CULTURE WANDER

modern art with an old-fashioned problem Derek Ridgers, Spiral Tribe. Exhibition promo from saatchigallery.com I really liked the sound of this exhibition. I like a party, I like the vibe of what we now call ‘raves’ (but aren’t really the proper free parties of the 80s and 90s). So I expected this exhibition to give me a little bit of the euphoria those parties were renowned for, albeit in a beautifully distilled and very establishment-palatable form. In that sense, Sweet Harmony was perfect: it fulfilled my expectations entirely. Unfortunately, going on a mediocre night out knowing it’ll be mediocre doesn’t fill anyone with pure joy. This exhibition had me feeling like I’d left the rave at 2am: tired, head spinning, but crushingly sober. There’s quite a few reasons for that: 1) I slept on my friend’s bedroom floor after we went for drinks, so I wasn’t quite as sparky as maybe the Saatchi needed me to be (not their fault). 2) The lad...

the low quality photo of a giant pleather foot that you always wanted (ADAM Design Museum, Brussels) As a big fan of the sound of my own voice I thought I'd treat the internet to it as well (in typed form). I keep going to exhibitions (temporary, permanent, immersive, stiflingly quiet, paid, free, pretentious, low-key...) in museums and galleries of every kind, and having many thoughts. I am obviously very interested in the content of these exhibitions - personally, a bit of twentieth century British photography or some colonialism in visual form will always brighten up a rainy afternoon - but I also do love looking at how it's all put together. There is something delicious about the slickness of the Tate Modern, but on some days its matte white walls and lack of daylight are unbearably claustrophobic. Sometimes I love the picture gallery at Weston Park Museum in Sheffield with its idiosyncratic Victorian hang, but other days it gives me the urge to Marie Kondo the whol...