Today we dive into the world of contemporary art, focusing on the New Contemporaries exhibition, currently on show at the South London Gallery.
We’re joined by two good friends of the show: artist Rachel Jordan and curator, writer, and campaigner Manik Govinda.
New Contemporaries is a long-running institution within the UK art scene. It began in 1949 as Young Contemporaries, an annual exhibition established to showcase new work by emerging artists. Today, it organises a nationally touring exhibition, with works selected by leading figures from across the art world. This year’s show opens in South London before travelling to Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art later in April.
Listeners may remember that last year’s exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Arts drew media attention, with protests outside the gallery relating to its sponsorship. We’ll return to some of that context later - but first, the art itself.
We first visited the exhibition at the South London Gallery, before settling in the garden over a beer, a coffee, and cake to share our initial impressions. A few days later, we reconvened online for a more considered and in-depth conversation.
For those unfamiliar with it, the South London Gallery sits on Peckham Road, close to Camberwell College of Arts. Founded in the 19th century by philanthropist William Rossiter, it was established to ‘bring art to the people of South London’, and today presents a wide-ranging programme of exhibitions by both established and emerging artists.
We’re grateful to the gallery for allowing us to photograph and film.
Art choices - Rachel
Painting: Ally Fallo - In My Beginning Is My End, 2025. Oil on Canvas. 130cm x 100cm
Photograph: Timon Benson - Compression, 2023.
Film: Viviana Almas - Solus
Art choices - Manick
Alia Gargum, This was a Mosque, 2024
Varvara Uhlik, Slide, 2025. Mild steel, 90 x 200 x 40cm
Video: Gregor Petrikovič, Sincerely, Victor Pike, 2024. Duration, 12 mins, 22 seconds
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