スピットル：ロンドンギャラリーウィークエンドを生き抜くための内部ガイド

Spittle is a London-based collective. Taking the form of a weekly newsletter, writing commissions and curatorial projects, Spittle documents London’s emerging art and art-adjacent scenes. 

London is alive! From overflowing exhibition openings, to wild pop-up parties and a recent crop of renegade literary reading events – a trend that we like to think we have Farringdon gallery South Parade and LA-based ‘ice breakers’ Casual Encountersz to thank for – the IRL scene in the city is unparalleled right now. No one can tell us Paris or Milan compares! New York, schmewnork! And just when the international art world thought it could turn its full attention to a mid-June trip to Switzerland to buy and sell at Art Basel, London rears its gorgeous head again for the art scene’s biggest homegrown weekend of the year: the behemoth that is London Gallery Weekend. 

If you’re not scuttling from gallery to gallery on the weekly, like us, and don’t know how to approach ‘the world’s biggest Gallery Weekend’ we are here to provide a series of entry points, so you too can benefit from free exhibitions, parties, performances and yes, u alkies – free beer. Read on for how to tackle the weekend, which this year takes place from Friday 6 June to Sunday 8 June. xoxo

Where to go

Over 120 galleries open their doors for the weekend, so you’d be forgiven for feeling like a tiny needle in a haystack of visual stimulation. We advise getting into the mood with an event or two, and before you know it will be 4am and you’ll be at a random house discussing MAGA aesthetics with Dean Kissick. Some hot tickets are coming up, from a gig in a gallery to a group cookout … The full lineup is online here. Remember always to bring a wingman and your cigs. We’ll be making a beeline to the below:

ROSIN at the opening of Gregor Hildebrandt’s exhibition Auf Falscher Seite In Die Falsche Richtung, Almine Rech: Friday 6 June, 7pm

German conceptual artist Gregor Hildebrandt is a die-hard music head, whose work repurposes vinyls and cassettes to look at loss and memory. Emerging London-based act Rosin will open Hildebrandt’s show with a live performance in the gallery – and we hear whisperings that there may be free cocktails on the night … hasta pronto.

A studio visit with artist Hannah Tilson hosted by Cedric Bardawill: Sunday 8 June, 11am

Hannah Tilson’s paintings celebrate colour and pattern, their pulsing rhythmic energy somewhat akin to being on an acid trip (we imagine). Beyond her work, Tilson also designs stunning clothing she dons for her exhibition openings, often stealing logos from brands like Louis Vuitton. This looks like a gorgeous opportunity to delve into her world, and perhaps steal a few ideas ourselves … 

Linsey Young and Nicole Wermers chat at Herald St: Friday 6 June, 3pm 

We are beyond excited to see Nicole Wermers – previous Turner Prize nominee and Balenciaga collaborator – in conversation with curator Linsey Young, whose recent Tate Britain exhibition Women in Revolt spotlighted the women’s liberation movement, pushed back against the patriarchy, and stole our hearts. A truly stunning pairing, and we look forward to learning more about Wermers’ new feline-coded fur sculptures.

Who to know

As much as the non-art press like to try to make the scene out to be elitist and unfriendly, our experience has been the opposite (minus the odd run in with a neurotic mega gallerist, or insecure mid-level sales director – but neither of those demographics are ever out and about, so we are safe for now darlings). Those on the scene are just there to have a good time! So make sure you say hello if you bump into any of the following friendly faces:

Maureen Paley

Maureen Paley, whose eponymous Bethnal Green gallery has been active for over 40 years, is – despite being American – the grand dame of the London artworld, showing iconic and major artists like Wolfgang Tillmans and Gillian Wearing, and recently: Kayode Ojo. Avoiding corporate drivel, she runs the gallery’s cult Instagram account herself, where images of the moon, folk art and her holiday pics often appear alongside her artist’s new work.

