Our top picks of exhibitions together with cultural spaces and places, both online and in the real world.

All, Art, Auctions, Exhibitions, Travel & Hospitality, Initiatives

Viewing The Sublime in Nature

The Wick Culture - The Sublime in Nature, 24 Cork Street

Above The Sublime in Nature, 24 Cork Street

The Sublime in Nature
24 Cork Street, London

16 June — 10 July 2021

On show at 24 Cork Street is a brilliant group exhibition of works by contemporary artists inspired by the grandeur and majesty of raw natural beauty. Curated by Daniel Malarkey in collaboration with leading galleries such as Victoria Miro, Maureen Paley and Kasmin Gallery, it urges us as a society to step back and reflect on our new-fangled reality.

Specially commissioned works by Patrizio di Massimo and Tancredi di Carcaci that explore the relationship between humanity and the natural world are shown alongside exquisite paintings by Celia Paul and Gladys Nilsson. Also on display is a magnificent bronze candelabra by Claude Lalanne, the French sculptor and designer most widely known for her surreal sculptures inspired by organic forms. The result is rich and diverse — and offers a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of our increasingly busy new normal.

Viewing Blue Minds Exhibition in association with the Blue Marine Foundation

The Wick Culture - Blue Minds, in assocation with Blue Marine Foundation

Above Blue Minds, in assocation with Blue Marine Foundation

Catherine Prevost, 127 Sloane Street

24 June — 6 July 2021

Featuring works by 26 contemporary artists, this bijou exhibition at Catherine Prevost’s Sloane Street boutique looks at the ocean as a wonderous source of creative inspiration and addresses why it is more important than ever to protect it. Conceived in association with the Blue Marine Foundation, a charitable organisation dedicated to restoring ocean health, Blue Minds also explores the shared goals of creatives and scientists inspired by ocean conservation.

Many well-known artists are represented, including Andrea Hamilton, Marcus Lyon and Crystal Fischetti, as are many styles and mediums, including soundscapes, photography, ceramics, films, sculptures and paintings. Shown together, these works shed light on important environmental issues affecting the health and future of the ocean: pollution, rising sea levels and over-fishing. But they also inspire hope.

‘We just need to stop and listen to the ocean,’ says Blue Minds co-curator Nico Earle. ‘It holds the key to our sustainable future.’ The free programme of accompanying talks and workshops is worth checking out too. (Exhibition admission is free but booking is essential. Donations are welcome and will be donated directly to the Blue Marine Foundation).

Viewing Lobsteropolis City at the Lobsterland Museum in Decentraland

The Wick Culture - Lobsteropolis City, Philip Colbert

Above Lobsteropolis City, Philip Colbert

Museum open from 30 June 2021

Hot on the heels of Lobsteropolis, Philip Colbert’s hugely popular Saatchi Gallery virtual exhibition in 2020, comes Lobsteropolis City: the artist’s first fully digital exhibition at the Lobsterland Museum.

Curated by leading art auctioneer and dealer Simon de Pury, Lobsteropolis City is set across 57 land parcels in Vegas City, one of the largest districts within the ‘metaverse’ of Decentraland, an open-source virtual reality world built on the Ethereum Blockchain which can be explored and experienced through a unique avatar.

In Colbert’s newest iteration of his imaginative lobster universe — which was three years in the making — you’ll come face to face with Colbert’s lobster alter-ego, recognisable symbols charged with universal meaning and references to classical antiquity and the Renaissance. (Think heart emojis, classical vases and T-bone steaks.)

The exhibition also includes a series of NFT works available exclusively with NFT platform Super Rare, among them Colbert’s Cryptofixtion and Lobster Fountain. New unseen NFT works are also available.

‘With the rise of the NFT, the digital art movement is now a tidal wave, and so many new ideas are possible,’ said Colbert. ‘Never before has a generation been able to so radically shift artistic possibilities, it’s the perfect storm.’