What to see, read and do this month, at home and beyond

Photograph by David Goldblatt, 'Location in the sky': the servants' quarters of Essanby house. Jeppe Street, Johannesburg, 4 April 1984. Courtesy of Goodman Gallery. Below: Celia Paul, Room, Great Russell Street, Morning, 2020. © Celia Paul. Courtesy the artist and Victoria Miro

Lockdown is easing and this month’s Cultural Diary is full of events and activities to enjoy in the flesh as well as online. In the art world, London’s leading commercial galleries have reopened, and museums aren’t far behind: The National Gallery will be the first big institution to reopen, welcoming visitors from 8 July. We’ve rounded up our favourite independent bookshops, which are also open for business, as well as the gardens and parks to head to when the sun shines. Plus, a TV show to talk about and the musical that made history. Just remember, wherever you’re heading, venues will be making some changes – whether that means advance tickets, one-way systems or shorter hours.

The National Trust
The UK’s beloved conservation charity is gradually reopening gardens and parklands through advance bookings. So far, more than 100 sites in England, Northern Ireland and Wales are open to visitors, as are hundreds of coast and countryside car parks. Take a trip to the wild Chapel Porth beach in St Agnes, Cornwall, surrounded by craggy cliffs covered in a blanket of glowing heather, or head to Basildon Park in Reading for a stroll around the historic wooded parkland. The interiors of stately homes remain closed for the time being. And remember to pack your own picnic – sadly the afternoon tea has yet to make a reappearance.

Independent bookshops
Bookshops reopened on 15 June and they need your support more than ever. So, what are you after? For reprinted forgotten fiction and non-fiction by mid-20th-century women writers, head to Persephone Books in London’s Bloomsbury; each title has the same elegant grey cover and different decorative endpapers. Tucked away in a quiet square in Soho, The Second Shelf also champions work by women. If you’re in the mood to browse, look no further than Libreria, whose shelves are arranged according to broad themes to increase the likelihood of chance encounters. And then there’s Daunt Books, which has anything and everything; our favourite is the Marylebone branch, complete with a glass roof and Edwardian wooden panelling.

Unquiet Moments: Capturing the Everyday
The first digital version of the annual exhibition curated by MA students at The Courtauld Institute of Art is inspired by a time when Somerset House held all UK records of births, marriages and deaths. Swapping these documented rites of passage for day-to-day life in all its diversity, nine curators have pulled together an alternative archive made up of more than 30 artworks by Rembrandt, Berthe Morisot, Sunil Gupta and others that reflect on the everyday. With works drawn from the Arts Council and Courtauld collections, Unquiet Moments is particularly poignant in the wake of the pandemic, which has affected us both as individuals and as a nation.

Celia Paul: My Studio
Victoria Miro’s latest extended-reality exhibition presents a series of new paintings by the British artist Celia Paul. Created during the past few months, the works focus on her sparsely furnished home and studio, which overlook London landmarks such as the British Museum, enveloped in an unusual hush during lockdown, and the BT Tower, a beacon for communication. Paul’s luminous yet ghostly paintings – often populated by a single piece of furniture or a lone figure – reflect on the relationship between exterior and interior life, as well as continuity and change.

Yinka Shonibare CBE: Justice for All
London-based Stephen Friedman Gallery marks both the Black Lives Matter movement and the reopening of its gallery with a window display of British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare CBE’s Justice for All (2019). The monumental fibreglass sculpture takes its cue from British sculptor F.W. Pomeroy’s Lady Justice (1905-06), which perches atop the dome of The Old Bailey. In her right hand is a sword, in her left the scales of justice. Instead of golden attire, Shonibare’s figure wears a vibrant dress made from hand-painted batik fabric, and a globe replaces her head. Lights remain on at night, drawing attention to the work 24/7.

David Goldblatt: Johannesburg 1948 – 2018
Goodman Gallery’s London outpost rings in July with a major presentation of photographs by South African artist David Goldblatt, whose last solo show in London took place at The Photographers’ Gallery in 1986. The mostly black-and-white images Goldblatt shot in his hometown of Johannesburg between the years of 1948 and his death in 2018 capture the complex identity of a country divided by structural racism and inequality. They are powerful in their apparent ordinariness – the atrocities and injustice bubbling away beneath the surface. In Goldblatt’s words, “I was drawn not to the events of the time but to the quiet and commonplace where nothing ‘happened’ and yet all was contained and imminent.”

Family how-to: redesign your street
Inspired by the bold architectural collages of Peter Cook RA, the Royal Academy invites families to imagine how their streets could look for future generations. After creating a simple line drawing of the buildings and roads in your chosen patch, consider what you might like to change – fewer cars and more trees, for example, or a public pool just in time for summer. Add those features then bring your drawing to life with scraps of coloured and patterned paper. And there you have it: a street reimagined for the future.  

Tate Kids
The summer holidays are looming and, come rain or shine, you’ll want a few activities at the ready. Tate has you covered with a treasure trove of games and quizzes, from spot the difference to guess the missing object. Kids can learn how to make wave paintings and wrapping paper, as well as their own Jackson Pollock and create Pop Art like Warhol. There are workshops on creating string dens, robots and memory games, as well as bitesize lessons in art and artists from around the world, stretching from the ancient times to the present.

Helmut Newton 100
The inaugural show at Newlands House – a modern-art gallery in an 18th-century townhouse that opened its doors for the first time in March – didn’t get much of a look-in before lockdown. Thankfully, Helmut Newton 100 has been extended until 30 August. Timed with the centenary of the photographer’s birth and curated by auctioneer Simon de Pury (the gallery’s artistic director), the exhibition features everything from fashion to still lifes and landscape photography. For those of you who can’t make it to Petworth, West Sussex, a digital version of the exhibition remains online. For the real thing, book in advance.

AORA
Established by curator Jenn Ellis and Benni Allan (founding director of EBBA Architects), this new online platform collates art, architecture and music with the aim of creating a sense of calm. The virtual space features three halls filled with art by emerging and established artists who grapple with themes such as meditation and the environment. Alongside the visual offering are pieces of music, as well as “Exchange” – a programme of inter-disciplinary events relating to everything from movement to food. Visit the website to find out more.

Talking Heads
Alan Bennett’s much-loved monologues have returned to the BBC with a new starry line-up including Kristin Scott-Thomas, Martin Freeman, Jodie Comer and Imelda Staunton. The acclaimed series was originally broadcast in 1988, when it startled viewers with its originality – namely the fact that each episode featured one person speaking to one camera, with few perceptible scene changes. If you’re an aspiring author or actor, take note: these dramatic monologues that deal with loneliness, bereavement and more are masterclasses. Available on iPlayer, with plenty of twists and a heady mix of misery and wit.

Hamilton
And to top it all off, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s political and musical mash-up will be available to stream on Disney Plus from 3 July. A filming of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning stage show was slated to be released in cinemas in 2021 but, due to the pandemic, is instead bringing some much-needed cheer to viewers at home. Based on Ron Chernow’s biography, Hamilton charts the Revolution-era life and death of one of America’s founding fathers – the first secretary of the Treasury and the man on the $10 note – in a love letter to hip-hop, diversity and ambition. You may not be “in the room where it happens”, but don’t let that deter you. In Michelle Obama’s words, this is “the best piece of art in any form that I have ever seen in my life”.

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