Words by Tom Jeffreys.
The selection includes an unmissable overview of Nil Yalter’s work and Laurence Sturla’s enigmatic topological sculptures.
Jade de Montserrat | Bosse & Baum | 31 May – 15 June
Suspended at body height, both confrontational and vulnerable, three large double-sided folio pages meet visitors to Jade de Montserrat’s second solo exhibition with Bosse & Baum. These works are from Cobalt Folio (2023 – ongoing), a book in progress that navigates connected resistance struggles, from the abolition of slavery to Palestinian liberation. Around the walls, smaller works tread this terrain in a contained and intimate fashion.
In De Montserrat’s characteristic style, text occupies negative spaces amid lush areas of watercolour, gouache, graphite and ink. One highlight is All, everything, representation (2024), a tender depiction of the eyes of American activist Tarana Burke, framed at the sides by her hair and, at the top and bottom, by layers of dark curling handwriting, which you can just make out is text from Zoe Leonard’s poem ‘I Want a President’ (1992). During London Gallery Weekend, De Montserrat is in conversation with Erin Manning, who has contributed a brilliant accompanying text. The conversation begins on Friday evening at Richard Saltoun, where Manning has her first UK solo exhibition. From there, the pair lead a Saturday afternoon walk to Bosse & Baum where the conversation continues.