Jonny Tanna

Life and soul of every party, Jonny Tanna burst onto the scene in 2020 when he opened his north west London gallery on Harlesden High Street in the London Borough of Brent, a lot more than a stone’s throw from the shining streets of Mayfair and an area not known for its well-heeled collector base. Dedicated to showing artists of colour and popping up at major art fairs around the world with provocative presentations (his 2023 Frieze booth was dedicated to ‘The Junior Christian Teaching Bible Lesson Show’ – YouTube that), Tanna’s practice tilts artist one day, gallerist the next. For London Gallery Weekend, the gallery is transforming into a prison cell for a 24-hour endurance performance by artist Allen-Golder Carpenter, to raise questions about incarceration and the US prison system.

Ilenia

Relative newbie on the scene Ilenia Rossi cut her teeth at Sadie Coles HQ before founding her own space near Rochelle Canteen in Shoreditch. We suspect her Milanese heritage might have something to do with her impeccable taste: she shows gorgeous paintings by Laura Langer and Violet Dennison, sculptures by Milanese design duo Concorde, and ceramics by Aaron Angel of Troy Town, the Hoxton pottery non-profit adored by the fashion and art crowds. 

What to eat and drink 

East

East London, once the haunt of the YBAs, is … still the haunt of the YBAs, thanks to rampant gentrification. The never-ending influx of yuppies means one must be increasingly discerning when choosing where to drink, so as not to spend £7 for a bad pint of Guinness. For a post-opening debrief pint we can recommend the Carpenter‘s Arms in Shoreditch or the Pride of Spitalfields off Brick Lane (allegedly the latter serves bowls of roasties?), or the Virgin Queen if you’re close to the Hackney Road galleries. Food-wise, Rochelle Canteen is an obvious fave and their little garden is just gorgeous at this time of year! If you’re not looking to splurge, then Huong Viet, Song Que and Andu on Kingsland Road have your back. Finally, we’ve heard that Pavilion Cafe in Vicky P is the early morning networking spot for all east London gallerists, if you fancy a side of networking with your flat white. 

Central

Central London is the kind of leveller of the London art scene: everyone kind of has to be there and it’s so tight-knit that the wonderfully sordid parts of Soho are only a ten-minute walk from stuffy Savile Row. For client lunches where you want to be seen, Maison François is your place. For more cost-efficient dinners, Bloomsbury’s buzzing Ciao Bella – a favourite dinner spot for galleries like Herald St and Brunette Coleman – serves excellently average vongole and schnitzel. For drinks, where you’ll likely bump into artists and writers, The French House probably still wins. For coffee and Aperol at any time of day: Bar Italia, obvs. 

South

Bonnington Square – or The Dimes Square of the South, as very few people call it – is a must-visit if you’re on the way to or from Cabinet. Built in the late 1800s, it is teeming with palm trees and gorgeous establishments like Italo, which has a cult following – including a large number of international artists in residency round the corner at Gasworks. But it’s the food renaissance in Camberwell that’s got everyone talking: the bakery Toad teases us with permanent queues, and family-run Kurdish restaurant Nandine is everyone’s favourite hidden gem. If you find yourself in Bermondsey on Saturday 7 June, make sure to pop into Copperfield in the late afternoon for aperitivo and a walkthrough of their Shiraz Bayjoo show.  

North

While north west London isn’t typically considered an art hub, things do seem to be shifting – Sadie Coles even recently predicted in The Art Newspaper that Acton will be the next Shoreditch! You heard it here second. On Sunday evening, we will be finishing up at a collaborative cookout with Harlesden High Street, Sherbet Green, Studio/Chapple, Palmer Gallery, also including a DJ set and screenings curated by all six galleries, with an exhibition tour from artist Sonya Derviz, and bar on the rooftop terrace of Sherbet Green. 

