M HKA

We are going to round off this year of posts with a recommendation of an institution that you should visit if you are ever in the area. It's the Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp, known as: M HKA. It's a really fantastic place to go and see some very well put together exhibitions. Currently on display are:

• Robert Filliou - The Secret of Permanent Creation (on until 22/01/17)
• IN SITU: Michèle Matyn - Breathing Holes (on until 05/02/17)
• From Broodthaers to Braeckman - Photography in the Visual Arts in Belgium (on until 05/02/17)

Each of these exhibitions are really worth a visit. Despite going there to see the works of Filliou, I have to say that the exhibition that I enjoyed the most was that of Michèle Matyn. The exhibition was so well put together and felt very cohesive for a body of work. The flow of the room and the art pieces worked really well. 

You do have to pay to get into the M HKA but if you are under 26 (I think) it is much cheaper. Regardless I think it is worth the price. I found it rather unsuspecting for Antwerp to have a place like this but it really is well placed. Antwerp on a whole is worth a visit in any case. This place is one that I highly recommend.

The Lorraine Special

The Lorraine region in France has it all going on this month. Below is a brief run down on what’s on in three different areas of the region.

1. Zone Sensibles  @ FRAC (Fond Regional d’Art Contemporain), Metz

    Until 23^rd October 2016 (Exhibition), FREE

FRAC is a contemporary art gallery in the city of Metz. (Which, happily for us is free, no matter what your age.) This exhibition concerned itself with the exploration of maps and our depictions of them. I can’t say that I was crazed about this exhibition, but the last thing we saw made the trip worthwhile.  An ephemeral installation by Nipan Oranniwesna (from Bangkok born in 1962) addresses the final use of paper maps. (See above.) He uses talcum powder to create an imaginary ghost-city. He makes it something tangible, but barely. This piece really takes your breath away and is a great way to close the exhibition.

2.  Festival du Film Arabe @ various locations, Fameck

     Until 16^th October 2016 (Film), from 5 – 15 €

This year sees the 27^th edition of the festival take place. Each day, different feature length film is offered for viewing. For the price of 15 €, you can enjoy a film and a meal. (The meal is either couscous or tagine. With a choice of tea and cakes at a further charge.) This offers you the chance to see films that aren’t part of mainstream cinema (not in the West at least) so really is a great opportunity to see something new.

3. Nancy Jazz Pulsations @ various locations, Nancy

    Until 15^th October 2016 (Music), various prices including some FREE events

This is a fantastic festival. I’m just going straight out there and saying it. They have a very diverse program this year, with musicians that infuse all different types of genres with jazz. Most concerts you have to pay for – but your ticket comprises of 3 acts normally. Other concerts are completely free. Something of note for this festival: on the Sunday when the festival takes place there is a concert in the park. Completely free. Parc de la Pépinière is transformed in a music festival, with different tents in the park some for music, some stands for food etc. On the Sunday that I went, I had the good fortune of finding out about this band: Gallowstreet. They are VERY good. Google them and you’ll see. If you enjoy music, I think that Nancy Jazz Pulsations is definitely one worth going to, or at least keeping an eye on in your calendar.

Monet's Garden

Visiting Monet? 
I have one major piece of advice, and one major piece of advice only. Pick your season well.

This visit was taken in mid-September, and luckily for us, the sun was still shining down on the little village of Giverny, where Monet used to live.

How do I get there?
From Paris’ train station Gare Saint-Lazare, you take a train to Vernon. (It takes roughly 45 minutes to get there. And costs just under 30 euros return.) Once you’re at Vernon, you can catch a bus that takes approx. 20 minutes to get you to Giverny for 8 euros return fare.

Once you arrive in Giverny, it is a simple walk from the car park to the village centre where you can visit where the main man used to live and his garden. I hadn’t really given much thought to his house beforehand (but it was beautiful and worth the time weaving up and down his spiral stairs.) Decorated so beautifully, and in a way (that when you think about it) makes sense to the man you’d imagine Monet to be. But his garden. His garden is the true brilliance here.

Monet’s Money Making Garden?
As I’m getting older (such wisdom follows me) I’m finding myself appreciating gardens and landscaping much more than before. His garden was a mixture of colour, vibrancy and such amazing smells. If I could have bottled it, and taken it home I would have. There were so many butterflies. There were so many bees. (There were quite a few people as well, but not too many.)

There are different parts to the garden, and perhaps the most famous, is his water garden, where his bridge and famous water lilies live.

The cost to see his house and gardens is not too much, 5.50 euros if you’re a student, and under 10 if you’re full adult price.

What else is there?
Once you’re in Giverny, you can also visit Monet’s grave or go to the Impressionist Museum that they have.

Final thoughts?
Overall, it was a lovely day, a little pricey once all travel and tickets were added together, but a place that was definitely worth visiting – and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

(On last thing: if you plan on going, and don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on food, definitely take a picnic. Or at least some snacks.)

Liverpool Biennial 2016

This edition of the 9th Liverpool Biennial opened on 9th July (the best day ever) and will conclude on 16th October. (And as far as I know, all (if not most) of things programmed are free. So regardless of what I say down below, always worth remembering there is no monetary risk in finding out whether or not you enjoy what is on display.

I took a day trip (and as with all day trips) there was only so much I was able to see. So. This review shall come in three parts.

1. Things I saw that were worth my time.
2. Things I saw that weren’t worth my time.
3. Things I wish I had seen that I feel would have been worth my time.

As with everything, let’s start at the beginning.

