Curator and writer Ekow Eshun leads visitors from East to West, beginning at Victoria Miro, where paintings by brothers Geoffrey and Boscoe Holder, celebrated artists in pre-war Trinidad, are brought together for the first time. Eshun’s route takes in a show of work by Robert Rauschenberg, made during his 1980s cultural exchange with artists from countries including China, Mexico, and Cuba at Thaddaeus Ropac, as well as exhibitions by late British-Indian artist Gurminder Sikand at Maximillian William and Otobong Nkanga at Lisson, before finishing up at Hackelbury Fine Art for Sharon Walters, an artist that Eshun has long admired.
‘London is a tidal city, with the Thames ebbing and flowing each day through its center. The same is true of the city’s art industry,’ says writer and curator Charlie Porter. ‘At the turn of the millennium, it seemed like East London was becoming the epicenter of the city’s gallery activity – a frenetic energy which quickly died away. In its place, serious galleries have established which concentrate on the long-term, rather than short-term hype. To me, this is more rewarding for artist, visitor, and gallerist.’