Seduction and King Lear

At the turn of the 20th century in Austria, Arthur Schnitzler wrote Le Ronde, to be circulated only amongst friends but which was eventually produced. Schnitzler escaped prosecution for obscenity when the judge threw the case out.

He disowned the play, but it has since been staged many times since, reworked to best unsettle the current society. Jack Heifner has translated the play seamlessly for the gay scene and renamed it Seduction. The scenes are arranged in a circular fashion, handing off from rent boy to sailor to handyman to student, and finally to the Hollywood movie producer, who brings it back to the lowest rung on the social ladder, the rent boy.

February Art Picks

NORTH
Burlesque In Which We’ve Thrown It On Its Head Parasol Unit, 14 Wharf Road, N1 7RW An exhibition of the brightly coloured and urgently painted works of emerging British artist Nathan Cash Davidson, comprising of around 20 paintings dating from 2006 to now. Drawing on historical figures, pop culture and his-own personal life Davidson creates cartoon like work that transports the everyday into the fantastical. Until 13 Feb. www.parasol-unit.org 020 7490 7373 Tube: Angel

Haroon Mirza Lisson Gallery, 52-54 Bell Street, NW1 5DA Mirza creates large scale installations based around faith, music and science. Describing his work as “unfolding compositions in time” the artist’s compositions combine both sculptural and ready-made objects to create disconcerting pieces. 15 Feb – 19 March. www.lissongallery.com 020 7724 2739 Tube: Edgware Road

Never the Same River (Possible Futures, Probably Pasts) Camden Arts Centre, Arkwright Road, NW3 6DG Curated by Simon Starling, this show is the latest in a series of artist-selected shows. Bringing together the work of 30 artists and designers from a span of over 50 years ‘Never The Same River’ explores how artworks can prevail amidst the changing tide of history. Until 20 Feb. www.camdenartscentre.org 020 7472 5500 Tube: Finchley Road and Frognal

Exhibition #3 with Sir Peter Blake The Museum of Everything, Sharples Hall St. Settling into its new home in Primrose Hill, The Museum of Everything features an eccentric and beautiful array of drawings, paintings, sculptures and artefacts from puppets to Potter’s famous Museum of Curiosities, most of which have been taken from Sir Peter Blake’s personal collection. Dates extended until 13 February. www.museumofeverything.com Tube: Camden Town/Chalk Farm

EAST
Smoke Fall Tintype Gallery, 23-25 Redchurch Street E2 7DJ A truly unmissable exhibition, Smoke Fall is a collection of utterly stunning and arresting images ranging from discarded negatives and sculpted orange peel to the ephemeral bricolage of the quotidian. Until 5 Feb. www.tintypegallery.com 020 7503 9642 Tube: Shoreditch Highstreet

Hilary Lloyd Raven Row, 56 Artillery Lane E1 7LS Intense and arresting, Hilary Lloyd’s exhibition at Raven Row Gallery has been specifically created for the sparse and echoing space. Having been preparing for this show for over three years, watching as the gallery emerged from a building site, Lloyd’s photography, videos and slides capture spontaneous moments as if they were but a blink of the eye. Until 6 Feb. www.ravenrow.org 020 7377 4300 Tube: Liverpool

Phoebe Unwin: Man Made Wilkinson Gallery, 50-58 Vyner Street, Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9DQ A compellingly curious destabilisation of materials, Phoebe Unwin treats paint as if it’s a sculpture: exploring the world visually, verbally and sensationally through her brush strokes. Until 6 March www.wilkinsongallery.com 020 8980 2662

SOUTH
Lights On Siobhan Davies, 85 St George’s Road SE1 6ER Another in a string of exhibitions over the last few months that explores the medium of light, curator Nuno Coelho presents the work of six emerging designers. Each
with their own unique style, Jordi Canudas Eelko Moorer, Mathias Hahn, Henny van Nistelrooy, Freddie Yauner and Jesse Visser’s installations illuminate the dark corners of this stunning gallery. Until 13 March. www.siobhandavies.com 020 7091 9650 Tube: Elephant and Castle

Shadow Catchers Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road SW7 2RL Shadow Catchers presents the work of five international contemporary artists –Floris Neusüss, Pierre Cordier, Susan Derges, Garry Fabian Miller and Adam Fuss –who take ‘photographs’ without a camera. Experimenting with ways in which to fix shadows onto light-sensitive surfaces, the works appear as if memories, fragments or visions of other worldly dreamscapes. Until 20 Feb. www.vam.ac.uk 020 7942 2000 Tube: South Kensington

Greenwich Print Makers National Theatre, South Bank SE1 9PX Having celebrated their 30th Anniversary in summer 2009, the Greenwich Printmakers co-op are set to put on the second edition of their ‘Lasting Impressions’ show. Including work from more recent years, the themes range from etchings and lithographs to screen-prints and linocuts. Until 26 Feb. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk 020 7 452 3400 Tube: Southwark

Gilbert & George: The Urethra Postcard Art of Gilbert & George White Cube, 25-26 Mason’s Yard SW1Y 6BU Returning to the form of postcards sporadically throughout their career, it has been over four decades since their first ‘Postcard Art’ show. Now the famous duo have returned with 564 new pieces, 155 of which will be exhibited at White Cube. Until 19 Feb. www.whitecube.com 020 7930 5373 Tube: Piccadilly Circus

