Christmas Gift Guide 2018

Aesthetica collates 10 organisations providing inspiration for the festive season; delve into our list of ideas for art and culture lovers. From memberships to leading galleries to luxury items from brands pushing the boundaries of contemporary design, this guide is sure to spark your creativity.

1. Become a Friend of the Royal Academy, London

Royal Academy is currently celebrating 250 years of championing art, education and cultural debate. With exciting programming for 2019 – including a blockbuster exhibition of Bill Viola and Renzo Piano: The Art of Buildings – the gift of a Friend membership is perfect for those interested in getting exclusive previews to world-class exhibitions, and priority booking to all RA events.

Find out more here.

 

2. Olympus: E-M1 Mark II 

Experience Olympus’ most mobile camera system with the E-M1 Mark II Camera, a lightweight, weatherproof build model with a high-stamina battery. Receive cashback of £175. Additionally, you can add up 3 M.Zuiko PRO lenses and save £125 per lens. Save up to £550 in total with Olympus’ Christmas promotion in partnership with Aesthetica.

Find out more here. 

3. Art Fund’s National Art Pass

From Cardiff Castle and Kensington Palace to the V&A and Tate Modern – the National Art Pass gives free entry to over 240 museums, galleries and historic houses across the UK as well as 50% off entry to major exhibitions. Alongside this, the pass includes a subscription to Art Fund’s magazine, as well as an annual guidebook to important shows across the country.

Find out more here.

4. National Portrait Gallery Membership

Founded in 1856, the aim of NPG is “to promote through the medium of portraits the appreciation and understanding of the men and women who have made and are making British history and culture.” As one of the UK’s leading galleries, the gift of a membership provides year-round inspiration through seminal shows including the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, open until 27 January.

Find out more here.

5. Lust for Light, Gingko Press

Hannah Stouffer’s latest title tracks the evolution of light art through seminal names including Liz West, teamLab, Barry Underwood, Joanie Lemercier and more. This bold publication discusses the use of illumination in more traditional gallery forms as well as in three dimensional and large scale installation pieces.

Find out more here.

6. Swatch: Unique Designs

Inspired by nature, street art and geometric shapes, Swatch has launched new designs that offer countless options to pick the favourite story for your wrist. Alongside this, other collections are inspired by the likes of Damian Hirst, with limited edition models and unique artworks available over the festive season.

Find out more here.

7. Memberships to Tate 

Get priority access to Tate’s events and exhibitions, as well as access to unique member spaces across the gallery spaces. As part of Aesthetica’s 10 to See for the December / January season, the 2018 Turner Prize is part of this year’s exciting shows at Tate Britain, open until 6 January. In 2019, Tate Liverpool presents Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho: News from Nowhere.

Find out more here.

8. Polaroid OneStep Camera

Inspired by the original OneStep camera from 1977, this new Polaroid is an evolution of the recent OneStep 2.  Combining digital and analogue technologies, the instant camera connects to the Polaroid Originals app, unlocking six creative tools including double exposure and light painting.

Find out more here.

9. Minotti’s 2018 Collection

Minotti is an Italian company with a large reputation in the field of contemporary furniture design. This year, the brand launched a new decorative code with Salone del Mobile in Milan. At the same time modern, bright, graphic and incisive, it reinterprets the different stylistic languages of the designers who sign the 2018 Collection within a fully coordinated and harmonious project.

Find out more here.

10. A Subscription to Aesthetica Magazine

With over 160 pages of curated content per issue, including multi-page image features, Aesthetica Magazine is one of the UK’s leading art and culture publications. Covering art, architecture, design, fashion and photography, each issue delves into those changing the industry today, delving into wider topics and providing both creative and critical debate around the industry.

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Credits:
1. Barry Underwood, Drill. From Lust for Light. Courtesy of Gingko Press.
2 .Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Noumea, 1998. © Sergio Grazia. © ADCK – centre culturel Tjibaou / RPBW. From Renzo Piano: The Art of Making Buildings, running until 20 January.

3. Courtesy of Magic Owen and Olympus. Shot of Gemma Huh. Magic Owen is an Olympus Mentor.
3. Courtesy of Art Fund and Behance.
4. Five Girls (2014) by David Stewart. Part of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2015.
5. Blueprint, Joanie Lemercier, STRP biennale 2015, ©studio JL. project credit: Blueprint, a 15 minute audiovisual installation by Joanie Lemercier, 2015 Concept and visuals: Joanie Lemercier Music: James Ginzburg and Yair Glotman. Commissioned by STRP Biennale 2015, Eindhoven. Artist production: Juliette Bibasse. 
http://joanielemercier.com/blueprint.
6. From the Skin Irony series. Courtesy of Swatch.
7. Luke Willis Thompson, autoportrait, 2017. Installation view, Turner Prize 2018. Commissioned by Chisenhale Gallery and produced in partnership with Create. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Tate Britain.
8. Polaroid™ SX 70.
9. Images from the 2018 Collection. Courtesy of Minotti.
10. Marta Bevacqua. Editorial for Grazia Magazine France. Courtesy of the artist. From the December / January issue of Aesthetica Magazine.