Viewers are cast as voyeurs in Tai Shani’s crimson-hued London exhibition

British artist Tai Shani creates mystical other worlds through sculpture, performance and film. Step inside at Gathering

Hannah Silver's avatar
By
published
in Features
coloured artworks
‘Tai Shani: Cardinal’, until 8 November 2025 at Gathering, London, UK
(Image credit: Photography by Ollie Hammick. Courtesy of Gathering and the artist.)

Turner Prize-winning artist Tai Shani caps off a big year with a solo show, ‘Tai Shani: Cardinal’, at Gathering in London. Shani often draws on historical and mythical references to consider the role of desire in society today, themes that run through this exhibition, which is presented across the gallery’s two floors.

coloured artworks

‘Tai Shani: Cardinal’, until 8 November 2025 at Gathering, London, UK

(Image credit: Photography by Ollie Hammick. Courtesy of Gathering and the artist.)

coloured artworks

‘Tai Shani: Cardinal’, until 8 November 2025 at Gathering, London, UK

(Image credit: Photography by Ollie Hammick. Courtesy of Gathering and the artist.)

Upstairs, a room rich in regal crimsons and deep purples makes a sumptuous background for a series of opulent paintings, while downstairs, visitors are invited to view work through a peep hole. An animated installation, set to music by Maxwell Sterling, draws from Marcel Duchamp’s surreal universe in its depiction of an unknowable landscape. Throughout, the viewer is cast in the role of voyeur, caught between the tension of the pomp and the stripped-back.

coloured artworks

‘Tai Shani: Cardinal’, until 8 November 2025 at Gathering, London, UK

(Image credit: Photography by Ollie Hammick. Courtesy of Gathering and the artist.)

‘Tai Shani: Cardinal’, in on until 8 November 2025 at Gathering, London, UK

This article appears in the November 2025 Art Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands from, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News + from 9 October. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

TOPICS
Hannah Silver
Hannah Silver

Hannah Silver is a writer and editor with over 20 years of experience in journalism, spanning national newspapers and independent magazines. Currently Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*, she has overseen offbeat art trends and conducted in-depth profiles for print and digital, as well as writing and commissioning extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury since joining in 2019.