THE BLUE TED EFFECT
- tesssheerin
- Aug 25
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 26
Pastel de nata! Yes, I love these Portuguese custard pastry delights. Starting the day with a flat white and an icing sugar, cinnamon-dusted dessert is both amazing and dangerous. I have eaten nine of these in three days. It's time to leave the country!
The UK has a strange sense of familiarity. I lived here for four years in my early to mid-twenties. After arriving in Luton, I quickly made plans to head to Shoreditch, a place with art, once so influential.
In the morning, I discovered the café below has none other than pastel de nata. I love how multicultural London is, and with that comes a gorgeous array of cuisine. I have to use all of my willpower to leave behind this newly developed morning ritual.
The heatwave has followed me over, and the Airbnb has no air conditioning. So, taking out my Canon EOS 850D in the evenings and early mornings is my best bet.
To my delight, I came across large-scale murals by artists Phlegm and Shepard Fairey. Graffiti writing is all around, and in areas like Allen Gardens, it feels magical. Bronze sculptures by Stik and D*Face blur categories to reveal how far the movement has come, a notable evolution.
I walked past the Truman Brewery and around Ely’s Yard. Memories of the face etched into the surface of the wall come back. I'm pleased to see a VHILS sculpture in the courtyard, perhaps an honoring of sorts, to where it all started. It's nice to witness and, in a way, on a personal level, it’s a full-circle moment.
Another place to avoid this extreme heat is in museums and art galleries. Sing Siren, a solo exhibition of Kiwi artist Frances Upritchard’s work, is on at Kate MacGarry. Some details of these sculptures pull me closer and closer, revealing fantastical strangeness.
I chat with James, who gives me the New Exhibitions 2025 Summer Guide, which leads me to explore: Hayward Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Barbican, Kenwood House, Camden Art Centre, Hales, Lisson Gallery, The National, Clarendon Fine Art Hampstead, Phillida Reid, Royal Academy of Arts, Royal Drawing School, Sadie Coles HQ, Serpentine, The Showroom, Stolen Space, White Cube, Natural History Museum, and more.
It was, in all honesty, overwhelming, in the best way. Japan’s Yoshitomo Nara retrospective is an unexpected highlight. My emotions are brought out. I have to leave one of the rooms as I begin to cry. I have no words, it’s all feeling. It reminds me of my sister, who I miss. A brilliant show!
Other impactful works include The Rainbow Body by Ugo Rondinone, The Ways of the Underworld Are Perfect by Tau Lewis at Sadie Coles HQ, and Thoughts in the Roots by Giuseppe Penone at the Serpentine, featuring the technique of frottage on a grand scale.
In between all of this, I found myself living in Hampstead with Kiwi artist Amanda Newall. She offers kindness, dogs, and a library of thoughtful recommendations on what to read and where to go.
It was, of course, her work 'Blue Ted', created during her 2020 residency at Joya: AiR, that inspired this overseas journey in the first place. I first encountered Blue Ted at the Dummies and Doppelgängers exhibition at the Christchurch Art Gallery, soon after, I applied for the same residency.
Hampstead was never in my plans, but life, as we know, is unpredictable. I’m now a regular at Kenwood House and its gardens, chatting to locals and tourists alike. And, reminding myself this is a working holiday, I’ve been taking guerrilla-style photographs of my recent prototype ‘Earth’ sculpture in various situations.
My time in London has been both phenomenal and awful, sometimes at the same time. If you know, you know.
When the noise and congestion get too much, I make a beeline for the parks. These green health restorers offer massive trees, quiet moments, and conversations with crows, squirrels, and the occasional fox. It’s no surprise that ‘The Lion King’ was my first West End musical choice, sensational!
Beyond the “arts,” my favourite thing about London is the acceptance, the freedom to be yourself, loudly and proudly. Inspired by this energy, I decided it was time for a change. Booking an appointment with an Italian stylist in Shoreditch, she cut all of my hair off.