1. Things I saw that were worth my time.

FACT
Krzysztof Wodiczko has a solo exhibition at FACT, and as part of his body of work, there is a restaging of his piece that was part of the Venice Biennale in 2009, named ‘Guests’. This piece of work is one of the best things I have seen in a long time. Despite being made 7 years ago, this work is something that still holds true (and so relevant) to our current global climate. By cleverly using light projections to create life-size silhouettes Wodiczko highlights many realities for immigrants. This work gives a voice to those who often aren’t able to speak. An entire room houses the installation, so you are surrounded by these ‘invisible faceless’ people, all speaking their mother tongue. Each section simultaneously tells a story of someone from a different country in a different language, so when you first enter the space things are indistinguishable until you choose a ‘window’ to focus on. I have to say, not many visual art pieces have had a deep emotional impact on me, in fact only a visit to Henri Matisse’s Chapel in Vence has made my cry. (A beautiful piece of artwork for another post.) But this piece, ‘Guests’ by Krzysztof Wodiczko made me cry. Everything about it is so important. And it all comes back to one simple point. It’s easy to blindly group together people under the title of ‘immigrant’ and not really give a thought to the individuals in that group. But when you stop to listen to their stories, fluently in their mother tongue that they can’t use as they used to, having to deal without everyday necessities that we take for granted, you see the humanity placed back into that blanket term ‘immigrants’. And that’s so important. We seem to have forgotten this important point. That simple fact: that we are all human.

Seriously, I can’t recommend this solo exhibition enough, the rest of it is just as worth your time, particularly a clever use of projections of war veterans speaking about their experiences of war on a memorial of Abraham Lincoln.

This was definitely worth my time. (And would be yours too.)

Bloomberg New Contemporaries
As is customary with the Bloomberg New Contemporaries (work by new graduates), they show somewhere else before making it down to London showing at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (usually in November.) For me, there was one stand out piece of this year's edition of the Bloomberg New Contemporaries (showing at Bluecoat). It’s placed in the room upstairs, at the far end, and is a video on a TV screen. Please, please, please, take the time to put on the headphones and watch the work by Zarina Muhammad. She’s produced two videos, but for me, my favourite is called Digjihad (2015) and lasts for just over two minutes. She takes all the memes, everything on the internet, the gifs, the sparkly text, all the videos, on ISIS etc and creates this masterpiece that is so bad it’s good. It’s brilliant. And the song that accompanies the video is so great that I have no words. If you can’t check it out in Liverpool, and you can get to London when it’s on there, do go and see it. This I loved.

Tate Liverpool
Again, (I’ve just noticed) all these three pieces I’m talking about are related. Like cousins that get along swimmingly at family gatherings. Anyway, the third and final piece that was worth my time was a piece in Tate Liverpool. It is an approx. 4 minute video by Ramin Haerizadeh, Rokni Haerizadeh and Hesam Rahmanian called Big Rock Candy Mountain (2015). It’s an animation that has been created by using stills from film footage of ISIS militants destroying historical artefacts and toppling statues in Iraq and Syria. The fallen monuments are reanimated, given a new life, and the soldiers turned into new (and sometimes mocking) figures. What I like about this, is that the artists are creating something new from something destroyed. They’ve created a new version of censorship from the rubbles of a misguided, horrific act.

2. Things I saw that weren’t worth my time.

FACT
There was a video upstairs in FACT. After having seen the fantastic-ness that was downstairs with Wodiczko’s work, this paled in comparison. It's called Pharmakon by Lucy Beech and it was questioning the idea of hypochondria in the modern world, and the solace you can take in others. It was filmed in a way that roused intrigue, but ultimately it wasn’t something that grabbed me, and not something I would classify as a piece of video art. It read more as something for the cinema. Too much acting for my liking. And something that was never resolved. Call me impatient, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. (Worth noting, that some friends I was with enjoyed it, so it all comes down to opinion. As always.)

Tate Liverpool
Everything else at Tate that wasn’t that video mentioned above. I know, I know. Perhaps it was because it was the last thing we saw. But, to be fair, I think the themes of this edition of the Biennial didn’t work in its favour, and this room was completely dedicated to it, and it just didn’t work. But I’ll go onto that later.

Liverpool ONE
This was a piece that I was most looking forward to. It's called 'To-day 9th of July 2016' by Mariana Castillo Deball. It is meant to represent the history of 9th July across many years in a large sculptural form that looks like a set of wooden stairs. Only it wasn’t what I expected. And the newspapers that were part of the piece (that was being used as a giant picnic bench (which I have no problem with, that’s just how people were interacting with it as it is located in a public space) were nowhere to be seen. Basically it wasn’t being maintained very well, and I know that part of it is ‘leaving it to the elements’ but it would have been nice to see a newspaper. Even if it was one we couldn’t have taken away. The description of this piece online and in the free brochure you can get (that we picked up from the train station) promised so much more to what was offered. Which you can read here. (That way you can decide for yourselves.)

3. Things I wish I had seen that I feel would have been worth my time.

Rhiwlas Street

Now, this is a site-specific installation that is installed in a suburban area of Liverpool (and because of that reason, and being located in the city centre for the day) we were unable to see this. It looks like a really interesting and natural intervention with its environment. Something that is visually very striking and due to that can mean many different things to different people. It's called 'Momentary Moment - The Stone' by Lara Favaretto. Read some more about it here.

Toxteth Reservoir

This piece is only available to view on the weekend (and as luck would have it, I visited on a Tuesday) so was unable to see it. Honestly, any work that plays with light peaks my interest and this was no exception. This would have definitely been seen had it been open. The artist of the work is Rita McBride.

So that’s it in terms of those three parts, of things I had seen and enjoyed, seen and disliked, and wish had been seen.  Overall, Liverpool is a lovely city to experience via art, and as stated earlier, it’s free. But, the Biennial itself as a cohesive event didn’t feel very clear with its direction.  The themes chosen felt very disjointed to the work. As if, at times, they were trying to make the theme fit these works even though you can’t fit a square key into a round hole.

