West End to Peckham.

Set off at 11.15, later than usual, in the cool spring sun and made my way to Burgess Park. On the way a new friend I had made a couple of weeks ago, a tabby cat, bounded across the road to greet me. Onwards to the River Thames via Kennington Tube Station and Newport Street where Damian Hirst’s gallery is located. That’s a show I will be saving up for next time. Then I cross Lambeth Bridge and reach St Jame’s Park. Across Piccadilly and I reach Pace Gallery which is showing works in stitched fabric by the American artist Richard Tuttle. His works look like they are falling apart but yet have an understated beauty. They are stitched fabrics with additional embroidery and colour patches. In the press release he writes that he is exploring the space between two and three dimensions.

Richard Tuttle at Pace Gallery with artworks made from gently worked fabrics.

Then onto Almine Rech passing a film crew in Saville Row whom I overhear are searching for a location to film in the street. “How about the coolest gallery around”, I think to myself, though the chance of them stumbling upon it from the small flight of stairs that leads up from an unassuming entrance lobby seems unlikely. Ziad Antar has photographed public sculptures in a state of renovation with fabric protection completely covering them. In the gallery there are three-dimensional copies of these, creating an installation.

Ziad Antar at Almine Rech with photos of covered statues. There are also 3D recreations of them presented alongside.

Today is Peckham day and it needed careful planning as the three galleries I am visiting there are late openers and I seldom have enough time to catch them before I have to go to work in the afternoon. Today is fine though. Running towards Peckham I see an extraordinary display of waves of yellow and white paint spread out along the main road next to the Oval cricket ground. Clearly an accident earlier in the day.

Outside Oval Cricket Ground. Some paint spillage has been turned into street art by the car wheels.

My favourite baker Sophocles heats up a cheese borek for me and I grab a caramel slice knowing my pockets will fill up with change but also that the thick chocolate layer on top looks delicious. Eric Van Lieshaut is showing at The South London Gallery and the graceful charm of his video works puts across the personality of an artist who seems to make an adventure out of every day.

Erik Van Lieshout of Maureen Paley at South London Gallery with a film featuring wild cats.

Peckham building site.

Turn right towards Bellenden Road and I reach Arcadia Missa, a small gallery in a railway arch alongside car repair workshops.

Hamishi Farah at Arcadia Missa with a portrait presented in an unusual way in the gallery.

I also check into Hannah Barry gallery where a delivery man is gently reprimanded for not using the right door, having used the public one that I had been standing at waiting to gain entry myself. Upstairs I recognise James Balmforth’s works using an oxygen lance to disturb and obliterate the surface of a steel block turning it into a seething mass of droplets preserved now for posterity in the gallery.

James Balmforth with torched metal pieces.

Round the corner at Sunday Painter I beep myself in and see a beautiful pattern made by Leo Fitzmaurice out of junk mail leaflets carefully overlapped to conceal unwanted text.

Leo Fitzmaurice of The Sunday Painter with a striking pattern made from junk advertising leaflets.

Meanwhile Samara Scott who makes sculptures out of liquids, crystals and folds of paper has installed a tray of her latest offering into the laminate flooring of the gallery. With photos of these two gallery artists complete I return to my home.

Samara Scott at The Sunday Painter with a colourful liquid sculpture embedded into the gallery’s laminated floor.