Nº 24: Grove Collective: Jacob & Ella
Gallery director, Jacob and magazine editor, Ella rec empanadas in Victoria Park, the A9 bus, their go-to resource to keep up with the London art scene and much more!
We’re back with duo Jacob and Ella. Read on to find out what they're into, and if you’re new here, hit subscribe for secret recommendations once a week.
Jacob Barnes is the American-born, Irish-raised co-director of Grove Collective, a gallery in London, his girlfriend Ella Fox-Martens is an Australian/South African freelance writer and editor for Wasifiri Magazine in East London.
☞ SHOCK OF THE NOW NEWSLETTER: Hector Campbell, all-time good guy in London's art world, runs a great newsletter that we regularly use to keep up with what's going on. He's also a stellar writer and behind many of London's exhibition texts, so much as that famous line in Whit Stillman's Metropolitan, we can read them and know both what they're about and what to think of them.
☞ VICTORIA PARK SUNDAY MARKET: Pork and prawn dumplings, Venezuelan arepas, Indonesian coconut curry and the world's nicest and most handsome (sorry Jacob) Argentinian man serving empanadas and his homemade chimichurri sauce –– find them all at Victoria Park on a Sunday, 10-4pm.
☞ THE A9 BUS: We travel quite a bit, and the A9 bus takes us from Stansted to our local tube stop to the sweet tune of £9. The Stansted Express is a lie, and besides the one time the driver got into an accident (a fender bender) in Bow, it's been smooth sailing.
☞ DUBLIN: One of the very best things to do in London is leave –– it will give you an increased appreciation and tolerance for the smoke-choked city you call home. My favourite place to go to is Dublin, which is resplendent with literary history, moody architecture, and Jacob's mom, who gives me great hugs and says I'm looking really pretty. If you don't have Jacob's mom it's still pretty good, I guess.
☞ CANAL RUNNING: As the nights get longer, I (Jacob) enjoy running in the evenings, and the canal is one of the few places that allows you to go for longer distances uninterrupted, especially in East London. This one isn't exciting, but it's the truth.
☞ SHARED SHOWERS, SEPARATE BATHROOMS: Some experiences are really nice to share together as a couple. Others are not.
☞ ALWAYS EAT DINNER TOGETHER: Our schedules often runs odd hours, so we don't always get to choose, but when possible, we prioritise eating dinner together – just that little bit of time together can mean the world when you'd otherwise be living past your partner, not with them.
☞ LISTENING TO:
Trust Fund – either "we'll both apologise" or "cut me out": Bristol's response to the Philly noise scene of the early 2010s, it's whiny in all the right ways.
Henru's brand of laid-back, cool boy Afrikaans rap makes me feel right at home. Alternatively, Allday's brand of laid-back, cool boy Australian rap. If you couldn't tell I like laid-back, cool boys (sorry Jacob).
☞ HATES:
People who pretend they're too good for Sally Rooney – We know you cried over Normal People
People who like Sally Rooney too much – Do better
Our upstairs neighbours: fuck you
Our landlord: It's a stairwell, not a rave. Change the lights
People in London who carry New Yorker totes –– if you're not repping your team (LRB) don't rep a team at all.
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Listen to the tunes our guests rec here.