We are halfway through the year! I was talking smack about it being summer last month, and the weather said, “Hold my drink.” Omo… it has been hot. I almost reconsidered my dedication to wearing all black for a second, but I persevered.
One thing I do love about summer though, is the way it brings people together. From impromptu BBQs and picnics to al fresco dinners (it’s officially a Small Plates Summer), I am reminded that we are rarely shaped in isolation but by the people we surround ourselves with and the places we call home.
As I was putting together this month’s list, I realised many of the artists are exploring those same ideas. Through painting, photography, sculpture and installation, they reflect on identity, memory, and belonging, while celebrating the communities we inherit and the ones we choose to build. Together, these exhibitions remind us that some of our most powerful stories are the ones we create with others.
Despite the warm weather, step out in your best art heaux fit, and an iced beverage is a must. Whether you go with friends or venture out solo, enjoy some of the incredible art this city has to offer!
I was first introduced to Jemila Isa’s work last year when she was part of a two-person exhibition. I was really taken by how she used personal experiences as a starting point to explore larger questions around identity and faith. That is why I am looking forward to seeing her new exhibition, ‘Dreams Lost Upon Waking’, at Maureen Paley. Working across painting and sculpture, Isa draws from a vivid dream. She uses her own experiences of marriage and divorce, weaving together influences spanning Haitian art, spirituality and folklore to create works that feel deeply personal - yet still leaves space for the viewer to form their own interpretations. I can’t wait to experience an exhibition that promises to be both visually captivating and emotionally layered, whilst encouraging us to question the narratives we are taught to accept about love, faith and the lives we are meant to live.
Showing from the 04th June till 25th July 2026
Studio M, Rochelle School, Friars Mount House, 7 Playground Gardens, E2 7FA
I am sure I sound like a broken record when I speak about my love for abstract paintings, but I love how artists can convey deeper meaning through materials and energetic bursts of colour. This is one of the things that first drew me to Reginald Sylvester II’s work. His paintings are built from layers of rubber and reclaimed military shelter fabric before being transformed through bold colour and expressive mark-making. Bringing together references to colonisation, conflict, protection and shelter while simultaneously pushing the possibilities of abstraction, the works feel as much about history and materiality as they are about painting itself. I am looking forward to spending time with works that are visually striking but also encourage deeper reflection on the stories objects carry and the ways history continues to shape the present.
Showing from the 04th June till 01st August 2026
47 Mortimer Street, W1W 8HJ
I think there is such beauty in how creativity can emerge from even the darkest circumstances. ‘92-01 in livin color’ by Alvaro Barrington reflects on the devastating impact of the crack cocaine epidemic on Black communities in 1980s and 1990s America. It looks beyond the headlines to celebrate the resilience, imagination and cultural expression that flourished through music, fashion and art. The immersive nature of the exhibition invites you to consider how identity can be shaped by both hardship and joy; weaving together personal memory and collective history. I am excited to see how Barrington transforms such a painful chapter into a vibrant and thought-provoking experience that honours the strength of community and the enduring power of Black culture.
Showing from the 06th June till 15th August 2026
4–8 Helmet Row, London, EC1V 3QJ
Since discovering Okiki Akinfe, one thing I have come to truly appreciate about her practice is her ability to find extraordinary stories within the ordinary. In her new exhibition, ‘RM9 5AN’, she transforms the everyday landscapes of Dagenham into a thoughtful exploration of identity, belonging and community, viewing Essex through the experiences of its West African communities. Here, she challenges familiar ideas of place while celebrating the beauty found in local shopfronts, food stalls, places of worship and the rhythms of everyday life. I am excited to see how she reimagines the British landscape through the Black Lens, creating a deeply personal yet widely relatable portrait of home that feels both timely and hopeful.
