Around Town

The problem
Chris, 32 ‘My cousin is coming to town to stay for the weekend and she’s really into art. We usually visit some of the bigger museums and galleries but this time I’d like to take her somewhere different. Can you suggest some alternatives?’

The prescription
The East End’s cluster of small commercial art galleries is still a good place to spend an afternoon if you want to get a feel for what’s current in the capital’s thriving contemporary art scene. Take the tube to Bethnal Green and make the ten-minute walk up Cambridge Heath Road to Vyner Street. The street itself may be slightly unprepossessing but along its short stretch you’ll find a host of galleries, including Modern Art (No 10), Kate Macgarry (No 7a), IBID (No 21), Fred, David Risley and One in the Other (all at No 45), Nettie Horn (No 25b) and Wilkinson (No 50-58), all showing work by emerging and more established names.
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When you need a refreshment break to take it all in, Bistroteque bar and restaurant on nearby Wadeson Street (No 23-27) is open for brunch on Saturday and Sunday or – for a more traditional East End watering hole – there’s Vyner Street’s pub The Victory (No 27). If you’d prefer a bit more bustle, its only a short walk to Broadway Market where, on a Saturday, you can browse the retro furniture shops and organic food and secondhand clothes stalls. If the weather’s on your side London Fields, at the end of Broadway Market, provides an ideal picnic spot.

For a West End alternative, Soho and the area north of Oxford Street is another locale being colonised by up-and-coming galleries. Among those to check out here are Riflemaker (79 Beak Street and 1 Greek Street), Alison Jacques (16-18 Berners Street), The Approach (74 Mortimer Street), Alexandre Pollazzon (11 Howland Street), Laure Genillard (2 Hanway Place) and Mummery + Schnelle (83 Great Titchfield St). Most of these will be open on a Saturday (but not Sunday).

Before making a visit you can check which galleries have shows on by searching our art listings.

Do you agree? Post your suggestions for Chris's day out.