Europe is famed for many cultural facets; food, architecture, music, art. Today we explore the exhibitions inspiring us for a summer of art across the continent.
 

London // Fahrelnissa Zeid

The kaleidoscopic wonders of Fahrelnissa Zeid are on display at the Tate Modern in London this summer. Trained in Istanbul and at Ecole de Paris, she takes influence from Arabic, Persian and Byzantine origins and overlays them with European techniques of abstract teaching. Her pieces are usually large scale and somewhat imposing, with this particular set of works focusing on bold line and bright colour.

Sofia // Lee Lozano

With a surprisingly short span of works, over just 12 years Lozano's musings thrived during times of strife. The sixties saw civil rights movements and pacifistic anti war protests, which all played a part in influencing her career as it unfolded. In this exhibition though, we see the nod towards Herbert Marcuse, whose 'Eros and Civilization' themes of play and sensuality collided with her own avid interests in sciences and mathematical accuracy.

You can see where the pivotal point occurs in this show, with fairly stark contrast between paintings focused on form and body, and those of industrialised and mechanical features.

Bilbao // Richard Serra

The Matter of Time exhibit at the Guggenheim displays the evolution of the sculptural forms in Serra's arsenal. The entire space is part of the artists experience, and beginning with simple eclipses takes the visitor through a journey of movement and shape. As you explore the space it can create a feeling of disorientation as a result of the motion.

The layout will guide you through the large scale pieces, experiencing the varying proportions and pieces of visual and experiential memory transposed by Serra.

Stockholm // Golden Sunset

This exhibition running for the rest of the year showcases a variety of works from Swedish contemporary photographers. The name of the exhibition derived from one of Julia Peirone’s portraits of teenage girls, in which each piece was named after a cocktail. Featured artists include the analogue photography of Linda Hofvander, the narrative and jarring cinematographic ideals of Tova Mozard, and Miriam Backstrom whose notable works include the transposition of visuals to tapestry, colliding old world and new.

Curated by Magnus af Petersens, it's part of the 'Before and Behind the Lens' project, examining the development of photographical experimentation through time.

Hamburg // Art & Alphabet

Another exhibition following a theme rather than a single artist, this exploration of written word in contemporary artworks is curated by Dr Brigitte Kölle. Spanning 10 years and featuring 20 artists from around the globe, Art and Alphabet investigates the role of writing as a visual language. Interesting notes upon its centralism to identity, both social and personal, are made. Typographical art forms created, analysed and utilised in unusual pieces are key to the exhibition, and are amassed at large scale for overwhelming impact.

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images // @lahdgallery @erinlawlorpainter @sara_bando @artipelag_art @kunsthallewien