Zero to one hundred

Weekend Combo: Board Brothers, Malevich and Thelonious Monk’s sashimi
By Tempe Nakiska | Art | 8 August 2014

We bring you our guide to living well in the world’s capitals, from exhibitions to cinema, food, drink, fashion, music and beyond. Just call it culture and take it, it’s yours.

LONDON, FRIDAY 8th AUGUST – SUNDAY 10th AUGUST 2014

Board so hard motherfuckers wanna fine me
If you’ve ever set foot a whiff away from a half pipe, chances are you know the names Tas and Ben Pappas. The brothers from ‘burban Melbourne reached the peak of pro skateboarding in the mid to late nineties, Down Under rat pack teens who went from kicking around Prahran’s rusty skate ramps to ultimately stripping Tony Hawk of his World Number 1 title. It’s what happened from the top that really makes the story, though: what goes up must come down and with all the talent and no brakes it’s a gnarly (yes, we said it) fall from the top. In just over a decade, Ben was dead and Tas was in jail.

All This Mayhem is an unflinching documentary that tells the Pappas story, stripping away the bullshit in tracing the journey of the boys that brought vert skateboarding back from an early grave and sent themselves hurtling in the process. A must see – just don’t take your board. Getting kicked out of the cinema for trying to drop in over the back row probably isn’t as much fun as it sounds.

All This Mayhem, 104 minutes, in cinemas from today, Friday 8th August. Check listings for screening details.

Get down, get down to art zero
This week we’ve got a double shot in Russian art history for you. Number one will take you to the Tate, where we’re currently witnessing a particularly mega year of blockbuster exhibitions. First there was pop-art prodigy Richard Hamilton, then Matisse’s cut-outs and now the latest; a thorough exploration of the life and times of Kazimir Malevich, the man many call the greatest 20th-century Soviet painter and one who played a rather major role in shaping the modernist imagination.

Even if you’re unfamiliar with Malevich, chances are you’ve heard of his revolutionary ‘Red Square’. And if not that then the ‘Black Square’, the first and arguably the last word in abstraction. Both are Malevich; both are art at ground zero.

Born in Kiev, Malevich took early cues from French painting in the early 20th century, going on to coin the term ‘alogical painting’ to describe works like ‘Cow and Violin’ (1913) and become increasingly revolutionary in his works to the point of 1915, when he unveiled his challenging new nonobjective form of art with the legendary 0.10 exhibition in Petrograd.

Kazimir Malevich, ‘Suprematist Composition’ showing now at Tate Modern

Kazimir Malevich, ‘Suprematist Composition’ 1916

On display here are 421 works from 44 lenders in 11 countries. But you won’t be thinking of numbers when you’re there – as per usual, Tate Modern manages to present a momentous life’s work in a way that teaches, minus any whiff of history lesson drone-dom. With Matisse still showing downstairs you can fit two in for the (timely) price of one. Get down early to avoid the hoards.

Malevich: Revolutionary of Russian Art, until 26th October 2014 at Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Adult £14.50, concession £12.50

Ain’t nothing wrong with rose-coloured glasses
Next on the hit list is the latest exhibition to hit The Photographer’s Gallery, and it’s a right beauty. Primrose: Early Colour Photography In Russia dives into the links between Russia’s social and political history and the grown of colour photography over the course of a century. From Stalin’s death bed to tritone Bolshevik propaganda and underground WW1 intelligentsia visuals, this one makes for a solid parallel education.

After all that thirsty brain work, take the edge off and head down to Dean Street Townhouse for a Stoli. Just make sure it’s chilled and neat – authenticity is a daily practice, after all.

Primrose: Early Colour Russian Photography, until 19th October at The Photographer’s Gallery, 16-18 Ramillies St, London W1F 7LW

Dean Street Townhouse, 69 – 71 Dean St, London W1D 3SE

You can eat your monkfish nigiri and have your (Thelonious) Monk too
Where did all the Japanese food go? Is it even a thing? Was it ever a thing? Yes, there’s Haggerston’s ramen-glorious Tonkatsu and for a while there Pacific Social Club was serving up pretty alright Okinomiyake, but considering the precariously high levels of gluten free smashed avocado currently inhabiting the East’s food scene, it’s right surprising the Tokyo niche hasn’t caught right on.

In light of all this, make sure you get onto Dalston’s very own jazz kissa, Brilliant Corners, while it’s still not-a-‘thing’. Tokyo and Singapore-raised Kay Suzuki is chef and co-manages the place with owners Amit and Aneesh Patel. Suzuki is also a DJ, record label owner (Round House) and radio host (he co-hosts Spirits Frequency on NTS Radio) which make it less surprising that this restaurant/bar, named after Thelonious Monk’s 1957 record, has a “pure analogue audiophile sound system”. Say what? It’s good for your ears, kids.

DJs rotate weekly and while you’re soaking up the sounds you can get your mouth around a neat selection of craft beers and choice sake which, considering the current weather, we’re pretty sure the bartender will be happy to serve up cold. With items like ‘Mushroom Party Don’ on the menu, there’s no chance you’ll be leaving unfulfilled. Just keep it on the DL, at least until the summer’s out. Kthnx.

Brilliant Corners, 470 Kingsland Road, Hackney E8 4AE. Open every day, 5pm–midnight.

Balearica on tap and not a Club Med member in sight
Looking for beats and beer after the clock strikes midnight? Roll around the corner to London Fields Pub where resident DJ Steve Lee will be bringing the Balearica, otherwise known as excellent sunshine music most commonly aligned with pre-mixed cocktails and Ibiza beach parties (but actually best enjoyed with a cold can). This week Lee has invited Nick Murray, one half of underground Melbourne twosome OTOLOGIC, to take over the holy platters. With this selection whiz on the decks it’s sure to be a good ‘un. Oh and it’s also a freebie. Put a pint in one hand, a Vodka-O in the other and be on your way, then.

Balearica at The London Fields, 137 Mare Street, Hackney, London, E8 3RH. Saturday 9th August, 9pm til 3am. Free entry


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