This summer the Serpentine Galleries, will be hosting a series of unmissable events all summer long. Developed around Burkinabé architect Francis Kéré’s Serpentine Pavilion 2017: with a keen eye on topics such as ecology, community and storytelling, Kéré’s work aims to engage visitors into a feast for the eyes amongst the natural beauty of Kensington Gardens and the powerful artistry offered by the two main exhibitions currently on at the Serpentine Galleries.
Grayson Perry’s The Most Popular Exhibition Ever and Arthur Jafa A Series of Utterly Improbable, Yet Extraordinary Renditions are the most anticipated and talked about exhibitions since opening this June. With a witty, ironic and intelligent perspective and multidisciplinary approaches towards the state of contemporary art and society, both artists explore the meaning of identity, perception and “otherness” developing a constant dialogue between the message and the socio-political background in which the communications between artist and audience take place. Both exhibitions will open until the 10th of September: the Pavilion until the 8th October.
Society, the idea of community and culture meant as spiritual place of encounter are fueling the debate both in cultural and artistic spaces, combining hints from the political landscape with the propelling energy of London’s communities. Radical Kitchen: Recipes for Building Community and Creating Change is a series of meetings that employ the social act of sharing meals to engage the audience into building narratives and approaches towards the relationships between the individual and the community, and between communities who share the same physical and geographical spaces. Run by Mazì Mas, a collective of women who employ cooking as a shared practice of empowerment and commonality, Radical Kitchen evolves around the many experiences that make up the pattern of our community and the relationships within.
In line with the spirit of encounter, community and storytelling promoted by the Pavilion, The Serpentine Galleries hosts a new summer of Park Nights, its annual series of experimental and interdisciplinary appointments that started on 30th June with a night dedicated to the astounding work of Arthur Jafa and it will continue until October, with guests such the collective Black Quantum Futurism on 18th August, artist Shen Xin, pioneering performance artist Eleanor Antin and artist and writer Joseph Grigely.
Park Nights takes a bow with GUEST, GHOST, HOST: MACHINE! Marathon on 7 October.
Gallery Special Opening Times:
The Serpentine Gallery will be open until 8pm on selected evenings when Park Nights events are being held in the Pavilion – see individual Park Night events for more details. On the 9th September the Serpentine will be having a late Saturday, with both exhibitions and the Pavilion open till 10pm.
For more information visit Serpentine Galleries website.
Image credit: Arthur Jafa, Love is the Message, The Message is Death (still), 2016 Video (colour, sound) 7 minutes 25 seconds Courtesy: The Artist and Gavin Brown’s enterprise (New York / Rome)
