Exhibitions

Beyond Fashion at the Saatchi Gallery, London: Until September 8, 2024

Fashion photography fans, this is the last month to catch Beyond Fashion at London’s Saatchi Gallery, featuring a wonderful curation of works by some of the genre’s biggest names, from Inez and Vinoodh, Viviane Sassen and Willy Vanderperre to Paolo Roversi, Elaine Constantine, Coco Capitán and beyond. More than 100 photographs (and a number of films) demonstrate the ways in which fashion photography has evolved beyond “the simple presentation of product lines to reflect on the reality of our lives, to explore our aspirations and to push at the boundaries of creativity”, making for an inspiring visit.

Apple of Discord at Louise Alexander Gallery, Porto Cervo, Sardinia: Until September 8, 2024

On Sardinia’s sun-drenched Costa Smeralda, Louise Alexander Gallery has just opened its summer show, Apple of Discord. Taking its inspiration from René Magritte’s influential 1929 painting The Treachery of Images, the group exhibition foregrounds the work of over 20 established and emerging artists – Guy Bourdin, Rachel Maclean, Beth Frey and Charlie Engman among them – all united in their bold subversion of established beauty standards. Photography sits alongside painting, sculpture, mixed media and generative art in a playful display that “invites viewers to look beyond the surface and engage in a visual conversation that defies the superficial”.

What It Becomes at Whitney Museum of American Art, New York: August 24, 2024 – January 12, 2025

In New York City, the Whitney Museum will soon unveil a new exhibition dedicated to drawing and, more importantly, expanding viewers’ perceptions of what the medium can be. The show will spotlight the work of eleven artists, including Ana Mendieta, Catherine Opie, Wendy Red Star, David Hammons and Toyin Ojih Odutola, whose work – whether rendered on paper, in photography or on film – uses the techniques and processes of drawing to “reveal the unseen and make the familiar unrecognisable”.

Louise Bourgeois: Unconscious Memories at the Galleria Borghese, Rome: Until September 15, 2024

At the Galleria Borghese in Rome until mid September, don’t miss the chance to experience the work of Louise Bourgeois in dialogue with the museum’s exquisite architecture and renowned collection of artworks by Bernini, Caravaggio et al. From the vast bronze spider that looms in the garden of the former palace to the stuffed tapestry head that sits alongside 18 baroque busts in one of its elaborate marbled rooms, the exhibition pays homage to the French-American artist’s singular contribution to sculpture and “the deep connection between her artistic practice and the Galleria Borghese” – a destination she greatly admired.

Ernest Cole: House of Bondage at The Photographers’ Gallery, London: Until September 22, 2024

The late photographer Ernest Cole is widely hailed as one the most important chroniclers of the South African Apartheid and its politics. In 1966, Cole fled his native country for New York, accompanied by the many photographs he’d taken. A year later, he published the renowned photobook House of Bondage, revealing “the brutality and injustice of Apartheid to the world”, alongside his stirring depictions of everday life for South Africa’s Black population. The Photographers’ Gallery current exhibition of the same title presents over 100 of the book’s images, divided into 15 thematic chapters as per the original, resulting in a rousing show that makes for often difficult but essential viewing.

Hockney and Piero: A Longer Look at the National Gallery, London: August 8 – October 27, 2024

A small but rather lovely exhibition at the National Gallery will invite visitors to “take a longer look” this August, pairing two artworks by David Hockney with one seminal painting by the Renaissance visionary Piero della Francesca: The Baptism of Christ. The latter painting is the tie that binds the two Hockneys – one of which portrays the artist’s mother and father, the other his friend, the curator Henry Geldzahler – appearing as it does in both, a testament to the British artist’s love of the London museum and its collection.

Fashion on the Move #2 at Palais Galliera, Paris: Until January 5, 2025

If you’re in Paris for the Olympics and feel so inclined, we recommend stopping by the Palais Galliera for the second instalment of its three-part exhibition series Fashion on the Move. The latest display traces the evolution of specialist garments for different sports (including horseriding, tennis, golf and bicycling) as well as the integration of sportswear into everyday dress. Spanning the 18th century through to the present day, highlights include a section dedicated entirely to swimwear – from billowing beach attire to much skimpier designs by Louis Réard, inventor of the bikini.

Against Time at The Noguchi Museum, New York: August 28, 2024 – September 14, 2025

The Noguchi Museum in New York will soon celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special exhibition reimagining the original installation that occupied the building’s second floor upon its opening in 1985. The display will unite more than 60 of the most significant works by the museum’s founder, the revolutionary American sculptor and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi. Ranging from “the early brass and wood sculptures influenced by his time in Constantin Brancusi’s studio to his later masterpieces in granite, basalt, and marble”, it looks set to shed fascinating light on the defining moments of an extraordinary creative practice.

