Nexus - Ryan Hewett’s Solo Exhibition

When: 30 August – 18 September

Where: Unit Gallery | 3 Hanover Square, Mayfair, W1S 1HD

Ryan Hewett’s signature psychedelic hues are guaranteed to have a direct hotline to your imagination fairies. How does one summarise his work in one sentence? Dali meets Georges Braque with a dash of Kandinsky! Hewett is one of South Africa’s most celebrated living artists possessing the ability to infuse complex modern-day concepts into canvases of extraordinary colour, composition, and narrative.

Need a boost of inspiration after a hard day? Next week Unit Gallery will become a portal to a world of futurism, transhumanism, and fantasy. Maybe you just want to finally understand the definition of the ‘ultramodern portrait’ or maybe this is the intergalactic pit stop you never knew your soul needed.

Nexus will focus on today’s younger generation who are leading the way as a technologically advanced society. These ‘digital natives’ come in the form of alluring portraits that will leave you questioning how much the youth is navigating and embracing a wave of change unlike any other in human history.

Nges’rhodlweni: A Portal for Black Joy – Zana Masombuka’s Exhibition

When: 5 September – 30 September

Private View: 13th September, 6-8.30 PM. Book here

Where: October Gallery | 24 Old Gloucester St, London WC1N 3AL

South African talent has done it again! How could we leave out Zana Masombuka? A beautiful young artist featured in CNN style last year. Raised in a rural town in the Ndebele, Zana is on a mission to create art that bridges the old and new Africa. Inspired by her indigenous roots, she explores concepts including African identity and cultural complexity.

Is your office based in the legal district around Holborn or Chancery Lane? Pick up a glass on September 13th and immerse yourself in magic by this Ndebele Superhero within a newly renovated gallery. Get ready for a vibrant exploration of identity and culture using photography, film, sculpture, and performance. In this show there is an emphasis on a Ndebele household – a sacred space that encourages connection to the Enas (spirit), which allows for a manifestation of a heightened sense of joy.

“People thought that the Ndebele culture was a dated culture,” Zana said last year. “Yet it has created a visual language for South Africa that’s recognized by the world.”

Sue Dunkley

When: 21st September – 3rd November

Private View: 20 Sep 2023, 6-8 pm. Enquire Here

Where: The Mayor Gallery | 21 Cork St, London W1S 3LZ

For those of us Mayfair based, The Mayor Gallery is a real treat! Established in 1925, it remains London’s foremost Gallery for Dada, Zero and Surrealism. If you are in love with the 1960s or an advocate for women’s studies, block out the evening of the 20th of September and give yourself the gift of being in the presence of the work of a ‘forgotten gem’.

The gallery will showcase an extraordinary series of this British pop artist; a striking door into the culture and politics of her time, neatly enveloped in fresh primary colours. Subject matters range from the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the female form, the male gaze, and human relationships plagued by violence and betrayal.

Be sure to also admire the collection of intimate pastel studies, further exploring the role of women in changing eras.

Sylvie Fleury

When: 22nd September – 28th October

Private View: 21 Sep 2023, 6-8 pm.

Where: Sprüth Magers | 7A Grafton St, London W1S 4EL

By this second part of September, most of us will be running around town in our trench coats, armed with an umbrella as the final leaves fall. To escape the misery of shorter days, we recommend popping by Sprüth Magers who are celebrating their longstanding relationship with one incredible Swiss artist who had previously graced the Frieze with giant mushrooms and silver sprayed heels. A truly (grid worthy) instagrammable one!

Fleury uses the shiny marketing strategies of fashion, beauty and advertising to challenge paradigms of Western art history as well as examine the art world’s complicity with the dynamics of consumerism. Get lost amongst her ironic neon signs, pastel rocket ships, bronze high heels and handbags that shamelessly radiate excess, forcing us to re-think our views on both fashion and art. It will make for great dinner conversation later!