After a wet start to the summer, August promises brighter days and an abundance of cultural happenings. From defiant art exhibitions around the UK to a lively folk festival in Northgate, here are five things to catch this month.
Carol Douglas: Actually I Can at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Dissuaded from studying art at school, York-based painter Carol Douglas took up painting in her sixties and found her own style, inspiring the title of her largest new exhibition, Actually I Can. Her work features acrylics applied with rollers instead of traditional brushes, building up layers in a warm palette of greys, browns, and mustards. Influenced by Outsider Art, Art Brut, and Folk Art, her paintings depict household objects and people in domestic settings, inspired by everyday life. Carol has previously collaborated with TOAST, creating a series of paintings for our windows in 2022. This exhibition brings together her back catalogue of work for one show, as well as 51 new paintings which are for sale, with proceeds supporting both the artist and Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s charitable work.
Carol Douglas: Actually I Can is on at Yorkshire Sculpture Park until 27 October.
NAU, NAU, DOH, CHAAR at Tŷ Pawb Art Gallery
NAU, NAU, DOH, CHAAR (Urdu for 9924), is a retrospective exhibition at Tŷ Pawb Art Gallery in Wales. It celebrates the artistic journey of Liaqat Rasul and serves as a homecoming, reconnecting him with his roots. From the age of 11, Rasul took on the role as 'window dresser' for his family business at Wrexham’s markets, an experience that influenced his life and art. The exhibition traces his evolution from a young market trader to fashion designer and multidisciplinary artist. Curated by Lewis Dalton Gilbert, NAU, NAU, DOH, CHAAR also explores the diverse influences and vibrant South Asian textiles that inspire Rasul’s work. It delves into themes of courage, emotion, and mental health, advocating for kindness and self-care.
NAU, NAU, DOH, CHAAR is on at Tŷ Pawb Art Gallery, Wrexham until 2 November.
Midweek Recipes by Jess Elliott Dennison
Jess Elliott Dennison's new cookbook Midweek Recipes, captures the essence of simple, joyful weekday cooking, featuring recipes like crispy-edged kimchi, cheddar fritters and easy lemon-cream linguine. The book marks the start of a new series independently published from her Edinburgh studio, Elliott’s, an extension of Jess’s home and where she cooks, writes recipes and teaches. Midweek Recipes is designed to include chunky margins to encourage personalised notes, photographs taken from Jess's studio and internal fold-outs so readers can save recipes for future makes. Each copy is also signed, with a bookmark and individually stamped mini print included.
Midweek Recipes is out on 1 August.
Stone Club at Northgate Folk Festival
Presented by Choir of Outsiders, the Northgate Folk Festival champions innovative artists redefining traditional music. Set within Chester’s Roman walls, this year’s event features a diverse lineup of new wave folk acts. Stone Club, a community known for celebrating the “enigmatic relationship between ancient stone monuments, folklore and music,” will also be at the festival, with a DJ set by founders Lally MacBeth and Matthew Shaw. As well as experimental and contemporary folk music, you can also expect performances from queer Molly dancers and Welsh Morris dancers who incorporate pick axe handles into their routine.
Northgate Folk Festival on 24 August.
Modern Masters Festival Edition at The Scottish Gallery
During the Edinburgh Festival in August, The Scottish Gallery will host a Festival Edition of their Modern Masters series, a concept conceived ten years ago to celebrate Scottish painting. It marks the occasion with a vibrant focus on colour, the natural world, and a host of artists past and present. This year, it pays homage to Sir William Gillies, a renowned figure in Scottish modern art, celebrated for his landscape and still-life paintings. Gillies’ legacy has contributed to a visual language unique to Scotland and one that has significantly impacted the Scottish art scene. The exhibition will also bring together the Peploe family and reflect on their legacy of colour, as well as highlighting the women artists championed by the gallery, including Elizabeth Blackadder, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, and Victoria Crowe.
Modern Masters Festival Edition 2024 is on at The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh until 24 August.
Image 1: Sheila MacMillan, Church and Garden Sheds, Dalserf. Courtesy of The Scottish Gallery.
Image 2 & 3: Carol Douglas, Greek Lemons, 2024. Courtesy the artist. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Carol Douglas, Tango, 2023. Courtesy the artist. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Image 4: Liaqat Rasul, NAU, NAU, DOH, CHAAR at Tŷ Pawb Art Gallery, 2024. Photography courtesy of Harry Meadley.
Image 5 & 6: Jess Elliott Dennison cooking and her new cookbook. Photography courtesy of Jess Elliott Dennison.
Image 7: Stone Club DJing. Photo courtesy of David Weir. Image 8: Joan Eardley, Seated Figure with Table, 1953. Courtesy of The Scottish Gallery.
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