This October, Barbican Centre rejects the polished and perfect stereotypes of the fashion industry, instead considering how dirt and decay have shaped design and activism. At Stills, Edinburgh, Matthew Arthur Williams continues his career-long investigation into memory, queerness and race, whilst Fidelio Faustino鈥檚 analogue works, deeply rooted in the Afro-Caribbean experience, are exhibited aboard an Amsterdam ferry.听Karimah Ashadu, one of contemporary art鈥檚 most exciting names, premiers a new film at Camden Arts Centre, sharing the lives of bodybuilders in Lagos, Nigeria. Huxley Parlour, meanwhile, displays the iconic work of Jem Southam, who has dedicated decades to capturing the changing landscape of Cornwall.听
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Stills, Edinburgh | Until 18 October
Matthew Arthur Williams is known for merging family archives and oral histories to consider memory, queerness and race. His new body of work, on display at Stills, Edinburgh, continues his investigation into the absence of representation in traditional archives and national histories. In one poignant moving-image artwork, a violinist wanders through rural Britain, searching for a lost romantic symphony. Elsewhere, self-portraits and landscape photographs capture places 鈥渋n a state of constant loss.鈥 The artist explains: 鈥淎t the top of the list for me when producing work that carries multiple themes or subject matters, my obsession with the power of image making and how we read an image comes first.听My work is saying something very loudly to me, and I like to leave it up to the viewer if those things resonate for them. This show at听Stills听is no different and continues to take a moment to stop or move at a slower pace.鈥澨
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Foam, Amsterdam | Until 23 November听
In Sranantogo, a language originating in Suriname, the word 鈥淭apsei鈥 translates to 鈥渦pwards.鈥 Beyond its literal meaning, it is used to refer to a way of orienting oneself in the world, navigating through landscape, memory and community. In a new analogue work, artist Fidelio Faustino draws on this concept and how it influences memory, spirituality and imagination. It is a meditation on how histories, both inherited and personal, are carried within the body and across generations. His practice is deeply rooted in the Afro-Caribbean experience, spotlighting the lived experiences of Black and Indigenous communities. What鈥檚 particularly unique about this exhibition is that it is located aboard ferry F2, departing from Amsterdam Central Station. It is a bold and forward-looking curatorial decision that mirrors the artist鈥檚 decision to forge a creative path beyond the conventional routes of the art world.听
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Camden Arts Centre, London | 10 October 鈥 22 March听
Tendered听is the first UK solo exhibition by filmmaker Karimah Ashadu. The artist is an exciting figure on the global scene, winning the Silver Lion for Promising Young Artist at the 2024 Venice Biennale. Camden Arts Centre鈥檚 show premieres听Muscle,听which tells an intimate story of bodybuilders in the heart of Lagos鈥 slums as they strive for a 鈥渉yper-masculine ideal.鈥 This new work is accompanied by earlier films, also set in Nigeria, such as听King of Boys听(2015), which offers a window into the inner workings of the Makoko abattoir, and听Cowboy听(2022), a two-channel piece that follows a man who dedicates his life to the care of horses. Ashadu鈥檚 practice is rooted in her upbringing between the UK and Nigeria, creating a point of view that is at once intimate and slightly removed. It is through this personal experience听that Ashadu observes the lives of men at work – 听such earlier works like Plateau听(2022), which follows the lives of tin miners.
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Barbican Centre, London | Until 25 January
Fashion has long been linked to glossy perfection, polish and refinement. Think of glamorous red-carpets, the exclusive Met Gala, or the 鈥渃lean girl鈥 aesthetic that recently dominated make-up trends. But that鈥檚 not the only story. Barbican Centre鈥檚 latest show,听Dirty Looks,听revels in alternative style 鈥 foregrounding looks that defy beauty standards by embracing dirt and decay. Audiences will encounter scuffed trainers and 鈥渂ogcore鈥 to dresses buried underground. A new exhibition at Barbican Centre asks: what does this desire for decay tell us about ourselves and the state of fashion?听The show brings together 60 designers from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. It tracks how grime became a symbol of resistance and later, a tool to question consumerism, redefine luxury and reconnect with nature.听Shanay Jhaveri, Head of Visual Art, says:听鈥Dirty Looks听invites us to reconsider beauty and the regenerative power of making in a world in flux.鈥
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Huxley Parlour, London | From 24 October听
Jem Southam鈥檚听The Red River听was first exhibited in 1987 and has remained central to his career ever since. It portrays rural, post-industrial Cornwall, focusing on the intersection of manufactured landscapes with the natural world. Southam followed the path of the iconic Red River from its source near Troon, along its heavy industrialised valley, to the sea. The water is striking, dyed an unnatural shade by the tin mines that once dominated the area. Over the course of two decades, Southam documented the decline and almost entire disappearance of these mines, which were once the heartbeat of industry and employment in the area. He photographs scattered, decaying relics of this waning era as they slowly merge with local flora, leaving scars on the land. In this exhibition, Southam brings to light how history is never truly forgotten. Instead, it becomes part of our surroundings and shapes the landscape for the next generation.听
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
1. Jem Southam, Brea, 1982-1994
2. Matthew Arthur Williams, Emollition Man, 2023.
3. IAMISIGO, handwoven raffia-cotton blend look dyed with coffee and mud, Shadows, Spring/Summer 2024. Photograph by Fred Odede. Courtesy of IAMISIGO.
4. IAMISIGO, clay-dyed bark cloth dress, Shadows, Spring/Summer 2024. Photograph by Fred Odede. Courtesy of IAMISIGO.
5. Karimah Ashadu, Plateau (still), 2021-2022. Courtesy of the artist, Fondazione In Between Art Film and Sadie Coles HQ.
6. IAMISIGO, handwoven raffia-cotton blend look dyed with coffee and mud, Shadows, Spring/Summer 2024. Photograph by Fred Odede. Courtesy of IAMISIGO.
7. IAMISIGO, clay-dyed barkcloth dress, Shadows, Spring/Summer 2024. Photographby Fred Odede. Courtesy of IAMISIGO.
8. Jem Southam, The Stream at Menadarva, 1982-1994.
