ARTS AND CULTURE

A Thoroughly Modern Palace

Nestled in the western end of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park is a group of buildings in reddish-grey brick, surrounded by trees and shrubberies. Hundreds of park visitors walk past without realising either that it is a palace or that it boasts one of the most fascinating royal pasts of any London landmark.

Throughout its history, Kensington Palace has been regarded as the poor relation of the London palaces. Small, architecturally modest and partially obscured by the lush greenery of Kensington Gardens, it has often been said that the palace lacks the stateliness and magnificence that might be expected of a royal residence. But appearances can be deceptive. Some of the most important events in the history of the British monarchy have been played out here, and Kensington is also unique in hosting four centuries of continuous royal residency – something that no other London palace can lay claim to.

The first house to be built on the site in the early seventeenth century was transformed into a royal palace by the joint monarchs William III and Mary II in 1689. They were attracted by its location in what was then a small village to the west of London, with easy access to the capital but with much cleaner air – an important consideration for the asthmatic king. From the outset, though, the palace was never intended to be a place for great court ceremonies but a practical, suburban residence within close reach of the government at Whitehall. Its modest domesticity reveals a more informal side to the royal family than is usually glimpsed in the grander stately residences.

William and Mary’s successor, Queen Anne, also made Kensington her home and hosted some legendary parties in the Orangery that she had built – and that still stands proudly in the grounds today. It is currently home to Royal Style in the Making, an exhibition that has the wedding dress of Diana, Princess of Wales, as its star attraction.

Kensington proved no less popular during the Georgian period, and it was under the direction of George I that the celebrated architect and painter William Kent set to work creating the lavishly decorated state rooms that can still be seen today. His son, George II, spent a great deal of time at the palace and died there in 1760 – in his toilet, after ‘making a noise louder than the royal wind’.

In 1819, the future Queen Victoria was born at the palace - ‘a pretty little princess, plump as a partridge’ and ‘a pocket Hercules’ according to her father, the Duke of Kent. She liked to perpetuate the myth that she suffered a miserable childhood there at the hands of her controlling mother Sir John Conroy, whom she referred to as a ‘monster and demon incarnate’. While it is true that as she edged closer to the throne they introduced stringent measures – known as the ‘Kensington System’ – to protect her safety (and their influence), for most of her early years, the future queen was a happy and indulged child, surrounded by adoring servants, toys and pets. She grew so used to having her own way that she was prone to fearsome temper tantrums. In a vain attempt to check them, her governess introduced a ‘Behaviour Book’ for the princess to record her daily conduct. After one particularly stormy scene, Victoria admitted that she had been ‘VERY VERY VERY VERY HORRIBLY NAUGHTY!!!!!’, underlining each word four times.

It was at Kensington that in June 1837, the 18 year-old Victoria received the news that her uncle, William IV, had died and that she was now queen. She moved out of the palace soon afterwards and it subsequently became home to a growing number of her (mostly elderly) relatives, thus coining its description as the ‘aunt heap’. The advent of the 20th century brought much-needed royal glamour back to the palace, thanks in no small part to the current queen’s sister, Margaret, and her husband Lord Snowdon making it their home. The cream of Hollywood and the British pop scene flocked to the dazzling parties that they regularly hosted at Kensington.

But the palace is best known as the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales, who set up home there with Prince Charles after their wedding in July 1981. The couple raised their young sons, Princes William and Harry there, and after the marriage broke down in spectacular and very public fashion in the 1990s, Diana remained at Kensington. When she was tragically killed in a car crash in August 1997, the floral tributes laid outside the famous golden gates of the palace were waist-high and stretched as far as the eye could see.

Today, Kensington is home to Diana’s eldest son William, his wife Catherine and their three children. The public side of the palace is open to visitors and attracts more than 400,000 of them every year. Next time you’re taking a stroll through the park, why don’t you pop in and discover its fascinating stories for yourself?

Tracy Borman is an author, historian and broadcaster, and Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, the charity that manages Kensington Palace. Her latest book is Crown & Sceptre: A New History of the British Monarchy, William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II (Hodder & Stoughton, November 2021).

Images: Princess Diana’s wedding dress, currently on display in the Orangery at Kensington. The magnificent King’s Gallery, the work of celebrated Georgian architect William Kent. Tracy Borman’s new book. The famous golden gates, where thousands of floral tributes were laid after Princess Diana’s death in 1997.

On Show

YOAN CAPOTE : REQUIEM

Until 5 November 2021 Ben Brown Fine Arts 12 Brook’s Mews, London W1K 4DG

Requiem is an exhibition of new works by Cuban artist Yoan Capote. The dazzling gold leaf, monumental scale, and meticulous incorporation of fishhooks in these paintings evoke a spiritual quality, inviting reflection and refuge in a time of great upheaval. In this particular exhibition the gallery space is beautifully transformed by the installation of these vast canvases – among the largest works ever created by the artist – immersing the viewer from the perspective of being surrounded by sea, on an island similar to Capote’s Cuba. The tantalizing horizon line conjures feelings of promise, hope, uncertainty, loneliness and even fear.