Larry Fink: Tough Cookie at Galerie Julian, Cologne: August 31 – November 30, 2024

In Cologne, Galerie Julian will soon pay tribute to the early work of US imagemaker Larry Fink, who passed away in November of last year. With a particular focus on Fink’s revered portrait series Social Graces, taken in the 1970s, the exhibit will highlight the photographer’s knack for distilling the energy and excitement of social gatherings into exquisitely composed snapshots, taken up close from unusual angles. Juxtaposing images of New York’s elite (snapped partying in glamorous locales like Studio 54) with those of his neighbours in rural Pennsylvania enjoying more modest festivities, Social Graces also delivers a powerful commentary on class that still resonates half a century later.

Körperlich at Hauser & Wirth Basel: 30 August – 2 November 2024

At the end of the month, Hauser & Wirth’s new Basel space will host its sophomore exhibition, Körperlich (“bodily”), bringing together the work of women artists whose various practices touch upon the body, “exploring its role in the construction and expression of identity”. Visitors will encounter pieces by Maria Lassnig, Meret Oppenheim, Lee Lozano, Carol Rama and many more, all of which pose pertinent questions “about bodily integrity, about control of the body, asking ultimately who has power and autonomy over our bodies, especially those that are gendered as female.”

Sculpting with Light: Contemporary Artists and Holography at the Getty Center, Los Angeles: August 20 – November 24, 2024

The invention of laser technology in the 1960s brought with it the creation of holograms, those 3D pictures that give the illusion that objects are floating in space. Since then, many different artists have embraced holography, including Louise Bourgeois and Ed Ruscha, who were invited by the C Project foundation to engage with the creative potential of the medium in the late 1990s, and Deana Lawson, who integrated holography into her photographic practice in around 2020. Now, an upcoming show at Los Angeles Getty Center will place holography front and centre, showcasing works by all three of the aforementioned artists alongside many others.

Bamboo 1947: Then and Now Celebrating 60 years of Gucci in Japan at the Gucci Ginza Gallery, Tokyo: August 2 – September 23, 2024

To mark 60 years since Gucci’s official introduction in Japan, the Gucci Ginza Gallery has just launched a new exhibition dedicated to the Gucci Bamboo 1947 bag, identifiable by its distinct bamboo handle. For the occasion, the Italian fashion house has invited a number of distinguished Japanese artists and artisans – think: photographer Daido Moriyama, ceramist Nakazato Hirotsune and painter Nami Yokoyama – to revitalise 60 vintage editions of the bag with the aim of highlighting themes of discovery and upcycling.

Events & Performances

August boats a plethora of exciting live productions, both indoors and out. Following the release of her latest album I Inside the Old Year Dying, PJ Harvey has curated a special one-off event set to take place in Gunnersbury Park on August 18. There, the alt-rock icon will play to her largest crowd yet, joined by American indie folk band Big Thief, British singer-songwriter Tirzah and the Swedish-Iranian composer Shida Shahabi in what promises to be one of the most talked-about shows of the summer. 

A new production of Tom Stoppard’s “kaleidoscopic comedy” The Real Thing, opens at the Old Vic on August 22. A tale of marriage, infidelity and the blurred line between reality and fiction, it stars James McArdle and Bel Powley as its playwright and actress protagonists, directed by Max Webster. While at the Royal Court’s upstairs theatre from August 22, G by rising playwright Tife Kusoro tells the story of three school friends whose “lives, identities and friendships” are thrown into disarray on the night of an alleged crime.

If you’re looking for a joyous way to entertain children, or simply yourself, make sure to catch the stage adaptation of the beloved Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki, at the London Coliseum until August 24. The play follows Chihiro, a young girl whose voyage to a new home with her family is interrupted by an encounter with “a world of fantastic spirits, ruled over by the sorceress Yubaba”. Breathtaking scenery and costume design lend an extra dose of magic to this already spellbinding tale.

Opera lovers, there are still a few coveted tickets left for Glyndebourne Festival’s modern rendition of Carmen, helmed by award-winning Broadway director Diane Paulus. Bizet’s electrifying score meets urgent, raw choreography in this latest retelling of the fateful love affair between a fiercely independent gypsy and a naïve soldier. Last but not least, there’s the UK premiere of Chinese dance drama Wing Chun, at Sadler’s Wells from August 30 to September 7. Through a heady fusion of dance and martial arts, the acclaimed production from Joyway London tells the true story of the famed Grandmaster Yip Man, who had a profound influence upon both the legendary art of Wing Chun and his most famous student, Bruce Lee.

This summer, beloved day festival All Points East returns to Victoria Park in east London. Spread over two weekends, with six days in total, expect raucous sets from heavy hitters like LCD Soundsystem, Justice, Nas, André 3000, Pixies and Phoenix, alongside indie acts like Jockstrap, Jai Paul, Floating Points and Joy Anonymous.

Film

August promises lots of great new film releases too. There’s Dìdi, from Taiwanese American filmmaker Sean Wang, a funny and moving coming-of-age drama whose titular character is an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy in the throes of a formative summer break. Babes is the wonderfully entertaining debut feature from US director Pamela Adlon, starring Broad City’s Ilana Glazer and comedian Michelle Buteau in an unflinching comedy about pregnancy and longtime friendship. While Only the River Flows, from Chinese filmmaker Shujun Wei, follows a police chief as he investigates a series of murders in a rural town in China in the 1990s, resulting in a stylish, darkly comic neo-noir.