New Builds / Bilds 2: did you mean peace? by Judith Dean at South Parade

Ever since we went to Judith Dean’s open studio back in 2022 we have been completely smitten with her topsy turvy diorama-like paintings. So too, it seems, has South Parade’s Isaac Simon, as this is the second exhibition the gallery has staged with the artist. We’re obsessed with her kaleidoscopic paintings, which offer an escher-esque mix of architectural structure and baffling imagery, which reference one-another like a rabbit-hole of google search tabs – Dean’s work makes our brains itch in all the right ways. 

Finding My Blue Sky at Lisson Gallery

Lisson Gallery presents a huge offering – 20 artists brought together by curator Dr Omar Kholeif for the group show Finding My Blue Sky. Described as a “love letter to London”, the exhibition invites viewers to cross between the boundaries of thinking and feeling, memory and history. With works from Celia Hempton, Lubaina Himid, Simone Fattal, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Leiko Ikemura, and Miko Veldkamp, among many others, we’re curious to see the highs and lows of this city explored in such a personal, emotional way.

Potatoes and Chamomile by Augustus Serapinas at Emalin

Emalin, known for its conceptual offerings, is opening an exhibition with Lithuanian artist Augustas Serapinas, his fourth with the gallery. His work typically investigates public space, intervening both physically and intellectually, forming a kind of institutional critique embedded in space. Often using natural materials which reference pre and post-industrial modes of manufacturing, we can’t wait to see how Serapinas responds to Emalin’s east London space, a site whose surroundings are being continually redefined through gentrification. 

Around town

Across the city many other shows at museums and non-profits are off the official schedule: if you haven’t seen Tate Modern’s landmark retrospective of fashion designer and provocateur Leigh Bowery, get down there; Raven Row’s ‘Fake Barn Country’ artist-led group exhibition showing artists involved with ‘artist-run projects’ is fun and mysterious; and over at artist studios Set Woolwich, Ridley Road Project Space are presenting the first solo exhibition by the adored Jamie Bull, designer of the 4FSB (‘for fuck sake babes’) cap worn by every east London twink, and pioneer of gorecore before it was a thing. 

Ciao for now darlings! See you on the streets x

London Gallery Weekend runs from Friday 3 June – Sunday 5 June 2025.

Spittle is a London-based collective. Taking the form of a weekly newsletter, writing commissions and curatorial projects, Spittle documents London’s emerging art and art-adjacent scenes. 

London is alive! From overflowing exhibition openings, to wild pop-up parties and a recent crop of renegade literary reading events – a trend that we like to think we have Farringdon gallery South Parade and LA-based ‘ice breakers’ Casual Encountersz to thank for – the IRL scene in the city is unparalleled right now. No one can tell us Paris or Milan compares! New York, schmewnork! And just when the international art world thought it could turn its full attention to a mid-June trip to Switzerland to buy and sell at Art Basel, London rears its gorgeous head again for the art scene’s biggest homegrown weekend of the year: the behemoth that is London Gallery Weekend. 

If you’re not scuttling from gallery to gallery on the weekly, like us, and don’t know how to approach ‘the world’s biggest Gallery Weekend’ we are here to provide a series of entry points, so you too can benefit from free exhibitions, parties, performances and yes, u alkies – free beer. Read on for how to tackle the weekend, which this year takes place from Friday 6 June to Sunday 8 June. xoxo

Where to go

Over 120 galleries open their doors for the weekend, so you’d be forgiven for feeling like a tiny needle in a haystack of visual stimulation. We advise getting into the mood with an event or two, and before you know it will be 4am and you’ll be at a random house discussing MAGA aesthetics with Dean Kissick. Some hot tickets are coming up, from a gig in a gallery to a group cookout … The full lineup is online here. Remember always to bring a wingman and your cigs. We’ll be making a beeline to the below:

ROSIN at the opening of Gregor Hildebrandt’s exhibition Auf Falscher Seite In Die Falsche Richtung, Almine Rech: Friday 6 June, 7pm

German conceptual artist Gregor Hildebrandt is a die-hard music head, whose work repurposes vinyls and cassettes to look at loss and memory. Emerging London-based act Rosin will open Hildebrandt’s show with a live performance in the gallery – and we hear whisperings that there may be free cocktails on the night … hasta pronto.