The sea is a longstanding theme in Capote’s work, reflecting his experiences of growing up on the politically isolated island of Cuba and the yearning for the world beyond, and more generally as a symbol of allure and danger, freedom and isolation, hope and tragedy. These dualities are revealed in the Requiem paintings — they are at once transcendental meditations on the sublime beauty and boundlessness of the wild seas, bathed in a divine golden light, yet their construction of sharp, menacing fishhooks, many tainted with traces of blood, firmly connotes the dangers and impossibility of migration experienced by many Cubans, and countless others around the world. www.benbrownfinearts.com

JIM NAUGHTEN : EREMOZOIC

Until 18 November 2021 Grove Square Galleries 156 New Cavendish Street, London W1W 6YW

Enchanting yet illusory, Naughten’s striking vision aims to highlight the perilous state of the natural word. Trained in both photography and painting, he combines these backgrounds in a practice he refers to as ‘digital painting’, using digital enhancement programmes to conjure worlds that feel familiar yet strange. From orangutans swinging through psychedelic forests, to deer roaming saturated canyons, Naughten’s work explores the idea of the natural world as a faraway fictional fantasy – alerting us to its rapid disappearance and our growing estrangement.

At the heart of Naughten’s work is a strong interest in scientific and biological theory, as reflected in the exhibition title. Eremozoic is a term coined by biologist and writer E. O. Wilson to describe the current era of the Earth’s development, characterised as a period of mass extinction due to human activity. The Eremozoic Age is alternatively referred to as The Age of Loneliness, and this sense of dislocation and disorientation is captured in Naughten’s depiction of nature as an unfamiliar, unnatural realm. www.grovesquaregalleries.com

AND YET WE RISE: 20 YEARS OF REMEMBRANCE AND REFLECTION

U.S. Embassy London 33 Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 7US

“And Yet We Rise: 20 Years Remembrance & Reflection of September 11th” explores the effect, aftermath, and healing following the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks in New York City, Washington D.C., Shanksville, PA, and the world.

A one-of-a-kind event, unmatched around the globe in its scale and size, it is on display in the American embassy in London for a four-month period and consists of artworks by US and British artists (including Piers Secunda, whose work is pictured and which is created using the rust from steel beams destroyed at 9/11) and other media from the events themselves and created afterward, which will be staged in such a way as to encourage thoughts of healing, remembrance, and rebirth. Some of the items are loaned from partners such as Flight 93 National Historic Site, The National September 11 Memorial and Museum, The UK Government Art Collection, The US Embassy London collection, FAPE (Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies), and a field of celebrated contemporary artists.

Liminal

Works by ALO

Saatchi Gallery will open an exhibition of works by ALO in one of its main gallery spaces on Wednesday 3 November 2021. The exhibition will run to 5 December with free admission. Liminal features over 70 works created over the past three years. Some works were created before the COVID pandemic and held back by the artist for this exhibition. Other works were created during the COVID lockdown periods. Almost all are being shown for the first time.

ALO describes the works as “portraits of persons I know, some are portraits inspired by people I noticed or randomly encountered, and some are a collection of features drawn from different individuals”. One definition of the word liminal is the ‘occupation of a position at a boundary’. ALO circumnavigates London and looks upon everyone for inspiration. The artist observes different cultures living together in the city and identifies common traits bridging this diversity. closely with archetypal fine artists. At the same time, I feel close to the graffiti / street art approach that encourages the making of works regardless of approval or permissions”.

Liminal is the latest, and largest, of a series of exhibitions at Saatchi Gallery focused on the work of ALO. Previous exhibitions within a smaller project space at the Gallery in 2014 and 2017 were highly successful. In addition to gallery shows, ALO continues to produce work on the street (particularly in East London).

Works from the exhibition will be for sale.Opening times: 10am – 6pm Monday - Sunday (last admission 5.00pm). www.saatchigallery.com Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, Chelsea, London SW3 4RY

Images: Left to right: Girl & Scarf, Acrylic & mixed media on wood, 40 x 75cm, 2018. Maddalena, Acrylic & mixed media on wood, 36 x 90cm, 2018. Ignatius J. Reilly, Acrylic & mixed media on wood, 76 x 120cm, 2019. Credit: Saatchi Gallery

The Robert Walters Group UK New Artist of The Year Award Shortlist

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From a record breaking 963 submissions, the top 10 entries have been shortlisted for the second edition of the Robert Walters UK New Artist of the Year Award 2021.

The 10 shortlisted artists will have the honour of having their work exhibited at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery in London on Thursday 4 November 2021, where the overall winner of the £10,000 cash prize will be announced at a VIP awards evening. The runner up will receive a cash prize of £5,000 to go towards the development of the artists’ future career in the industry.

The exhibition will remain on view, with free public entry, from Thursday 4 November through Sunday 7 November 2021 at Saatchi Gallery.

The award set out to discover and champion exceptional artists who are representative of contemporary Britain, and has brought back together three leading organisations – global recruitment consultancy Robert Walters Group, leading arts charity UK New Artists, and renowned contemporary art platform Saatchi Gallery - to help provide a career springboard for emerging artists.