Here is what the official website writes about this year's direction:

"Liverpool Biennial 2016 explores fictions, stories and histories, taking viewers on a series of voyages through time and space, drawing on Liverpool’s past, present and future. These journeys take the form of six ‘episodes’: Ancient Greece, Chinatown, Children’s Episode, Software, Monuments from the Future and Flashback. They are sited in galleries, public spaces, unused buildings, through live performance and online. Many of the artists have made work for more than one episode, some works are repeated across different episodes, and some venues host more than one episode."

Software, Ancient Greece and Chinatown etc all feel a little disjointed to be themes under one umbrella, and I feel that, that messiness in vision made the whole Biennial feel incoherent. It felt like separate divided pieces, rather than a whole. (The theme that took residence in the Tate, for those wondering, was Ancient Greece.) In any case, I look forward to seeing what form the next edition holds.

That’s it for my first experience of the Liverpool Biennial, one that I hoping to repeat despite not loving everything. But then again, it’s good not to always like everything you see, reaffirms the stuff you do like. So if you can, overall, it’s recommended. You just need to tailor your visit to you.

Review: Georgia O'Keeffe (EXHIBITION)

A retrospective of one of the most famous female painters of the 20th century is currently on at the Tate Modern in London until 30th October. The main attraction for me to see this exhibition was having studied O'Keeffe's floral works. Which is all I knew her for: her florals. (Probably similarly to the rest of the world.) But, she is so much more than that, and her body of work encompasses many more themes than her famed floral close-ups.

The exhibition is thematically displayed in a very logical easy to digest way (which is what you'd expect from any Tate exhibition.) We are guided through O'Keeffe's back catalogue, starting from her earliest charcoal pieces, to more personal displays about her life, Stieglitz and their inner circle, to her New York cityscapes and of course, to her flowers and still lifes. 

I enjoyed weavingmy way through the rooms and seeing works I didn't know existed. I also really enjoyed seeing O'Keeffe's work that I was more familiar with. (There's nothing quite like experiencing artworks in real life that you've seen time and time again in books or online.)

The stand out work for me is 'Special No.9 - 1915' (see image above). Reproductions (as ever) don't do it justice. It is something you've got to see in person. O'Keeffe's mark making and feeling in this piece is just something I find very difficult to put into words.

I only have one reservation about this exhibition: the price. It is too expensive. It is far too much money. For a student ticket it costs £15.40, for an adult (with no additional donation) it costs £17.20. And that is a lot of money. A lot. I assume (and we all know what you say when you assume) that the money recovered from the cost of tickets will go towards covering the exhibition, any additional staff costs, and (probably) any profit will just be pumped back into Tate Modern and its permanent collection, as all of that is, spectacularly free. But still, when it comes individually to coughing up this money, it is a lot. And it's a shame, because the hefty price tag makes it an exhibition you will not take a gamble on. Only those who know O'Keeffe, will go to see O'Keeffe. It alienates a whole untapped audience. 

And because of the price tag, I would only really go to this exhibition if you like O'Keeffe, or want to see the range of her work.

Magic Pianos

Nottingham Contemporary. Simon Starling. Free. Closes 26th June 2016. Reason to go? This piano. This automatic, self-playing, beautiful piano. Name of music played? Red, Green, Blue, Loom Music (2015 - 16). Go and see it. Go.

Review: Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf (EXHIBITION)

On until 19th June at the New Art Exchange in Nottingham, let me introduce you to Doug Fishbone's Leisure Land Golf! Costs £2 for an adult, or £1.50 for a concession. 

This art exhibition proves to be the perfect 'viewing' for people who might find more traditional gallery experiences boring.

As the name suggest, you play a round of mini golf. Each hole having been designed by an artist with a concept behind it. Near each hole there is an interpretation panel to explain the thought process behind each piece. I think that this art mini golf is a great idea and a great way to engage people. It's also a really fun, playful way to explore darker subject matter. (Than you'd expect for mini golf in any case.)

I think there are certain designed holes that will resonate more with certain people. I just want to quickly mention the hole that the course finishes with. (It's the righthand image.) This final hole is Ellie Harrison's 'Life Raft'. It is 'a scale map of the UK floating in the adjacent canal - [it] offers a safe haven to immigrant golf balls that can make the treacherous crossing.' Essentially, you have one chance on this hole. From your platform that represents mainland Europe (and more specifically Calais) you are asked to hit your ball into in the United Kingdom. Anywhere within the boundary, on the first go. And it is so much harder than it looks. I didn't make it the first time (but landed in Scotland the second.) It's such a great method to make you re-evaluate your own thinking, and add a new perspective. You are literally made to look from the other side. We become the outside looking in, and the chances of safely making that journey become a serious unlikelihood. It really makes you appreciate the difficulty and hardships that people face to make it to our country. And how we easily take that for granted. (I know this seems to be a lot to take away from a game of mini golf, but that's the brilliance about this course.)

Definitely, definitely, if you are in Nottingham, or around, definitely go and see it! If not, I think it may be touring the UK (I think it has been a few places already) but I could be making all this up. Also, keep an eye out on the New Art Exchange, they seem to do some interesting things. 

Review: In the Age of Giorgione (EXHIBITION)

Just a quickie here. In the Age of Giorgione at the Royal Academy. On until 5th June. It is what you'd expect from what I'll bluntly call an 'old painting exhibition'. To put it bluntly again, I wouldn't have paid for it (I have a membership card, normally costs £10 without donation) but it was enjoyable. (But perhaps because it was fun adding stories to sassily painted faces and fancy bouffant hairstyles.)

