23 PAINTING FINISHED!!

After months of work, I have finally managed to finish my 23 small paintings representing each house at Berkahmsted School.

Here are a few samples of 'my little gems':


'Swifts'


'Bees'


'Wolstenholme'


I am now working on a camera less photographic series, which has to be preceded with working my original 23 drawings in watercolour sketches which will be turned into black in white acetates, ready for the dark room.

Here are some of my prototypes:


'Tilman'


'St George'


'Ashby'

These paintings are turned into black and white images:



'Old Stede'


'Wolstenholme'


'Holme'

Can't wait to work in the dark room!

AFGHANISTAN - CROSSROAD OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

On 17th March, after seeing a lot of various exhibitions, I decided to finish my day with the Afghanistan exhibition at the British Museum (finishes 3rd July 2011).

Though the museum wasn't that busy, I had to wait an hour to be able to get into the exhibition so I went to the library and took some photos of artifacts displayed in some of the cabinets:






After an hours wait, I was allowed in the exhibition. I am really surprised to discover that Afghanistan was not only at the heart of silk road but was also invaded by the Greeks.



Though the Greek status are extraordinary, I am really mesmerised by the glass fish, which are by all accounts very rare.



There are a number of burials displays which show many gold decorations. They would have been sewn on garments which have now disappeared. The gold flowers and ornaments, are exquisite and they are also earings, bracelets etc:



The most beautiful exhibit is the gold crown of a nomadic woman, shown on the posters advertising the show; it is quite breathtaking and it is definitely worth the wait:

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I would urge you to go and see this show which provide us with a view of an culturally rich Afghanistan, far from the war ravaged country one might assume. Another must see, you will learn far more than what you expect!

MODERN BRITISH SCULPTURE, ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS - MONA HATOUM, WHITE CUBE

On 17th March, after British Art Show 7, 'In the day of the comet', I went to the Royal Academy of Arts to see the controversial Modern British Sculpture show and also popped in the White cube Mason's Yard to see the Mona Hatoum show.

After the wonders of BAS7, I was expecting something sensational from the RA. I was greeted by a shed in the courtyard. It is a reproduction of artist Kurt Schwitters' Barn,. This disused Cumbrian farm building is a reproduction on the one the German émigré was in the midst of transforming into a hybrid of architecture and installation art when he died in 1948. This is to illustrate the private place where an artist would work, very different from the work seen within the exhibition showing private works in a public space.



The show starts with Edwin Luthyen's Cenotaph and Jocob Epstein's Cycle of life which are more or less dismiss as they are disappointedly printed on 2d posters. The second room is not limited to the British art and includes sculpture from Native American, Indian and African traditions. They sit alongside modern British work from 1910 to 1939 to highlight the inquisitiveness of British artists. I loved the Moai Hava Easter Island head in black basalt as well as an african wood carving:



Jacob Epstein's 'Adam' in room 3 cannot be missed, this massive alabaster deliberately provocative naked man stares you in the face and is more explicit than one would expect at the Royal Academy, non the less, this is a sculptural masterpiece:



Room 4 leaves me very cold and untouched by Queen Victoria's Jubilee Monument by Alfred Gilbert, it has all the embodiment of power one would expect of the representation of a Queen and yet, it is displayed in a corner and feels very lifeless. At this point, my attention span is lagging behind and I start looking and not recording much.



So here are some image of the work I can still recall including Tony Cragg's 'Stack':



Barbara Hepworth's 'Pelagos':



One of my favorites: Bill Woodrow's 'Electric Fire with yellow fish':



and Damien Hirst's 'Let's eat outside today'




I was very disappointed as there were no Antony Gormley, no Peter Randall-Page, no Cornelia Parker or Anish Kapoor , nor Rachel Whiteread. These are quintessentially British and yet they are not reprensted in this exhibition - I guess you can't please everybody! (Exhibition finishes 7th April 2011)

I thought the White Cube would cheer me up after the RA's debacle so took myslef too Mason's Square to see her 'Bunker' exhibition.

