Somewhere you should go… SLAM Last Fridays

SLAM Last Fridays, the fresh naughty little sister of the monthly late night openings, will be coming around again at the end of the month. Compared with East London’s well-established First Thursdays and Fitzrovia’s well-heeled Lates on every last Thursday, South London’s offering to the mix is more diverse and widespread, and is an important fixture for your art diaries. Galleries and studios in Bankside, Peckham, Deptford and Bermondsey open their doors into the evening and welcome those who want to kick off the weekend with a good hit of culture, and maybe a cheeky beer or two. So print off a map, round up some pals and hit those buzzing cultural seedbeds south of the river. SLAM organisers recommend sticking to one district but the more adventurous can zip between galleries by bus, bike or rollerblades, whatever you fancy. South London Art Tours are organised across each of the areas, on a strictly pay-what-you-can (or -like) basis. Follow one of their specialist tour guides to a selection of art hotspots, wander freestyle, or have a gander at these shows handpicked by your beloved TCé: • Bankside’s CUL DE SAC Gallery will be exploring misrepresentation, authority and the individual in contemporary China in a series of parodic and absurd works in performance and video. • Exhibiting artist Melanie Jackson will be giving a talk in Peckham’s Flat Time House on her weird and wonderful futuristic botanicals, in a recently opened display of ceramic and video work. (April 26th) • Over in Bermondsey, a brilliant show at The Drawing Room interrogates the blurred boundaries of media categorisation with a showcase of artists working between drawing and sculpture. If all this art gets you in the mood for cheap drinks and dancing don’t forget the official after parties held in each of the different areas – slammin’! (Words: Florence Ritter) For more info, visit www.southlondonartmap.com