Culture Fix: June 2022

Collectors Fair.

Art & Antiques Fair
23-26 June, London Olympia

We’re promised a reinvigorated 49th edition of this much-loved collectors’ fair following a long, two-year hiatus. Brought to life by 120 specialist dealers from London and beyond, it is a veritable snooper’s paradise, offering irresistible pieces across furniture, art, antiques, ceramics, lighting and jewellery. And with price tags as diverse as the collectible curiosities themselves, you could be going home with a steal – or a future family heirloom.

Hammersmith Road, W14 (olympia-art-antiques.com) 

Festival

New Designers
29 June-2 July and 6-9 July, Business Design Centre

Whatever else is going on in the world, the future’s bright when it comes to design. The UK’s biggest and best graduate design event returns to the Capital this month, following two years of digital editions. With over 3,000 creative grads under one roof, this is a fantastic opportunity to get to know and champion the designers and brands of tomorrow – right at the beginning of their stories. Spanning a multitude of disciplines from fashion to ceramics, product design to woodwork, there’s something for everyone. This year also sees the return of the highly acclaimed New Designers Awards Programme, in which accolades will be given to the event’s brightest stars by some of the UK’s leading brands, including John Lewis, Habitat, and The Conran Shop.

52 Upper Street, N1 (newdesigners.com) 

Guy Howe Conners, Adam Higgins

Exhibition

Vision and Virtuosity
10 June-19 August, Saatchi Gallery

Like magpies to shiny things, we cannot resist the prospect of a Tiffany & Co. exhibition. From Fifth Avenue to Sloane Square, the famed jewellers will be bringing over 400 objects, taking us on a ‘visual chronicle’ through archival jewellery designs, iconic window displays, and relics of popular culture including, excitingly, the original script from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The exhibition “tells the extraordinary story of one of the oldest luxury jewellers, through its nearly 200-year history of pioneering creativity and legendary craftsmanship,”  says Tiffany’s president and CEO Anthony Ledru. “We are thrilled to share the world of Tiffany & Co. and our unique high jewellery style with London.”

Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Rd, SW3 (020 7811 3070; saatchigallery.com) 

Exhibition

In the Black Fantastic
29 June-18 September, Hayward Gallery

This is the UK’s first exhibition dedicated to the work of Black artists who use fantastical elements to address racial injustice – whilst exploring alternative realities. Curated by writer and broadcaster Ekow Eshun, we can expect a wealth of new works and special commissions from artists including Nick Cave, Ellen Gallagher, Tabita Rezaire and Cauleen Smith. Hayward Gallery’s Ralph Rugoff says this will be “the first exhibition to highlight this very significant – and still under-acknowledged – artistic territory that extends across the field of visual art to recent trends in literature, film, television, and music. At once vivid and thought-provoking, lyrical and relevant, the works in the show embody the power of the fantastic to help us chart new ways of confronting legacies of racism and celebrating cultures of resistance and affirmation.” Important and intriguing.

Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 (southbankcentre.co.uk

Rashaad Newsome, Nick Cave

Musical

Legally Blonde
Until 2 July, Open Air Theatre

Regent’s Park’s beloved amphitheatre continues its special anniversary summer season with a joyous production of Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin’s 2007 hit musical. Based on the Amanda Brown novel and the 2001 movie of the same name, the already feel-good Legally Blonde is injected with high-octane numbers including Take it Like a Man, Whipped Into Shape, and Omigod You Guys. Directed by Lucy Moss and starring Courtney Bowman as the irrepressible bimbo turned bar exam candidate Elle Woods, we’re in for one uplifting experience. Get ready to do your best bend and snap – Barbie pink attire optional.

Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, NW1 (0333 400 3562; openairtheatre.com

Michael Wharley & Feast Creative

Visual Art

Mayfair Art Weekend & Sculpture Trail
24-26 June, various locations

Mayfair will be abuzz this summer as we celebrate the globally renowned gallery district. The Art Weekend is an opportunity for art lovers to immerse themselves in the Capital’s vibrant hub of creativity and craftsmanship. Now in its ninth edition, the event will kick off at the illustrious Gallery HOP! on Friday 24 June, with art spaces staying open until 8pm, followed by a jam-packed weekend of free talks, tours, performances and family activities. In the Sculpture Trail, which runs from 2-27 June, we can expect an impressive and immersive discovery trail of temporary and permanent sculptures, which includes a free interactive audio guide to lead us through the neighbourhood’s iconic streets. 

Various Mayfair locations (mayfairartweekend.com)

David Owens

Food

Taste of London
15-19 June, Regent’s Park

This ever-popular foodie fest celebrates its 18th birthday this month with some sizzling new additions to its grand gastronomic line-up: double BAFTA-winning TV chef and rapper Big Zuu, Michelin Green Star chef Chantelle Nicholson, Time Out’s ‘best restaurant’ Chishuru, and rum ambassador Ian Burrell. We’re promised over 150 artisan producers to choose from as we dine (and drink and dance) al fresco in the glorious green surrounds of Regent’s Park. What could be better?

Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, NW1 (london.tastefestivals.com)