Swedish director Ernst De Geer’s new film The Hypnosis is a quirky black comedy about young entrepreneurial couple, André and Vera, whose lives are turned upside-down when Vera undergoes hypnosis to quit smoking and finds herself stripped of all social inhibitions as a result. British-Irish writer and director Rich Peppiatt delivers a brilliant biopic with Kneecap, the story of the pioneering Belfast hip-hop group, in which the real-life members play themselves and sex, drugs and rap run riot. Lastly, there’s Saudi director Ali Alkalthami’s new thriller Mandoob (Night Courier), the gripping tale of a mentally fragile delivery app driver in Riyadh, who finds himself enmeshed in an illegal alcohol ring.

For this month’s best documentaries, be sure to see Joseph Curran and Dominic Aubrey De Vere’s vital new film A Story Of Bones. This follows Annina van Neel, the founder of the Black cultural heritage organisation The Tiekie Box Project, as she works to uncover the neglected history of St Helena, a remote tropical island where the remains of thousands of formerly enslaved Africans were discovered in 2008. In Hollywoodgate, Egyptian documentary filmmaker Ibrahim Nash’at risks his own safety to gain access to a US military site in Afghanistan, in the immediate aftermath of the American army’s withdrawal, where billions of dollar’s worth of military hardware has been left in the hands of the Taliban. While Chelsea McMullan and Sean O’Neill’s Swan Song offers a behind-the-scenes peep inside one of the world’s leading ballet companies, The National Ballet of Canada, as dance icon Karen Kain directs her final work, a “legacy-defining” production of Swan Lake – with riveting results.

Food & Drink

Now for the month’s culinary highlights. First up, there’s the second permanent iteration of the award-winning cocktail bar Oriole, arriving at The Yards in Covent Garden on August 28, this time accompanied by an á la cartè offering. Inspired by chef director Gustavo Giallonardo’s Argentine heritage, the menu will celebrate the fusion cuisines of Latin America – in particular Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese), Argentine-Italian and regional Mexican fare. Dishes will range from lamb rump with spring greens, huacatay (Peruvian black mint), carrot and yeast sauce to sea trout with Torrontés beurre blanc, trout roe and daikon fondant. While pudding options include a coconut tres leches, served with fig leaf sauce and coconut sorbet.

In Borough Yards, meanwhile, keep your eyes peeled for Eat Momo, opening on August 5. The new Nepali restaurant from sister duo Trishna and Dipa Chamling is dedicated to the traditional momo (dumplings) of their childhood in Nepal. Thanks to the shop’s open kitchen, guests will be able to watch the momo-making process in action, from the preparation of the dough to the crafting of the fillings, which include chicken, pork, and beef flavoured with coriander and spices, as well as vegetable offerings packed with ginger. Go there hungry: it’s a space designed for simple, communal feasting.

If you’re in Hoxton and looking for a spot to enjoy breakfast, coffee and cake or a relaxed dinner with cocktails, head to the recently opened Brush Grand Café, providing a quiet haven amid the hustle and bustle of Old Street. There, a central counter offers up a delicious daily selection of cakes, pastries and flatbreads, while the all-day menu draws on European café tradition, with simple yet refined cooking at its heart. Tasty starters like beef tartare and French onion soup are followed by wiener schnitzel or moules-frites, for instance, or a selection of dishes cooked on the Josper Grill, including a roast hispi cabbage with pickled shallots, almonds and oat jalapeno mayo.

For more fantastic, French-influenced fare, new eatery Marceline arrives in Canary Wharf on August 5, combining “the timeless Parisian charm of authentic French brasseries with the playful iterations [of them] in New York, to deliver a dining experience inspired by classic French cooking with an inventive twist.” Chef Robert Aikens (formerly of La Gavrouche and Pastis) will be dishing up plates such as skate kiev, escargots de bourgogne, steak frites, and ravioli du dauphine, accompanied by refreshing cocktails and a wine list that spotlights independent, family-run producers.

A gloriously maximalist bolthole in the middle of Soho, Bar Jackie – the restaurant of the recently opened hotel, Broadwick Soho – is a hidden gem. Replete with a leafy outdoor terrace and a cosy, soulful interior referencing the area’s characterful history, the bar boasts an array of sumptuous cocktails, many named after Fellini films, and an equally tempting menu of aperitivi, insalti and pasta. Highlights include the seabass crudo with fennel and blood orange, La Latteria burrata with iberiko tomatoes and a parsely crumb, and the Devon crab and lemon casarecce, not to mention cannoli, tiramisu and much more for dessert.

Finally, if you’re on the hunt for the dream summer pizza, we may just have found it. Sourdough specialists Berberè – in Clapham and Kentish Town – are continuing their dedicated pizza tour, which began at the start of the year and revolves around a changing special, dedicated to a different Italian region each time. The current offering is the Saluti da Rimini, which sees Berberè’s crispy artisinal base topped with fresh tomato sauce, pomodorini tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, marinated anchovies, fresh basil and lemon zest, resulting in the most refreshing combination imaginable. Buon appetito!