Vinyl Icons: Persian Pop and Turkish Psychedelia, Vane, Newcastle upon Tyne
This group show features five artists who are inspired by the popular music of pre-revolutionary Iran and Anatolia. Curated by north east England-based Sara Makari-Aghdam, highlights include US-based artist Afsoon’s photomontages of iconic figures from both European and Middle Eastern culture. Also included are works by Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Hushidar Mortezaie, Malekeh Nayiny and Taravat Talepasand, while a display of related memorabilia includes record covers, 1960s and ’70s furniture and rare vintage fashion.
Until 4 June www.vane.org.uk
R Crumb, David Zwirner, London
Known for helping to define the cartoon and punk subcultures of the 1960s and ’70s, this is Philadelphia born artist R Crumb’s first solo show in Britain in over a decade. His comic book illustrations cover everything from political disillusionment and irony, to racial and gender stereotypes, sexual fantasies, and fetishes. This is comic satire at its best.
Until 2 June www.davidzwirner.com
Hajra Waheed, BALTIC, Gateshead
This solo show features 18 new works on paper, collages, video, and a composition of found objects. The theme is the increasing militarisation of our skies, with particular focus paid to drones and surveillance technology. It is a strange subject matter when juxtaposed with such delicate work, with Waheed’s drawings and fragments of found material offering an intriguing personal insight into her life growing up in the gated community of Saudi ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia.
Until 30 May www.balticmill.com
Michael Beutler, Spike Island, Bristol
This site specific installation from German artist Michael Beutler is a direct response to Spike Island’s current use as a gallery and artists’ studio complex, and its historic use as a tea packing factory. Process is a key theme, with the artist making use of industrial materials and hand made tools that are also displayed with the final work.
Until 19 June www.spikeisland.org.uk
The Peculiar People, Focal Point, Southend
This bumper group show explores alternative living experiments from the late 1800s to the 1980s, with particular focus on the growth of the financial sector in the East End of London. It features visual art, architecture, design, literature from artists including Jeremy Deller, Alan Kane, Lina Lapelyte and Dan Mitchell, plus archival material from Alfred Hitchcock, Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Also on show in the gallery’s second space is an installation by the artist Christian Nyampeta.
Until 2 July www.focalpoint.org.uk
Images:
1. Afsoon, Googoosh 1, from the Fairytale Icons series, mixed media, 42x59cm, 2010
2. R Crumb, Untitled, 2015, Cover from Art & Beauty Magazine, Number 3, ink and correction fluid on paper, 14 x 10 inches (35.5 x 25.2 cm), 2016
3. Hajra Waheed, The Cyphers
4. Michael Beutler, The Wall, Installation view, Michael Beutler studio, Berlin, 2012
5. The Peculiar People, Focal Point, Southend