Not sure I'd recommend (but mainly because of my personal tastes) but if some serious art history is your thing then you'll enjoy this. If not, maybe give it a miss.

The Glasgow International Chronicles: Part IV

So little bit late in terms of the Glasgow International. But this exhibition is on until 19th June (so I feel like I can be pardoned for my lateness.)

Akram Zaatari, a Lebanese artist, presents selected works at this new exhibition for The Common Guild in Glasgow. My favourite piece in the exhibition was 'Tomorrow Everything Will Be Alright', 2010 - a 12 minute video. (See the image above.)

This whole exhibition deals with love, cultural identity and the development of technology. This is only a quick post to say this is an intriguing exhibition to see. It is rare that non-western work is presented within the contemporary art scene with such weight, and these works slip in there effortlessly with their valid contribution. What I liked the most about the exhibition is that his Arab roots are very much in the work, but they do not drown it. It's a very subtle presence that adds to what is trying to be said, rather than consuming the whole concept.

If in Glasgow - go and see. (It's free!) Also he is the founder of the Arab Image Foundation, which is an artist-driven organisation with a collection of over 600,000 images (started in 1997) to preserve photographs from the region - something that is worth a peek.

That concludes 'The Glasgow International Chronicles'. I hope you enjoyed the whirlwind tour of what I had to say on this marvellous contemporary art festival! Definitely something that is worth keeping on your art radar.

The Glasgow International Chronicles: Part III

Next on my list of my whirlwind tour of Glasgow International is the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA). Entrance is free!! In conjunction with the festival, the space has been taken over with some specially commissioned pieces. I had chance to see three out of the four exhibits, one whole heartedly recommended, one slightly recommended and the other unfortunately not so much. But it comes down to taste rather than quality in this instance I feel.

First, the not so great. (Now my opinion might be bias as this was the last one I visited and I was aware I was on a time restriction.)

Third Hand: Autonomous Art from Scottish Prisons. This exhibition is in until 23rd April. For opening times check the CCA website. This exhibition is a tin. (Does what it says.) The show presents works of art created by prisoners creating artwork for the first time. For me, (and although it is a great cause and premise (any introduction of making into anybody's life at any time has nothing but a positive impact in my eyes)) it lacks the criticality that is present in other art of similar vain. It follows the trend of 'outsider art' but instead of presenting the show with the same validity of other contemporary art shows, it looses its chance to ask the audience to see beyond the labels of 'naive' and 'outsider art' as the brochure suggests. It feels crammed into a little corner of a room. (I wasn't that into the artwork itself either. What can I say? Sometimes you like what you like and you don't what you don't.) If you are there in the building already you might as well have a skirt around. But I wasn't that into it.

Now the slightly recommended. This exhibit is called: The Polity of (symbol) and is open until 25th April. Open daily.

The exhibition is particularly pertinent today due to the theme it deals with. Φ is (quote) a floating nomadic country without possession of any landmass rooted on earth, whose occupants live, work and play together as an autonomous community. This utopian state is manifested in the form of an intergalactic vessel. 

This exhibition is part of a community-led research project, encouraging an open dialogue on the right to inhabit specific geographies instigating an inquiry into who exactly is welcome in Britain. 

They try and create a different experience as soon as you enter the door. (If I'm honest it reminds me of a parody of a cult (the kind of representations in films.)) Flags are hanging everywhere, what feels like a propaganda film plays in the background promoting this version of society. A row of chairs (ready for unannounced rallies) faces an official looking set up. Government booths which you approach to fill out a form to receive a visa. Dependent on how you fill the form, depends on whether or not your visa is accepted.

I completely get what they were trying to do - and I did enjoy it. The only thing was the visa application. What I thought would be a double sided sheet was a full on A5 booklet full of very difficult questions about geography and current/historical affairs. Now I'm not very good at this when it comes to my own country, so when it was focussed on Africa and Asia I really struggled. Particularly as some of the events focussed on living memory but before my year of birth. (A lady never tells her age, but I'll let you know it's the early 90s.) I liked that it highlighted how ignorant we are when world issues not concerning the West/ Europe are not as valued or known as the rest of the world. But, after the third page of these difficult questions, the visa application just made me feel stupid. I think it was too long, and because of that they may struggle to get all the answers they wanted, as half way through I just started to guess them all unless I thought I knew the answer.

In summary: nice idea. Not realised to the best of its potential. Worth a sniff.

Finally, and not least by any means, the exhibit I found myself drawn to. (In honesty, I came to see the exhibition mentioned above, but I fell in love with this one.) Simply named after the artist (Pilvi Takala) the show displays an overview of her work to date. (Including a new commission by Creative Scotland to revisit a previous performance.)

She intelligently investigates social situations and human behaviour by subtly subverting the norm. (Essentially, Takala becomes the unexpected in a regular situation with invisible written rules that are followed by everyone else. She successfully, very gently, disrupts societal routine to create quiet ripples that have very present and very visible repercussions.)

Her work primarily exists in video. There were some key standouts from her selected works that were on display that made me question things I wouldn't have given a second thought to before.

The Trainee, 13.52 min, 2008.

This was a month long project where the artist (with only a select few knowing of the true reason of her being there) posed as a marketing trainee using odd working methods. She shifted her focus from working to thinking. For example, the film shows her repeatedly riding the lift up and down the different floors of the office building 'thinking'. Some colleagues found this amusing, some clearly thought she was weird. This particular exercise she tried ended in an email being sent to her manager. She tries other tactics to subvert the norm - so I thought this film was definitely worth a watch.