Within the brief: Where do we go from here? Is there to be a ‘new normal’ judges sought artists and works that explored the impact and aftermath of what has been a globally turbulent and trialling time for all – from our relationship to the things we once held close, right through to the pressure and barriers that the pandemic directly presented on our lives.

Judges included Robert Walters – art enthusiast, collector and CEO of Robert Walters Group; Michael Forbes - artist and chair of Primary; Conor Rogers - artist and winner of the 2019 award; Cindy Sissokho - Curator at New Art Exchange and Associate Curator of Casablanca Biennale; Michelle Bowen - Director of UK New Artists; and Paul Foster – Interim Gallery Director of Saatchi Gallery.

The awards ceremony and shortlist exhibition at Saatchi Gallery has been curated by Garth Gratrix, an international artist, curator and studio director based in the northwest. Gratrix’ work often showcases cross-disciplinary practices in diverse and unique settings.

The 2021 finalists are: Jukka Virkkunen (London), Molly Kent (Edinburgh), Lucy Gregory (London), Aimee Melaugh (Derry), Sam Tahmassebi (London), Wesley George (London), Jarvis Brookfield (Leicester), Anne von Freyburg (London), Maayan Sophia Weisstub (London), and Catriona Robertson (London).

Robert Walters, CEO of Robert Walters Group said: “Due to Covid-19 we were unable to host the UK New Artist competition in 2020. The results from this year have been outstanding, and to see a 96% increase in the number of entries compared to 2019 is testament to why this award is so important. Providing opportunities for ambitious professionals to achieve their potential is the foundation of our business and so we are proud to be working alongside UK New Artists and Saatchi Gallery on such an important initiative. We truly believe it will help launch the careers of the next generation of exceptional UK artists.”

Images: 1. Sam Tahmassebi, More and More Information, Less and Less Meaning, 2020 2. Molly Kent, Weave Collage 3. Aimee Melaugh. Supporting Cast, 2019

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Images: 4. Jukka Virkkunen, Cloth 07 5. Catriona Robertson, Burrow Sprout Grow 6. Lucy Gregory, The Blame Game 7. Maayan Sophia Weisstub, Mnḗmē 8. Wesley George, Essence 9. Anne von Freyburg, Feminizing the Canvas 10. Jarvis Brookfield, Lumelia, 2020

The Unconscious Therapy

A SOLO EXHIBITION BY LUAP Curated by MC Llamas

95 New Bond Street, London W1S 1DB

Paul Robinson, known professionally as LUAP, presents his largest solo show to date in an expansive three floor un-used retail space kindly provided by Great Portland Estates, developing their partnership which began with the successful window displays. The exhibition, curated by MC Llamas, includes a large variety of works which deepen LUAP’s investigation into mental health, well-being and connection embodied by his now iconic Pink Bear character. The artworks span photography, painting, installation, sound, and film, offering a complex and multifaceted exploration of experiences of mental illness, recovery, and joyful discovery.

Image: Searching Through My Memories - 274cm x 183cm - Oil Acrylic on Ply

Each floor of the exhibition investigates a different facet of LUAP’s work. The first floor presents an overwhelming sensory experience in the form of a large-scale pink-fur installation, complete with flower displays and little pink teddy bears. This initial section sets the emotionally immersive tone for the rest of the exhibition. LUAP plans to donate the pink fur, used to make the installation, to an appropriate charitable organisation to prevent waste. The basement offers a selection of new and unseen paintings, photography and screen prints exploring the relationship between nature and mental wellbeing.

‘There’s Always A Place In WEB - My Mind For You’ - Oil _ Acrylic on Ply - 150cm x 150cm.

New exhibition at Japan House London celebrating the legacy of Japan’s first Olympic and Paralympic Games in 1964

Step back in time to 1964 when you visit Japan House London’s new exhibition, Tokyo 1964: Designing Tomorrow and discover the pioneering design, architecture and ‘world firsts’ created through these historic Games.

In 1964 Japan was the first country in Asia to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Just twenty years after the second world war, the country took the opportunity presented by the Games to catapult Japan onto the global scene, with eminent architects, designers and engineers pioneering a new approach to the Games and creating a legacy still seen today.

From the cutting-edge architecture and world-leading infrastructure that kickstarted Tokyo’s rebirth after the destruction of war, to the inaugral use of pictograms - the world’s first emoji, designed to accommodate non-Japanese speakers visiting the country - the Games projected 1964 Japan into tomorrow’s world.

Displaying many objects and paraphernalia from the 1964 Games which are seen outside of Japan for the first time, Tokyo 1964: Designing Tomorrow, delves into the rich stories behind the individuals and their works which contributed to this legacy, showcasing the historic, innovative, and artistic collateral created for the Games against the socio-historical context of Tokyo at the time.

Discover more about SEIKO’s stopwatches, the first non-Swiss time-keeping mechanisms used in the Olympics; the launch of Japan’s first shinkansen (‘bullet train’) just ten days before the opening ceremony; the first unified design collateral for the Games, including employee uniforms, tickets, posters, and programmes; the world’s first live satellite television broadcast, and the variety of pioneering architecture created.

The exhibition runs until November. Book your free visit today. www.japanhouselondon.uk