“Swan” by Adam Birch. Image courtesy of Southern Guild …
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Three New Exhibitions Sweep Southern Guild Cape Town
This month, Southern Guild is staging the opening of three solo shows from Adam Birch, King Houndekpinkou, and Madoda Fani at its Cape Town gallery. In “Like Something Being Said,” Birch, an arborist, shows a new series of large-scale functional timber sculptures that capture an unexpected degree of fluidity. Houndekpinkou harnesses his Beninese heritage, Parisian upbringing, and travels to Japan to inform “Six Prayers,” a show of six ceramic vessels that draw from West African and Japanese culture, spirituality, and tradition. To cap it all off, Fani, who works in ceramics, brings together domestic objects as a “mapping of Black masculinities” to challenge Black heteronormative standards in “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men.” —Jenna Adrian-Diaz
A viral photo comparing an heirloom tomato to Loewe inspired creative director Jonathan Anderson to create a clutch bag mimicking the tomato’s ribbed texture and featuring a golden sepal lock. Anderson shared the clutch on Instagram, where it quickly garnered 900,000 views in just a few hours. Known for his social media-savvy releases, Anderson previously launched hits like the “I Told Ya” T-shirt and whimsical bags shaped like animals.
Soho House will open its second Italian location in Milan, following its Rome debut in 2021. The new members-only club will occupy a historic six-story building near Piazza San Babila, and feature a courtyard, rooftop terrace and pool, gym, and more than 50 bedrooms. Scheduled to open in a couple of years, the club will blend the building’s original rationalist architecture with local art and design, while also activating its “Cities Without Houses” membership program that aims to connect members globally.
Works by Baseera Khan at Simone Subal Gallery. Photography by Dario Lasagni, courtesy of the artist and Simone Subal Gallery…
Simone Subal Gallery, established in 2011, will close permanently later this month, marking the end of its operations with a final solo exhibition by painter Nova Jiang. Known for showcasing emerging artists like Emily Mae Smith and B. Ingrid Olson, the gallery has played a significant role in the New York art scene, often dealing with themes related to the body. This closure follows a trend of several smaller New York galleries shutting down, including Tribeca’s David Lewis Gallery and Helena Anrather, amid a shifting art market landscape.
In 2015, chef Paul Carmichael transformed Momofuku Seiobo in Sydney into a celebrated Caribbean cuisine hotspot, earning accolades like Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year. Despite its success, the restaurant closed in 2021 when the lease wasn’t renewed. Now, Carmichael is returning to New York, where he will oversee operations for Momofuku, starting with a new Caribbean-themed restaurant in the East Village. The move marks a significant step for Momofuku as it plans for its future, with Carmichael set to mentor its next generation of chefs.
New York has passed the Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act, which is awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature. The measure outlaws the use of bots for obtaining restaurant reservations and aims to address the problem of predatory software and ensure fair access to reservations, especially in a competitive market like New York City. By preventing bots from monopolizing reservations, the legislation seeks to protect consumers from high fees and restaurants from unreliable bookings and increased cancellations.
A large twin-trunk northern rātā. Photography by Gareth Andrews…