On the first floor hang 35 swings, with carved maps of capitals cities on the seats. The swings are in constant motion and I can walk in between them freely. Seems that this is no piece about childhood, but much more about movement and maybe migration.



On the ground-floor, I am faced by a major installation of 23 metal rectangular structures of various sizes. This is stark, lifeless and still. Though it is supposed to be a reminder of war conflict, I find the installation a pastiche of real life wartime and far to clinical as the structures themselves are very new and undamaged.



In the smaller basement gallery, maps of Beirut rest with 3d circles receding upwards or downwards, maybe marking area of bombing. This is a very touching piece: yes, it is very neat and sleek, like the bunkers, but somewhat much more touching. Maybe the language of coloured maps is just easier to read than stark metal boxes.



The beautiful cut within the maps bring into play the decorative and maybe the positive nature of reconstruction after mass destruction, an exhibition not to be missed! (Exhibition finishes 2nd April 2011)

GALLERY VISITS

On Thursday 17th, I left Chesham stationto go and see a number of exhbitions in the heart of London as follows:

- British Art Show 7, 'In the days of the comet', at the Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, finishes 17th April
- Modern British Sculpture, at the Royal Academy of Arts, finishes 7th April,
- Mona Hatoum, at the White Cube Mason's Yard, finishes 2nd April,
- London Temporary Ceramics Centre, near the British Museum
- Afghanistan, at the British Museum, finishes 3rd July.

I will review each exhibition one day at a time, starting by 'In the days of the comet', British Art Show 7 at the Southbank Centre. I had no idea what to expect, but boy, what a brilliant start to my day.



The show begins with Phoebe Unwin's canvases which are somewhat compelling: there is a kind of inebriating simplicity to the work which makes you want to see more, this young lady is definitely on the way up:



In contrast with Unwin's colourful work, is Charles Avery's
massive black and white fictional drawing reflecting on the world around us. This has real impact, perspective and details really draw you in this 'Island' project, which is accompanied by an enormous vitrine and its abandoned young lady soon to be attacked by a one armed snake.

Next I am drawn to Wolfgang Tillmans's Freischwimmer 155, a camera less image, recording movement on photosensitive paper.



His tabletop installation feature newspaper and magazine articles and images, giving me an idea of the artist"s way of thinking.

Maaike Schoorel's atmospheric figurative paintings sit very comfortably next to Tillmans's work. These washed out paintings slowly reveal their secrets: the more you stare at them, the more legible they become.



Next to Schoorel's work, Roger Hiorns shows a seemingly abandoned bench with one side on fire and with a young naked man on the other. The scene resembles a modern version of man discovering fire. A few minutes later, the fire stops and the young man disappears: I am not sure what I feel about this work but I love the transformation of the bench, the magic of the fire which has a life of its own, and apparition / dispersion of the young man.


The artwork behind Hiorns bench is David Noonan's large-scale monochrome tapestry made up of layered collage, in which images and patterns are superimposed, quite something:



Later,I become mesmerized by Elizabeth Price's film User Group Discowhere the actors are everyday objects and utensils and the music brings them to live. As black and white super sensual cups and kitchen ware are given life, they make me smile and I watch this mary go round for a second time.

I am also attracted to Milena Dragicevic distorted portraits, were abstraction transforms faces - Paintings does not always touch me, but these faces do:



I finish this personal tour with a film which is a MUST. I can't show images of it or clips as their are too many: Christian Marclay's The clock. This is without a doubt the best piece of work I have seen in a long time,it's simple in its complexity: a twenty four hour clock made of amontage of clips from movies synchronized with local time. I watch the film between 11.50 and midday and every clip, in sequence with great music updats me on the time by showing watches, big clocks, small clocks, electronic clocks etc. Totally awesome: A MUST SEE. This one is iconic!



Sarah Lucas also has a big presence in this exhibition with her uncomfortable tight filled forms on brick pedestals, if you like her work you should get a train to the Hayward before the show finishes.