Hello
Welcome to Wednesday Wishes. This week fabulous frocks at Leighton House, photographs from Julia Margaret Cameron and Francesca Woodman at the National Portrait Gallery, more photos this time of women leaving Ukraine by Polly Braden at the Foundling Museum, the London Original Print Fair will tempt you to spend money and the Springtime with the Railway Girls to read along the way.
The Compton is one of my favourite local cultural days out. Nestled on the lee of the Hogsback here you will find the Watts Gallery, the Compton Memorial chapel and the Watts’ family house Limnerslease all wrapped round an excellent cafe and some seriously good walking. An altogether perfect day out. Why am I telling you this now? Because on Monday I popped down to the gallery to see their new exhibition Edo Pop which puts on show a collection of Japanese prints from the era that the Watts were working. The prints are highly detailed and show that Edo/Tokyo was a bustling metropolis at the the time and beginning to embrace new fangled things such as trains. Absolutely fascinating. Print making continues in Japan today and Hiroko Imada has created a blossom inspired installation to hang in the sculpture gallery.
Tidbits of London cultural news. The next two Fourth Plinth occupants have been chosen They are Lady in Blue by Tschabalala Self which is a woman in a blue dress striding confidently forward and Untitled by Andra Ursula, which is a hollow glass horse and rider. Over in Docklands one of my favourite current exhibitions Fashion City at Museum of London Docklands has been extended until the autumn.
The excellent Barbara Kruger exhibition at the Serpentine has shut but you can still see her work in London. It is being beamed around the Outernet on Tottenham Court Road on Mondays until 22 April from 6-9pm. If you haven’t been to the Outernet yet, it has transformed the area at the base of Centre Point rom a place to arrive and leave as soon as possible to a destination in its own right. Go and take a look, it is all free and open all hours (well it has not been shut when I’ve walked past).
Happy Culturing
Catherine