From keen gallery-goers to theatre darlings, here are some great gifts for your favourite culture vulture
With blockbuster exhibitions like ‘Marina Abramović’ at the RA and ‘Diva’ at the V&A, massive new shows including ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ and ‘A Little Life’, and the reopening of both Young V&A and the National Portrait Gallery, 2023 really feels like the year London’s arts and culture scene finally got over the lingering effects of the panny d. Got a culture-obsessed bestie who’s always on the way to the next big opening? Treat them to something from here.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out our seriously cool Christmas Gift Guide
F*ck you d*ckhead, buy this f*cking swearbox by those sh*theads Gilbert & George. Every time you say a swear word like c**t, t**t, c**k, w**k, b******d, b***h, a******e or even p********r, pop a quid in the box, and soon you’ll have enough dosh to buy some soap to wash your filthy f***ing mouth out with. P***k.
Truly nothing says ‘sophisticated theatre-lover who is also very ethical' as these £89 earrings made from bits of the National Theatre itself. Which bits? We’re not entirely sure: the Denys Lasden-built brutalist icon is famously made of concrete, which these appear not to be, but there’s plenty of NT to go round and these earring would be nice whatever globally famous theatre they were made of, being crafted by Pivot Jewelry, a London-based sustainable and ethical company providing employment opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness.
If you don’t know the Tottenham based fashion brand Sports Banger, you really have been living under a rock for the last 10 years. Jonny Banger’s shop/studio/party venue on Seven Sisters Road is one of the reasons N17 is now so damn cool. That NHS Nike swoosh t-shirt you saw everywhere was him. The upside-down Reebok logo tee worn by Skepta was him too. The original London bootleg boy now runs Heras Records, regularly hosts his ‘MEGA RAVE’ parties at clubs like Fabric and has slowly built a fashion empire creating catwalk garms that feature in the pages of Vogue. All of which is documented in this lovely coffee table book. Buy it for the right-on fashion conscious activist in your family.
£28, www.shop.tate.org.uk
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