Exhibitions to see in February

February is here and this month there are plenty of exhibitions taking place in the capital to keep London art-lovers entertained. 

Some of these shows are closing within the first half of February, so fans of boundary-pushing contemporary art are well-advised to get their visits booked in as soon as possible. 

Jason Tessier ‘Can’t Reach Me There’ at Rhodes Contemporary
20 January to 18 February

Rhodes Contemporary represents an exceptional roster of early & mid-career talent from their Great Portland Street gallery. One such artist is London-based abstract painter Jason Tessier, whose debut solo exhibition will be closing at the Rhodes Contemporary venue on the 11th of February. Tessier works on multiple canvases at a time, helping to retain his designs’ sense of excitement and vivacity. The gestural nature of his work is intended as an extended hand to his viewers, welcoming them to engage in a dialogue with the work. 

‘Into My Arms’ at Sherbet Green
18 January to 4 March

‘Into My Arms’ features the work of Sonya Derviz, My-Lan Hoang-Thuy, Shamiran Istifan and Li Li Ren. This group show of painting and sculpture in Sherbet Green’s Cambridge Heath gallery explores uncanny, surreal and otherworldly images and brings into question our ideas of comfort, mundanity and the balance between body and mind. 

‘Transvangarde: Pushing Boundaries’ at October Gallery
2 February to 11 March

United in their mission to ask meaningful questions about the world with their work, artists El Anatsui, Aubrey Williams, Romuald Hazoumè, Zana Masombuka, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga, Jordan Ann Craig, Susanne Kessler, Gerald Wilde, Alexis Peskine, LR Vandy, Sokari Douglas Camp and Tian Wei are presented in October Gallery’s central London gallery in a multimedia exhibition exploring the notion of the vangarde. With so many artists involved, this show is a must-see for anyone looking to see a variety of work in one show.

‘The Aesthetics of Enchantment in Abstract Art’ at Aleph Contemporary
11 October to 15 March 

‘The Aesthetics of Enchantment in Abstract Art’ explores the fine line between abstract and figurative works - a line that might be better defined as a membrane through which influences and images can be exchanged - and the relationship between viewer, artist, artwork and viewing space. The exhibition features the work of Nina Dolan, Laurence Noga, Gordon Dalton, Rebecca Meanley, Henry Ward, Mark Wright and Charlotte Winifred Guérard and visitors to the In & Out Club at 4 St James’ Square are sure to be dazzled by the vibrant painted and collaged works on display.

‘Artist’s Artist’ at OHSH
12 January to 12 February

Art-viewers who are looking for the chance to see a display of over a dozen talented emerging artists should rush to  OHSH’s New Oxford Street venue to catch their beautifully curated group show featuring 15 artists, which closes in the middle of February. As insinuated by the show’s title, the exhibition examines what it means to be a peer-respected master of one’s craft, the oftentimes gruelling realities of working in the arts and how artists have turned to collaborative work to sustain their creative practices.