Marco Capaldo has Sonic Youth waiting on the line for you

Imagine picking up the phone and on the other end of the line, instead of your mum asking why you’ve not called her in two weeks, or your best friend moaning about her latest situationship’s sleazy antics, it’s Sonic Youth, or Kathy Acker, or Eileen Myles, or Patti Smith, and they all want to read you a poem. This is exactly – or at least close to – what happens when you yank up the receiver of the old-school landline telephone marked ‘Dial-A-Poem’ at Marco Capaldo’s first fully-realised exhibition, Memories of the Future.

Taking place across Frieze at No. 9 Cork Street, the show brings together John Giorno’s seminal work – which aimed to bring poetry to all no matter their background – with landmark pieces from Andy Warhol, and throws a series of rising stars into the mix. Across the stripped-back space, there are paintings from George Ruoy, Remi Ajani, and Rhea Dillon.

“I’ve always loved beautiful things,” Capaldo explains. “I love diving into the world artists create, and the experience of both understanding – and sometimes not understanding – how their minds work.” Though he’s more used to working in an atelier over a gallery, and curating a model line-up over a bunch of artists, there has always been a crossover when it comes to contemporary art and his clothing line, 16Arlington. 

At September’s buzzy SS25 show, which took part amid the chaos of London Fashion Week, the designer commissioned upcoming creative Jesse Pollock to bring to life a sculpture that stood at the centre of the show venue, with Pollock’s work also on display within this new show. With Frieze kicking off in London this weekend, make sure you stop by Cork Street to see it.