A studio visit with artist Hannah Tilson hosted by Cedric Bardawill: Sunday 8 June, 11am

Hannah Tilson’s paintings celebrate colour and pattern, their pulsing rhythmic energy somewhat akin to being on an acid trip (we imagine). Beyond her work, Tilson also designs stunning clothing she dons for her exhibition openings, often stealing logos from brands like Louis Vuitton. This looks like a gorgeous opportunity to delve into her world, and perhaps steal a few ideas ourselves … 

Linsey Young and Nicole Wermers chat at Herald St: Friday 6 June, 3pm 

We are beyond excited to see Nicole Wermers – previous Turner Prize nominee and Balenciaga collaborator – in conversation with curator Linsey Young, whose recent Tate Britain exhibition Women in Revolt spotlighted the women’s liberation movement, pushed back against the patriarchy, and stole our hearts. A truly stunning pairing, and we look forward to learning more about Wermers’ new feline-coded fur sculptures.

Who to know

As much as the non-art press like to try to make the scene out to be elitist and unfriendly, our experience has been the opposite (minus the odd run in with a neurotic mega gallerist, or insecure mid-level sales director – but neither of those demographics are ever out and about, so we are safe for now darlings). Those on the scene are just there to have a good time! So make sure you say hello if you bump into any of the following friendly faces:

Maureen Paley

Maureen Paley, whose eponymous Bethnal Green gallery has been active for over 40 years, is – despite being American – the grand dame of the London artworld, showing iconic and major artists like Wolfgang Tillmans and Gillian Wearing, and recently: Kayode Ojo. Avoiding corporate drivel, she runs the gallery’s cult Instagram account herself, where images of the moon, folk art and her holiday pics often appear alongside her artist’s new work.

Jonny Tanna

Life and soul of every party, Jonny Tanna burst onto the scene in 2020 when he opened his north west London gallery on Harlesden High Street in the London Borough of Brent, a lot more than a stone’s throw from the shining streets of Mayfair and an area not known for its well-heeled collector base. Dedicated to showing artists of colour and popping up at major art fairs around the world with provocative presentations (his 2023 Frieze booth was dedicated to ‘The Junior Christian Teaching Bible Lesson Show’ – YouTube that), Tanna’s practice tilts artist one day, gallerist the next. For London Gallery Weekend, the gallery is transforming into a prison cell for a 24-hour endurance performance by artist Allen-Golder Carpenter, to raise questions about incarceration and the US prison system.

Ilenia

Relative newbie on the scene Ilenia Rossi cut her teeth at Sadie Coles HQ before founding her own space near Rochelle Canteen in Shoreditch. We suspect her Milanese heritage might have something to do with her impeccable taste: she shows gorgeous paintings by Laura Langer and Violet Dennison, sculptures by Milanese design duo Concorde, and ceramics by Aaron Angel of Troy Town, the Hoxton pottery non-profit adored by the fashion and art crowds. 

What to eat and drink 

East

East London, once the haunt of the YBAs, is … still the haunt of the YBAs, thanks to rampant gentrification. The never-ending influx of yuppies means one must be increasingly discerning when choosing where to drink, so as not to spend £7 for a bad pint of Guinness. For a post-opening debrief pint we can recommend the Carpenter‘s Arms in Shoreditch or the Pride of Spitalfields off Brick Lane (allegedly the latter serves bowls of roasties?), or the Virgin Queen if you’re close to the Hackney Road galleries. Food-wise, Rochelle Canteen is an obvious fave and their little garden is just gorgeous at this time of year! If you’re not looking to splurge, then Huong Viet, Song Que and Andu on Kingsland Road have your back. Finally, we’ve heard that Pavilion Cafe in Vicky P is the early morning networking spot for all east London gallerists, if you fancy a side of networking with your flat white. 

