Weekend Combo time! Dig in…

Baby swapping
Arriving in cinemas this weekend, Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Broker tells the story of a young woman who chooses to give her child up, abandoning her son to a Church affiliated Baby Box only to later realise two adoption brokers are stealing these children to sell on the black market. But, instead of reporting them, the mother joins in on the action of the foolproof money-making scheme, which is unknowingly being surveyed by female detectives just waiting for the moment to strike. Despite its tough subject matter, the film paints an intimate portrait of a makeshift family unit living on the fringes of Korean society.

Broker is out in cinemas and streaming on Netflix now. 

Spray it loud
The Saatchi Gallery’s latest exhibition Beyond The Streets marks the first time in eight years a show has taken over the entirety of the 70,000 square foot gallery space. Supported by adidas Originals, the retrospective pays homage to iconic moments from graffiti, street art, hip-hop and punk while honouring the creative minds who immortalised them. Featuring work from the likes of Charlie Ahearn, GOLDIE, Martha Cooper and Todd James, the showcase charts the rich tapestry of street art from across the world. Combining large-scale installations with original ephemera, pioneering fashion designs and music, this retrospective promises a treat for the eyes and ears.

Beyond The Streets runs at the Saatchi Gallery until May 9th, more info here. 

Extinction Beckons
A silent indoor desert, thin-wire cages full of twisted, haunting objects, and peculiar machinery bought from online company liquidator auctions. Inside Mike Nelson’s incredible new Extinction Beckons exhibition at the Hayward gallery, each room is a different world, connected by dark, disconcerting labyrinths that remove you from reality. The British artist’s vast new show is an experience of the senses: you enter filthy rooms with claw marks on the doors, ceiling fans whirl as if screaming for help and lights flicker and glitch like a dying heartbeat. But on a positive note, it’s a bloody great exhibition everyone should see!

Mike Nelson: Extinction Beckons runs at the Hayward Gallery until 7th May 2023.

Art’s fertile years
In Make Me Famous, filmmakers Brian Vincent and Heather Spore are telling the story of the late painter Edward Brezinski and his hunt for notoriety in 80s New York Orbiting the same space as icons such as Jean-Michael Basquiat, David Wojnarowicz and Kenny Scharf, Brezinski had the same dream as every young creative who arrived in the city during the 80s: to make a name for themself. The East Village was buzzing with creativity, galleries were popping up on every street corner and no one ventured above 14th Street, because why would you when you have the whole world on your doorstep? Piecing together archival footage and interviews with the likes of Marguerite Van Cook and James Romberger, the director duo dissects Brezinski’s hell-bent desire to make art that mattered. A New York legend herself, we spoke with Van Cook about Brezinski hosting acid art parties, and what made the East Village so creatively fertile. 

Make Me Famous is out in cinemas now. 

Expressive Portraits
The Barbican is hosting the largest UK retrospective of American artist Alice Neel to date, charting her renowned six-decade-long career. Working at a time when figurative painting was unfashionable, Neel pioneered the style through a practice which captured the shifting social and political context of 20th-century America. Curated in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou in Paris, this exhibition brings together over 70 of Neel’s most vibrant portraits, shown alongside archival photography and film, to offer a comprehensive view of her unique vision.

Alice Neel: Hot Off the Griddle runs at the Barbican until May 21st, more info here.

Tastiest pop-up in town
Following a collaboration with Norman’s Cafe last year, Shoreditch’s Seed Library bar is teaming up with another cult London eatery, Ruben’s Reuben. Offering up a new bar snack menu to go alongside Mr Lyan’s carefully curated cocktail menu of Chive daiquiris, Coriander seed gimlet and artisanal sake. Ruben Danway’s signature smoking and curing techniques are bought to life in dishes such as candied jalapenos, smoked cheddar croquettes, rooster potatoes with matcha mayo, and smoked bacon and red onion jam on toasted sourdough… sorry, we had to stop typing and get some food…

The Seed Library is located at 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ, more info here. Check out Ruben’s Reuben Instagram here.