To briefly name a few others I would recommend researching:

• Wallflower, 10.25 min, 2006
• Easy Rider, 4.25 min, 2006
• Broad Sense, 8.36 mins, 2011
• Lost Pigeons, posters, phone, 5 min sound, 2012 

The exhibition had a very clean and simple layout, with one room dedicated to a piece entitled Broad Sense. Once finished with this room, the long rectangular space is transformed by multiple TVs hung from the ceiling, each with two chairs. (Good choices of seating here. Tate take note.) But the extra touch that worked so well was that the clothes (or props) that featured so heavily in a few of the pieces are slung across the back of the seats you sit on to watch the work. It was a nice reminder to the reality and physical presence that these pieces have that can sometimes feel distanced because of the media used to capture these happenings. It brings the immediacy of the work to the forefront of the audience's mind again. These pieces don't work in isolation with no contextualisation on our part. They have a place in our everyday lives and having the clothes there breaks down that barrier and safe distance that a screen can provide.

Overall, I loved this exhibition so much, that I am readying myself to buy a book of Takala's work. If the other exhibits don't tickle your fancy just make sure you come for this! On until Sunday 15 May. And it's free. So no excuses. Unless you live a long way from Glasgow. Then I'll let you off.

The Glasgow International Chronicles: Part I

This glorious visual arts festival occupies the entirety of the city, populating established art institutions to much smaller independent spaces. This is the seventh iteration of the festival that is open from 8th - 25th April 2016.

I was unable to spend as much time as I would have wished to properly devour and get a full taste of this contemporary art extravaganza. I think you need to devote at least a full day (if not two).

First I want to begin with the things I wish I had had chance to see, so that if you are going, you can see them for me: (If not you can just google them and look, and lament alongside me.)

• Clara Ursitti - New Work. In various locations around the city until 23rd April 2016. She will be releasing different smells within the streets of Glasgow.
• Birthe Jorgensen and Tawona Sithole - Bitter-Rose. On until 24th April 2016. This is a nomadic installation that moves thorough the city by foot. The show functions as an impromptu platform for discussion.
• Nicolas Party - Mezzotint. Until 29th May. These prints and paintings begin with familiar objects and exaggerates their presence. Something that seemed worth a peek. 

But what did I actually go and see? I was fortunate enough to pack a variety of sights into my very short stay including exhibits and a play (sort of) at the following places:

• The Citizen Theatre
• Centre for Contemporary Arts
• The Common Guild

Each place and artwork on display deserves its own post, so that is what shall be happening!

However, I do have space to mention the two smaller independent spaces I went to during my time in Glasgow. Both exhibitions. And both specifically on for the tight duration of the 18 days of the festival.

• What? Concrete That Makes Us (Exhibition)
• Who? André Komatsu
• Where? Civic Room, Glasgow
• When? Until Tuesday 26th April. Closed Mondays. Open from 12pm - 5pm.

I went there for one reason and one reason only. The tantalising photograph in your free Glasgow International guide that is available throughout the city.

(That and this is its first showing publicly since its exhibition in São Paulo in 2008. I'm a sucker for anything limited.)

The piece in question I want to focus on is called: Disseminação Concreta, made in 2006 out of gravel and clothes.

Having almost no context to base my thoughts on this piece, it just came from a gut reaction. Which in my eyes suits what it is you are seeing. Essentially, it is a stone person. Clothes and shoes have been placed and stuffed to resemble perhaps the most familiar shape recognisable to us: a human. The construction of the space means that as you circle the piece you are looking over what feels like a dead human being. It's a strange feeling as your brain understands that this is made of rocks, not flesh, but it's disconcerting silhouette says something else. It becomes unnerving, and yet at the same time peaceful. I wish I had had more time to stare but I had to scoot out. For fear of being late. (I was late.)

Last but not least:

• What? The Vegetable Store (Exhibition)
• Who? Erica Eyres and Garnet McMulloch
• Where? Fireworks Studio
• When? Until Monday 25th April. Open daily, Mon - Sat, 11am - 5.30pm and Sun, 12pm - 5pm.

This little display at Fireworks Studio was manned by a man and a dog when I appeared. News on the grape vine is that many fruits and vegetables had to be bought as subjects for these clay creations. The collection has fruits and vegetables in perfect aesthetic condition, with other produce appearing mouldy and last their sell-by date. (Garnished with little flies to boot.)

In all, I would recommend a visit to both of these exhibits in the programme. I would advise picking a few of them to make a crawl out of it.

Stay tuned for the remaining parts to this excellently titled series.

Review: Painting the Modern Garden (EXHIBITION)

It was a dreary morning when my mother and I rocked up to the Royal Academy (RA) with the hopes of seeing the new Impressionist exhibition tag lined 'Monet to Matisse' (something I have a slight problem with, but something I understand.) I'll place my note of warning here: book your tickets in advance. As we approached the building there was a queue. Now this wasn't necessarily a massive queue, but when the gallery is only releasing approx. 10 tickets per 30 mins and this means (as we had been informed) you would be facing a 2+  hour wait to get in, the length of the queue suddenly seems to triple in size. As we were on a tight schedule there was only one way around this problem: become a friend of the RA. Now the only reason we were (really) able to consider this is because I am a 16 - 25 year old human being. You can become a friend of the RA for £45 for the year (now upped to £50 - if in the age bracket.) What does this include? Immediate priority to you and a guest to the exhibition (any exhibition during that year, on multiple occasions if you choose.) If you sign up 'in-store' (as it were) you get a free tote bag, containing a copy of the quarterly magazine that you are now in receipt of (approx. £5 an issue.) You also get 10% off in the shop and something else to do with their cafes that I don't remember. In any case it worked out well for us as we were there for 1 day only and a single ticket to this exhibition is an eye-watering £17 (£10 if a student, but sadly not all of us fit this bracket anymore.) So, for time and monetary value it worked out well. (Also gives me an excuse to go and see this year's Summer Show to use my shiny new card.)