Central

Central London is the kind of leveller of the London art scene: everyone kind of has to be there and it’s so tight-knit that the wonderfully sordid parts of Soho are only a ten-minute walk from stuffy Savile Row. For client lunches where you want to be seen, Maison François is your place. For more cost-efficient dinners, Bloomsbury’s buzzing Ciao Bella – a favourite dinner spot for galleries like Herald St and Brunette Coleman – serves excellently average vongole and schnitzel. For drinks, where you’ll likely bump into artists and writers, The French House probably still wins. For coffee and Aperol at any time of day: Bar Italia, obvs. 

South

Bonnington Square – or The Dimes Square of the South, as very few people call it – is a must-visit if you’re on the way to or from Cabinet. Built in the late 1800s, it is teeming with palm trees and gorgeous establishments like Italo, which has a cult following – including a large number of international artists in residency round the corner at Gasworks. But it’s the food renaissance in Camberwell that’s got everyone talking: the bakery Toad teases us with permanent queues, and family-run Kurdish restaurant Nandine is everyone’s favourite hidden gem. If you find yourself in Bermondsey on Saturday 7 June, make sure to pop into Copperfield in the late afternoon for aperitivo and a walkthrough of their Shiraz Bayjoo show.  

North

While north west London isn’t typically considered an art hub, things do seem to be shifting – Sadie Coles even recently predicted in The Art Newspaper that Acton will be the next Shoreditch! You heard it here second. On Sunday evening, we will be finishing up at a collaborative cookout with Harlesden High Street, Sherbet Green, Studio/Chapple, Palmer Gallery, also including a DJ set and screenings curated by all six galleries, with an exhibition tour from artist Sonya Derviz, and bar on the rooftop terrace of Sherbet Green. 

New Builds / Bilds 2: did you mean peace? by Judith Dean at South Parade

Ever since we went to Judith Dean’s open studio back in 2022 we have been completely smitten with her topsy turvy diorama-like paintings. So too, it seems, has South Parade’s Isaac Simon, as this is the second exhibition the gallery has staged with the artist. We’re obsessed with her kaleidoscopic paintings, which offer an escher-esque mix of architectural structure and baffling imagery, which reference one-another like a rabbit-hole of google search tabs – Dean’s work makes our brains itch in all the right ways. 

Finding My Blue Sky at Lisson Gallery

Lisson Gallery presents a huge offering – 20 artists brought together by curator Dr Omar Kholeif for the group show Finding My Blue Sky. Described as a “love letter to London”, the exhibition invites viewers to cross between the boundaries of thinking and feeling, memory and history. With works from Celia Hempton, Lubaina Himid, Simone Fattal, Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Leiko Ikemura, and Miko Veldkamp, among many others, we’re curious to see the highs and lows of this city explored in such a personal, emotional way.

Potatoes and Chamomile by Augustus Serapinas at Emalin

Emalin, known for its conceptual offerings, is opening an exhibition with Lithuanian artist Augustas Serapinas, his fourth with the gallery. His work typically investigates public space, intervening both physically and intellectually, forming a kind of institutional critique embedded in space. Often using natural materials which reference pre and post-industrial modes of manufacturing, we can’t wait to see how Serapinas responds to Emalin’s east London space, a site whose surroundings are being continually redefined through gentrification. 

Around town

Across the city many other shows at museums and non-profits are off the official schedule: if you haven’t seen Tate Modern’s landmark retrospective of fashion designer and provocateur Leigh Bowery, get down there; Raven Row’s ‘Fake Barn Country’ artist-led group exhibition showing artists involved with ‘artist-run projects’ is fun and mysterious; and over at artist studios Set Woolwich, Ridley Road Project Space are presenting the first solo exhibition by the adored Jamie Bull, designer of the 4FSB (‘for fuck sake babes’) cap worn by every east London twink, and pioneer of gorecore before it was a thing. 

Ciao for now darlings! See you on the streets x

London Gallery Weekend runs from Friday 3 June – Sunday 5 June 2025.