WEST
Zigelbaum and Coelho Riflemaker, 79 Beak Street W1F 9SU Six-Forty by Four-Eighty is an interactive lighting installation by Zigelbaum and Coelho that is composed of individual pixel-tiles that change colour in response to touch and communicate with one another through audience reaction. Until 31 March. www.zigelbaumcoelho.com 020 7439 0000 Tube: Oxford Circus

Bridget Riley The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square WC2N 5DN Blazingly colourful and optically engaging, Bridget Riley’s canvases are truly steeped in their sixties heritage. The artist last curated her own exhibition at the National Gallery 21 years ago and has been invited back to mark her 80th birthday (in April) to select images from the collection and add her own paintings directly to the walls. Until 22 May. www.nationalgallery.org.uk Tube: Charing Cross

Erica Eyres

Exploring personalities, disordered and otherwise, Erica Eyres uses prosthetics, humour and narrative to examine human behaviour through video and drawing. Her recent work interprets the distribution and imagery found in internationally distributed mass culture. ‘Pam’s Dream’ is based on the final episode of ‘Dallas’, featuring awkward, embarrassingly bad teenage actors, dressed in sketchy costumes, playing the main characters. As they recreate scenes on homemade sets the viewer is distanced from the gripping escapism of the original series. Drawings featured alongside the film engage with the disquieting and vulnerable side of her characters. Until 4 March.
The Rokeby Gallery, 5-9 Hatton Wall, Farringdon, EC1N 8HX www.rokebygallery.com

Der Tiere

The nom de plume of Michael James Bell, Bael’s latest solo show at Signal Gallery is aptly titled ‘Der Tiere’ meaning ‘The Beasts’. The artist’s lifelong obsession with drawing has culminated an array of eerie, sinister and devilish animalistic, humanoids – with claws in place of hands, and almost vampire-ish mouths accentuated by splashes of red, and dark brown hues. A mixture of rough sketches and more complete paintings, this exhibition reflects the lasting influence that German/Austrian expressionism has had on the artist’s output. Although perhaps too sparse in the nature of its layout, this exhibition is hauntingly compelling. Until 5 February.
Signal Gallery, 32 Paul Street, Old Street, EC2A 3AA www.signalgallery.com

Alistair Taylor-Young

The debut solo show of British photographer Alistair Taylor-Young coincides with the launch of The Phone Book, a series of images shot on his camera phone. “We have been bombarded by manipulated images throughout our creative history. Here is a collection of images with scenes I have captured without tricks” he explains. As an in-demand photographer who has worked on campaigns for high-profile clients from Isabella Rossellini to Armani, Taylor-Young shows his passion for the abstract with a series embracing stripped-down, experimental aesthetics. At times hazy and ghostlike, thrumming with a restrained drama, framed by a sense of distance and longing, the series is beguilingly unadorned and gently unsettling. Until 12 February.
The Little Black Gallery, 13A Park Walk, South Kensinton, SW10 0AJ

Evolution-Revolution

Featuring nine vibrant, large-scale acrylic paintings and twenty works on paper by acclaimed artist Ben Jones, ‘Evolution-Revolution’ is the first major exhibition to feature in the newly renovated gallery space at Rich Mix. Rising to prominence during the Black Arts Movement of the 70s, Jones continues to infuse his imagery with socio-political commentary. From a distance the images appear too concerned with surface pattern but when you draw closer to works such as ‘Thank you BP’ the reality of the times we are living in begins to dawn. All at once escapism and reality, Jones’ vividly colourful works confront the viewer with hope and despair, calling for the viewer to help create a better world. Until 24 February.
Richmix, 35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch Highstreet, E1 6LA www.richmix.org.uk

Photographer John Stezaker

Having collected vintage postcards, classic illustrations and movie stills with great zeal throughout his career, English photographer John Stezaker’s work is comprised of a wealth of re-attributed imagery.

Amjad — Shop assistant, Julia Wig Shop, Manchester

Shopping in Manchester is a financially dangerous and physically tiring pastime. Vintage clothing shops, independent record stores and art cafes are all within walking distance of the city’s bustling high street.
Opposite the Night and Day Cafe on Oldham Street, where I stopped to rest my bag laden arms, I spotted a shop called Julia. Through the front window of Julia lines of wig adorned mannequin heads stared blankly back at me across the street like an army of motionless clones. I spoke to wig shop worker, Amjad to find out more about his job and his thoughts about wigs.

The landlords of quaint Greenwich market think it would look much better torn down and replaced by a boutique hotel

Tranquil, genteel, stately. Tourist guides love to roll out the cliches when they talk about Greenwich. But beneath the visitor-friendly veneer, a battle has been raging over the future of the riverside district that attracts thousands of sightseers each day. In the eyes of many locals, that fight’s just seen a high-profile casualty with the government’s decision to back the redevelopment of Greenwich Market.

"The war on the motorist is over", say London councils. "We won."

“The War on the Motorist” is over claimed the government last month as drivers across London considered re-mortgaging their houses in order to fill their petrol tanks up.

“From now on, councils and communities will be free to set parking policies that are right for their areas” added the minister, as cash-strapped councils published plans to hike their parking charges even higher.