October's App of the Month: grug, the free iPhone app where a caveman writes you one small piece of wisdom every morning, in lettering its makers drew by hand. Winner of Apple's 2026 Design Award for Delight and Fun. Cool Factor 4/5. @grug_app #grug #AppOfTheMonth #AppleDesignAwards #iPhoneApps #AppDesign
Armando Babaioff's mud-soaked Brazilian production of Tom at the Farm swings from intense drama to humour, with an incredible cast of four. Cool Factor 5/5.
Last updated: 14 October 2026
By Tristan · Arts, exhibitions and creative culture
Exhibition reviewLisson, Bell Street
Six decades of paint pushed through the back of the canvas.
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.
Cool Factor: 4/5
I went to the private view of Ha Chong-Hyun at Lisson on Thursday 24 September 2026. It is the Korean painter's first show with the gallery and his first in London since 2020. The survey covers six decades of work, spread across the ground floor and basement at 27 Bell Street. It runs until 7 November 2026, and entry is free. It is one of the big shows Lisson has on during Frieze London. I give it four out of five.
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Twelve new UK painters, free near the Barbican until 31 October. We gave the Freelands Painting Prize 2026 a 4/5, and our favourite wasn't the winner.
Khalif Tahir Thompson's first show with Victoria Miro brings eight paintings of Brooklyn to London. Our 3/5 review of Send in the Clowns.
My Siri AI review after three weeks of daily use on an iPhone 18 Pro and a Mac: what works, the daily connection errors and why it scores 3/5 Cool.
My This Is Still Not a Pipe review: around fifty Magrittes and 46 artists who followed him, free at Gagosian until 12 December. Cool Factor 5/5.
My Figma Creator Micro review: beautiful design and admirable build, but a price I found hard to justify. Cool Factor 3/5.
Art fairsSaatchi Gallery
A Sickert study best in show, a Hockney for ยฃ800, and naff AI art
Last updated: 28 September 2026. I checked every price and date in this British Art Fair review against the dealers' labels and the fair's own pages.
By Tristan ยท Arts, exhibitions and creative culture
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.
Cool Factor: 2/5
This British Art Fair review comes from the last afternoon of the 2026 fair, Sunday 27 September, when I spent a little over an hour going stand to stand at the Saatchi Gallery, just off the King's Road in Chelsea. It was the first edition since David Hockney passed away in June, and the fair built a tribute display around him.
The work I rated highest, though, was a small study of a church front in Dieppe by Walter Sickert, but we'll get to the highlights.
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October 6, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Quentin James McCaffrey at Alison Jacques Review
Last updated: 6 October 2026
By Tristan ยท Arts, exhibitions and creative culture
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.
Cool Factor: 3/5
Quentin James McCaffrey's first UK solo show was on at Alison Jacques from 3 September to 3 October 2026. Comprising fifteen small oil paintings of fictitious surrealist-Magritteish interiors. The panels hold a mirror, a doorway, a bouquet or a patch of sunlight. For me it was technically amazing, but a tad cold and overly referential. That was especially true with Magritte showing up the road at Gagosian at the same time.
The McCaffrey show has now closed. However, the Gagosian Magritte show is free and runs until 12 December 2026, which means you can still go and make the comparison yourself.
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