the spotlight on class and gender stereotypes, as well as giving a beautiful insight into her own family and upbringing. I fully recommend taking the trip to Tate Britain to go see it!

6/ Book: Andy Warhol Polaroids 1958-1987

Warhol was always documenting his life, art, partying, lovers and journeys. The mix of art and glamour is a striking and beautiful trade mark of Warhol’s photography ‘brush’. Polaroids offer us that honest, raw unretouched insight into the moment right infront of the artist.

Portraits of celebrities including Mick Jagger, Dolly Parton, Keith Haring, Audrey Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock, Jack Nicholson, Yves Saint Laurent, Pelé, Debbie Harry are included. They show alongside images of Warhol’s entourage and high life, landscapes, and still lifes from Cabbage Patch dolls to the iconic soup cans.

This a visceral insight into the life of the Pop Art maestro. He carried the Polaroid camera with him constantly for over 20 years – no Insta, filters, X or Facebook

7/ Art Exhibitions in London: The Photographers’ Gallery, Siân Davey and Daido Moriyama

I absolutely love The Photographer’s Gallery, and always try to take the opportunity to visit it when I can. On my last trip I was lucky enough to see the work of two of my favourite photographers there: Daido Moriyama and Siân Davey. It’s always great to be able to hit two art exhibitions in London in one go! They are two hugely different artists with very contrasting aesthetics. But the manner in which they are showing inside and outside of the space at The Photographers’ Gallery is incredibly enjoyable and lends itself to the themes in each of their work.

Upon arriving at the gallery and before even going through the door, I was surprised and excited to be greeted by Davey’s work. It was displayed just outside in the Soho Photography Quarter. The collection features work from the The Garden; an exquisite series of portraits celebrating the transformation of an abandoned garden and the community that have enjoyed it. Projected onto the wall opposite her photographs is a beautiful film made in collaboration with Dylan Friese-Greene.

After enjoying the alfresco art, I headed into the gallery for the Daido Moriyama retrospective. Moriyama is a fascinating Japanese photographer, whose bold, graphic, grainy imagery twists reality, while still being rooted in street photography and photojournalism. The retrospective did not disappoint, and the 200+ works shown in the exhibition are a captivating insight into Moriyama’s extensive career.

8/ Film: Medusa Deluxe

Most of us reading this piece will be involved in the hair industry, and Medusa Deluxe is possibly the most visually stunning film I’ve seen of a slice from the hair world. Made by Studio24 (as mentioned previously in my London Eye pieces), this is a murder mystery, with proper belly laugh moments throughout.

The story centres on a hairdressing competition, with a rival hairdresser being scalped during preparations for the big show. The film shows detectives, hairdressers and models all speculating who the killer is.

Thanks to industry icon, Eugene Souleiman, there are many incredible hair styles throughout. It is a quirky independent film, that is unusual enough to keep interest going throughout the whole film.

Art Exhibitions in London: London Eye for Tribute Magazine