Showing from the 23rd May till 08th August 2026
97-99 Hoxton Street, London N1 6QL
I have always been intrigued by creative collectives, from the Mbari Artists and Writers Club in Nigeria to the BLK Art Group in the UK and AfriCOBRA in the US, and the ways they foster genuine community while producing work that grows from those shared experiences. That is why I cannot wait to see ‘Exiting the Forest, Into a Sea of Open Arms’ by Vibrantform, an intergenerational collective of Black male artists and cultural practitioners including Tonye Ekine, Ken Nwadiogbu and Neequaye Dreph Dsane. Exploring identity, belonging, memory and everyday life through painting, sculpture, photography, sound, animation and archival materials, the exhibition celebrates the richness of individual voices while revealing the shared conversations and experiences that connect them. I am looking forward to spending time with a show that reflects the power of brotherhood, collaboration and collective care, while offering a thoughtful portrait of Black diasporic life that feels both deeply personal and wonderfully expansive.
Showing from the 17th July till 29th August 2026
No. 1 Poultry, London, EC2R 8EN
Hassan Hajjaj’s work is always a wonder to behold. Drawing on his Moroccan heritage while capturing the energy and creativity of his subjects, he has developed one of the most distinctive visual languages in contemporary photography. This new body of work, ‘Ends to Estates’, celebrates a new generation of artists, musicians and designers whose stories reflect London’s rich multicultural identity. His bold portraits have always fascinated me because they blur the boundaries between photography, fashion, design and community. I can’t wait to see how this latest series honours the people shaping London’s cultural landscape today, while reminding us that some of the city’s most exciting creative movements have always been born from collaboration, migration and shared experience.
Showing from the 13th July till 07th August 2026
34-35 New Bond Street, W1A 2AA
Every time I get the chance to see Marc Padeu’s work, I am always impressed by his ability to create narrative paintings which employ the language and stories of the Old Masters and Christianity to depict contemporary Cameroon. In his sixth solo exhibition at Larkin Durey, ‘Memento Vivere’, he draws on biblical narratives, Stoic philosophy and the lived realities of communities working on Cameroon’s cocoa plantations to invite us to reflect on time and what it truly means to live well. I am looking forward to spending time with paintings that place familiar stories within contemporary settings; blurring the boundaries between the spiritual and the secular. The work offers a thoughtful meditation on faith, memory and the beauty and fragility of life.
Showing from the 17th July till 14th August 2026
13 Mason’s Yard, London SW1Y 6BU
You had me at Frank Bowling! Best known for his monumental abstract paintings, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to step behind the finished works and discover how drawing has remained at the heart of his practice for more than six decades. I can’t wait to see works from his personal archive and how they reveal drawing as a space for experimentation, reflection and discovery, while offering a more intimate understanding of one of Britain’s greatest living artists. I am excited to see the ideas and moments that have quietly underpinned such an extraordinary body of work and to gain a deeper appreciation of the creative process behind his remarkable career.
Showing from the 25th June till 22nd August 2026
19-22 Charlotte Road, London, EC2A 3SG
Art’s ability to make the past feel urgently present, while challenging the stories we inherit and encouraging us to question how history is constructed, has always fascinated me. Keith Piper’s ‘Red Flags’ feels like a perfect embodiment of this. As a founding member of the BLK Art Group and a key figure within the Black Art movement, Piper has spent over four decades interrogating questions of race, power, representation, and the ways histories are written and remembered. Bringing together works from the 1980s through to the present day, this exhibition offers a chance to trace how his ideas have evolved while revealing how many of the issues he addressed over forty years ago remain strikingly relevant today.
Showing from the 05th June till 25th July 2026
71-73 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 7LP
Similar to last month, some featured shows from previous months are still being shown. If you have seen them already, why not go again?
Ends on the 23rd August 2026
Showing at Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
Ends on the 30th August 2026
Showing at Camden Art Centre, Arkwright Road, London NW3 6DG
If you are enjoying the newsletter, buy me a coffee to keep going (I need it!!!)
I hope you get a chance to check them out.
Peace and love 🙏🏾🖤
FJ
*All images were sourced from the respective galleries’ websites.
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