Now. Numbers and practicalities aside. (It is worth noting, that booking beforehand for this exhibition is highly recommended. This is something I seemed to have missed before.) The actual part that we are here to discuss: the exhibition itself.

I'll be quite honest. I wasn't expecting to like this show as much as I did. The exhibition brings together two very popular things (for a certain age group) together. Gardens and Impressionism. With the risk of sounding punny, this exhibition felt like a breath of fresh air - not in that it was showing us anything new, but that these paintings, with their glorious colour combinations, brought the outside in. Despite the drizzle outside, I could feel the sunshine inside. These paintings and artists so perfectly capture the beauty of nature and reiterate the importance of our green spaces. (Way to be relevant Leonardo Dicaprio.) 

These artworks give you the gift of seeing them twice. Once up close: the other far away. As Cher from Clueless so perfectly puts it 'she's a full-on Monet' a mess close up but alright from far away. As you look as close as the little rope will let you, you can gage a range of colours, placed with impassioned gestures that, from a distance, create beautiful blushing flora in colours that cannot be captured in reproductions. (I had to swallow my disappointment - firstly in the gift shop's postcard selection, but then in their poor imitation of such beautiful colour combinations. If Impressionists knew anything, it was their colour combinations.)

In terms of enjoying this particular exhibition (as let's be honest, you can see a variety of these types of paintings in different free institutions (the National Gallery being a fine example)) the atmosphere created really held true as negating the rooms. What I mean by this, is that despite being sold out and rather crowded, there was a lovely sense of calm that I feel only nature can bring. Placing the subject matter aside what the curators of the space ever so cleverly did was to avoid the white cube. There were no white walls in sight. None. Each room had been perfectly matched to colours that evoked a calming energy, but perhaps most importantly, complimented the paintings on display. Various shades of greens, blues and browns really displayed these pieces in their best light. To have placed them in a white cube would have gone against the purpose of the artwork. Aesthetically, it would have washed out the vibrant colours making something so natural and friendly feel too clinical and harsh. It somehow would have changed their meaning completely.

Something else that this exhibition did that I've not really seen successfully done before is integrate two rooms on the exhibition route that didn't house any Impressionist paintings. One contained letters from the artists, botanical books that were inspirations, as well as a collection of Japanese prints that belonged to Monet. The layout of this room was intelligent as its main structure to house these documents was a mini green house that framed the room by being placed in the corners. The green house structure also stood as a centre piece to the room. (Each glass container holding what I guess to be plastic plants.) 

The other unusual room that offered the viewer a break was a room with photographs of each of the artists in their garden, along with a showreel with them in action. 

Another structural decision that worked really well was a room within a room. They had added a second bunch of walls inside one of the galleries, to add extra wall space to show more paintings. What I particularly enjoyed was that the outer walls were blue, and the inside structure was green. (To me this symbolises the water lily - something that inspired one of the most famous sons of Impressionism. *cough*Monet*cough*)

The final, and perhaps most important reason that sets this exhibition away from the rest is the end room. They saved the best until last. (And even use the most daring colour for the walls. (Deal teal.))

Agapanthus Triptych by Claude Monet (1916 - 1919)

(Small snippet of it below.)

This is a three piece painting that I've never seen the likes of before. The colours! The shapes! The three pieces reunited! This is the first time in over 60 years that these painting have been back together in Europe. In the 1950s Monet's family sold them, and the triptych was split up and sent to 3 separate institutions across the breadth of America. In my eyes it is a terrible pity. Almost to the point of destroying the work. (In fact, it does.) It's like separating twins at birth. 

These pieces are meant to be seen together. They are three thirds of a whole. Getting to see these in this exhibition is no doubt a once in a lifetime opportunity (unless you decide to visit multiple times.) There is something wistful about this work, something tranquil. It echoes stillness and contemplation. It really was worth the entire show.   

Below I've listed my other favourites. artists who I had not heard of before (who probably get passed over the more famous names (like Matisse. And although I do love him, he only had a small handful of paintings in this show that paled to others in comparison - hence my problem with the marketing.))

If you get a chance to go, keep an eye out for these. And if not - do Google them!

• Frederic Bazille - Les Lauriers Roses (1867)
• Gustave Caillebotte - Dahlias: the Gardens at Petit Gennevilliers (1893)
• Gustave Caillebotte - Nasturtiums (1892)
• Laurits Tuxen - Roses PS Kroyer (1893)
• Laurits Tuxen - Rhododendron in Tuxen's Garden (1917)
• Emil Nolde - Large Poppies (1908)
• Kandinsky - Murano Garden II (1910)

This exhibition is open until 20th April 2016. If you can go, see it. If you do, remember, book in advance!

Review: Champagne Life (EXHIBITION)

A little quick note about Champagne Life the current exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery. Practical information first: the gift shop is great. It ends 9th March 2016. It is a completely female show with the works of 14 artists. One of the first of its kind. (Surprisingly perhaps? Something that I feel should have happened already, and possibly doesn't need as much hype as its received in terms of the gender of the artists, as at times, it can feel a little patronising.)

In any case, the overall exhibition was enjoyable, with a large mix of disciplines and a variety of practices on show. I'm not going to go into detail about the exhibition, except that it's worth a wonder around if you have a free afternoon. (This venue, as always is free - so you loose nothing.)

