GWA Newsletter: February
My top cultural picks for the month ahead
Dear Readers, Happy February!
I’ve just returned from one of my favourite places in the world: the Jaipur Literature Festival, where I was lucky enough to hear the likes of Andrew O’Hagan, Pankaj Mishra, Benjamin Moser, Lamorna Ash, Nathan Thrall, John Vaillant, David Nicholls, William Dalrymple, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, and so many others speak.
(I’ve linked through to all their must-read books!)
I had the pleasure of speaking alongside Anna Funder, author of the fantastic biography of Eileen O'Shaughnessy (famously known as the very influential wife of George Orwell). I highly recommend Wifedom.
As well as Ramie Targoff, whose book Shakespeare’s Sisters explores women writers (all new to me) in 16th and 17th England. It is beautifully and captivatingly written.
While I was in Delhi, I met with many artists ahead of the India Art Fair. Check out my round-up for Harper’s Bazaar, ft. where to find the best art by women in the city!
Ok – now for some updates. This month I’m reflecting on the possibilities of the year ahead, gleaning wisdom from the fabulous Pauline Boty and, as always, taking you through the best things to see, read, listen to, and do this month.
Scroll on for more. Xoxo Katy
In The Guardian:
Inspired by Ramie Targoff’s new book Shakespeare’s Sisters and by the eye-popping work of artist Ayesha Singh, I wrote about the importance of disrupting dominant perspectives and exposing the gaps in our cultural histories, that have for too long kept women out.
“In school,” says Singh, “we are taught perspective drawing by sketching a triangular road that tapers into a vanishing point with a horizon line running through it.” But this singular perspective, she says, is also a metaphor for a dominant and prescribed way of thinking. “What,” asks Singh, “if there were many vanishing points, many overlapping histories and intersecting narratives … shifting perspectives, or altered horizon lines?”
On Substack
On Substack, I wrote about 6 artworks and artists that, for me, encapsulate the spirit of new beginnings. A preview:
January is a time for fresh starts, new resolutions, and for thinking about the unknown road ahead of us. As the days get longer and lighter in the first weeks of 2025, I'm turning to the artworks that help me to think about new beginnings and new possibilities.
Also on Substack, the latest instalment of my series ‘5 things we can learn from…’ is dedicated to the trailblazing Pauline Boty; Pop Art artist and darling of sixties London. A preview — 1. Live in the present
“I think of the present. Not much about the future. Well only in terms of sort of like I found myself living my life as though I’d probably only got a few more years to live – because the bomb was going to drop and I found this terribly exciting – not the bomb but living for today.”
And now for my top cultural picks for February. Enjoy!
13 great shows to see in the UK:
Christina Kimeze: Between Wood and Wheel at South London Gallery, until 11 May
Citra Sasmita at Barbican, until 21 April
Danielle Dean at Spike Island, Bristol, until 11 May
Somaya Critchlow: The Chamber at Dulwich Picture Gallery, until 20 July
Portia Zvavahera: Zvakazarurwa at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, until 16 Feb
At Home: Alice Neel in the Queer World at Victoria Miro, London, until 8 March
Dora Carrington: Beyond Bloomsbury at Pallant Gallery, Chichester, until 27 April
Helen Cammock, Ingrid Pollard and Camara Taylor at Dundee Contemporary Arts, until 23 March
Laura Footes at Carl Freedman Gallery, Margate, until 16 Feb
Jennifer Binnie at Richard Saltoun, London, until 1 March
Wings of a Butterfly at Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, until 19 April
Mickalene Thomas: All About Love at Hayward Gallery, until 5 May
Noah Davis at Barbican Centre, London – don’t miss what looks like a fantastic discussion between Professor Dorothy Price, Helen Molesworth, Alvaro Barrington, and Allison Katz on 26 Feb!
7 great shows to see outside of the UK:
Ethel Carrick at National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, until 27 April
Leiko Ikemura: Floating Spheres at Kunsthalle Emden, Emden, until 11 May
Christine Sun Kim at Whitney Museum, New York, until 6 July
Suzanne Valadon at Centre Pompidou, Paris, until 26 May
Saskia Colwell at Victoria Miro Venice, until 15 March
Louise Nevelson at Pace Gallery, New York, until 1 March
Leonora Carrington: Mythopoesis at Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, until 15 March
9 great things to read:
Karl Ove Knausgaard on Celia Paul via The New Yorker
Curator Deborah Hart on Ethel Carrick, via National Gallery of Australia
Shakespeare's Sisters: How Women Wrote the Renaissance — Ramie Targoff
Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever — Lamorna Ash
Brian Dillon on Peter Kennard via London Review of Books
For Artist Genieve Figgis, Beauty is Rebellion — via artnet
Disappoint Me — Dinan Nicola
Louise Gluck on writing as transformation, via The New Yorker
Jo Applin on Nicola L. via London Review of Books
7 great things to listen to:
Remembering Nikki Giovanni via On Being
Nick Cave via Fashion Neurosis
Isabel Allende via This Cultural Life
The Sound of Noah Davis via Das Minsk
Hisham Matar: A Month in Siena via John Sandoe Books
25 Years of the 21st Century via BBC Radio 4
Fran Lebowitz on Alice Neel via David Zwirner
4 great things to see/do in London:
All We Imagine As Light at the cinema
Linder in conversation with Marina Warner at Southbank Centre, 14 Feb
Barbican Architecture Tours, every day of the month!
Clair Wills in Conversation with Olivia Laing at Waterstones Gower Street, 25 Feb
5 great artists to know:
Arpita Singh (b.1937)
Liza Lou (b.1969)
Malak Mattar (b.1999)
Chila Kumari Singh Burman (b.1957) — and don’t miss her current exhibition at IWM North, until 31st August.
Joan Eardley (1921—1963)
That’s it from me! Happy GWA’ing. Thank you for reading this Substack. If you think someone else might enjoy this too, please spread the word and share this article. If you have any feedback — or your own February recommendation! — please comment below.
Wot about Ithell Colquhoun at Tate St Ives?
Next week I’m going to an exhibition of Leonora Carrington at Firstbite in Colchester. Until february 24th