Before I go, just want to talk about the piece pictured above. This is a close up from Maha Malluh's work, (Untitled, Food for Thought Series) 2016. For me, this piece was above and beyond the rest. Visually, it is very striking and it's position in the gallery really led you into the room. Once you were in, and got to actually inspect what you were faced with, you saw that these were pots. 233 individual, used, cooking pots. Some were massive that could have fed a family of 10. Others were smaller, and perhaps fed 3. There's always something very powerful about experiencing something en masse. And here was no exception. The artist is from Saudi Arabia, and there was something that was really lovely about appropriating her culture into her work that wasn't overt or overtook the message. There's a lovely piece of maths that was written in an article by The Guardian which you can read here.

Rachel Cooke writes:

"In front of me were 233 such pots. If each one had once belonged to a family of five, who ate together perhaps once a day for a year, then this display represented the cooking of 425,225 meals – at which point these dented vessels seemed to take on the lustre of priceless objects."

There was something quite mesmerising about this work, that I'm finding quite hard to articulate (which is very helpful for you.) But, if you're unable to go and see the work yourself, then give it a google and have a stare. I think it's really worth a couple of moments of your time.

Review: Going Public in Sheffield (EXHIBITION)

Going Public. Much less serious than it sounds. This is currently the situation in Sheffield. The entire city and its public art spaces have been taken over by private collections. Making the private public. Blending the worlds if you will. Showing works that we would never normally see. The whole programme exhibiting these works in different locations across the city are completely free!! So there is really no reason to not pay a visit if you are in Sheffield (or live in the surrounding areas!)

The work finds itself spread across five different spaces - each offering a glimpse of the taste of the collector in question. I'll quickly summarise below each location, what is on display and my thoughts on the exhibit, as not every gallery will not be to every taste.

1. The Graves Gallery

This was the first gallery that we hit up on our crawl. It features art that is part of the Marzona Collection (part of which is currently on display in Berlin, which you can read about here.) Now the stuff on display here was right up my street - mainly because it principally showing the work of art bae Marcel Duchamp. (The fame that he brought to urinals and toilets alike is admirable.)

What I enjoyed most about this exhibition is that although it did feature a couple of key works by my main man, (La Boite-en-valise and a pun with our dear lady Mona Lisa) it very much showed you works that wouldn't be collected by public institute. (Which I feel is the point of this programme.) It framed posters for exhibits as artworks, displayed trail and errors as finalised pieces, and gave us Pain Peint. (One of the best puns known to man. Visualise this: a blue painted baguette. By Mr Man Ray.) In essence, it gave time to pieces that normally wouldn't normally be given this opportunity to be considered the way objects are in a gallery. I particularly enjoyed looking at his posters - really looking - because a lot of them hold a lot more thought and work in them than you'd normally give them credit for.

The exhibition itself is only two rooms long, of a decent size. Once you come out of the temporary exhibition there are some other things worth looking at. (Most notably Kiss 2001 by Marc Quinn.)

In essence, you'll like this display of the Maronza collection if you enjoy Dadaism, Duchamp and quite a traditional display. It's a thumbs up from me.

2. Millennium Gallery

Next we found ourselves at the Millennium Gallery. The space has definitely more of a 'contemporary art gallery feel' than the one before. (That was more of a museum.) This probably added to why this collection was chosen to be shown here.

The Cattelain Collection reflects the collector's passion for Minimal and Conceptual art from the 1960s and 1970s - which really lends itself to a white cube environment. Aesthetically these things look very good in this space. At first you are greeted by the work of Do Ho Suh entitled Wielandstr. 18, 12159 Berlin, 2011. It really is a fantastic piece of work that needs to stand alone to be fully appreciated. I have to say that the curation of this collection probably impressed me the most, as certain artworks on display had different needs, and they managed to make them co-exist very peacefully. Now the piece mentioned above is a life-size representation of an apartment the artist stayed in whilst in Berlin. You are encouraged to walk through this installation, and as you do so you see little details such as a plug socket.

The lefthand side of the gallery is occupied by the rest of the collection on display. I'll only mention one more piece (so you'll have something to discover for yourself.) It's a light installation by Anthony McCall called Meeting You Halfway ||, 2009. It's a digital projection that is in a completely blackened space. Because of this, when you physically interact with the piece, you can dramatically control the light beam and create new shapes with your body. Visually it's very impressive, but it is even better when experienced live. I think we must have spent at least a ten minutes there, so it is definitely worth your time.

The contemporary art lover in me (as well as budding curator) really loved this display. It's another thumbs up!

3. SIA Gallery

This gallery is split across two floors, we somehow ended up seeing the display upstairs first before seeing the exhibition below. (The two floors aren't directly connected. Also, this gallery seems to be part of Sheffield Hallam University, so when you walk into the building, don't worry, you are in the right place.) The dsl collection is on display here. It primarily deals with Asian art, in particular with China.

The upstairs work dealt with second life. So had a lot of what looked like screen shots and digital art work - things that I'm not very interested in. I feel like there is a better way of dealing with the concept of second life than what was exhibited, but I know people that love that type of stuff so if you do, this will be right up your street.

Downstairs was much better. (But still a mixed bag in my opinion.) Many of the concepts themselves are very interesting - I just feel that the execution lets it down. For example, the piece One Hour of Pleasure, 1996 is a 1 hour video by Liang Juhui. Basically the artist played a video game on a workers' lift disrupting the progress around him. The performance itself is very interesting, however I feel that a one hour video is not the best way to show it. Sometimes it's easy to get documention confused as the artwork, and I feel like this video is trying to replace it. When in fact it was the action itself that was the work. (If that makes sense?) Anyway, the other piece that was my favourite (mainly for how the sound of the piece interacted with the rest of the exhibition) was called oh, my God/ Oh Dui, 2003 by Yang Jiechang. This is definitely worth looking up and seeing!! Loved it.

4. Site Gallery
This is a small little place that only has two video artworks. These I enjoyed. The Site Gallery continues the display from the dsl collection housed in the SIA Gallery mentioned above by Chinese artists. The video pieces themselves aren't too long to digest, and because no other mediums are on display your whole attention is taken up by these pieces.

The videos deal with China's progress. And shows us regular morning exercises in different staff companies. An interesting view on a country we only know generalisations about.

5. Sheffield Cathedral
Perhaps most surprisingly on the list is this location. Showing work in a Cathedral isn't a new idea, but it can definitely add something to a piece. (It's all about context guys.) One thing I have to note first whilst I remember is this: we got to the Cathedral at around 5pm (the place closes at 6.30pm) and by the time we were leaving (probably just past 5.30pm) they had started to switch off light pieces and video projections, so I wouldn't get there too late, as it would definitely be a shame. That being said, one particular work that you can normally access was closed off as someone had locked the door that allowed you entry to the location of the piece. (I only knew this because my friend with me had seen parts of the exhibition before. I do think this took away from the artwork, as I wasn't able to experience the way the original installation had intended.) So don't get there too late!!

Now onto thoughts of actual things.

The work here is from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection. What was most interesting for me rather than the work, was its new meaning from being in the Cathedral. There are some pieces that are more shocking than others - or proclaim to hold meanings of political ethical issues which really are hard to see without a label to explain it to you.

Pieces worth noting:
In Giru, Imus Nocte et Consumimur Ignir by Cerith Wyn Evans,
Your Hidden Sound by Micol Assael.

And I've written a novel so I'm going to leave it there folks! Far too much rambling for you. Do google the artworks mentioned, and if you can do go and have a snoop. What this exhibition does is question the role of the collector in contemporary art. How do they shape the way art is created? By lending their support to certain artists they fund particular practices and in turn shape our cultural landscape for years to come.

All these exhibitions are a short walk from each other, and a stone's throw away from the train station. This is definitely one of the strengths of the exhibit, because as well as exploring these different collections, you discover the city along with the art. They've done a great job of blending this international artwork with a Yorkshire town.

Each location has a luminous orange exhibition guide that has each location in, as well as a handy map so you shouldn't get too lost. Also as you might have seen from the photo way up top, the exhibition runs until 12th December 2015. So catch this quick - it is a lovely way to spend half a day.

Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2015

A mention of something. Of secret art spaces in public Nottingham places. I'm so amazing at rhyming recently. The New Bloomberg Contemporaries has opened in Nottingham ahead of its launch at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London in November. It's been open since the 18th September and closes this Halloween. (It's true I'm late on the mark but I'm here now!) You can see this year's selection of recent art graduates from across the country at these three artist run spaces across Nottingham:

• Backlit Gallery
• Primary
• One Thoresby Street

Have a click. Google a map. And have a gallery crawl.

Berlin Hamburgers

Very late post about this. Should have really arrived on your virtual doorstep a couple of months ago.  So please enjoy this late offering about Berlin Hamburgers.

Or as it's more commonly known, the Hamburger Bahnhof, a modern art museum in Berlin. This particular post is about the 'A-Z The Marzona Collection' exhibition. As the name would suggest, it's an exhibition that charts this collection from A to Z over the course of 2 years. During April, MNO was on display. The presentation is changed every quarter year in keeping with the sequence of the alphabet. Which makes this exhibition a little more interesting than normal, as you can re-visit the same exhibition within the space of a couple of months and be guaranteed to seeing something different.

This exhibition is a celebration of the conceptual art of the 1960s and 70s and illustrates the contemporary relevance of the works from this era. Now, although the display of the exhibition itself was something that wasn't particularly exciting or new, there was one thing about this exhibition that was particularly interesting.

This room here! What I'm just going to call the archive room. All the past letters and exhibitions are archived for you as the viewer to go and explore. You can sit at the table and search through the folders. There's even a photocopier to copy what you find interesting to keep. It's a really nice way of involving any letters (like ABC for example) you may have missed. Also allows you to still be part of the discussion conceptually if you weren't there physically at the time. Which I feel is the best way for the exhibition to exist past, present and future. (Because they have purposefully left empty shelves for the coming display. I feel this adds to the anticipation of the ever-changing show.)

I would definitely recommend you going to see this if you are in Berlin or just visiting like me. The only slight down side about this exhibition is that you do have to pay to get in and see it. Normally, I don't have an issue with this, but I feel like it is a little bit cheeky to demand that you have to re-buy a ticket every time that you go and see the new set of letters that are currently on display. I feel like they should have a special ticket or allow a discount of the production of your past ticket. Something to add the incentive to go and see this exhibition more than once, because I think that's the aim of this interesting new display.

And in any case the Hamburger Bahnhof is worth a ticket on its own (the ticket price does include the rest of the collection on offer.) So go on, treat yourself to some Berlin Hamburgers.

Review: Decision (EXHIBITION)

Today I went to see the current exhibition on at the Hayward Gallery in London. It's a solo show featuring the work of Carsten Holler (imagine the umlaut) who is probably most remembered in London for his slide installation at Tate Modern some time ago. (I'm not going to lie, the slide that you see in the photo above was the main swung it for me.)

The exhibition is a little pricey (even with the student discount) unless you are an Art Fund Member. (I may write a post about this a different time.) With this discount it only cost a cool £6.75 to get in (otherwise it is £15 for a full paying adult.)

Now I came out of this exhibition thinking on thing: this is an art exhibition for people that don't like art. And that's because a lot of it didn't feel like art, because the form the artworks take can be interpreted as closer to objects of play than the preconceived notion of 'art'. So not necessarily a bad comment, or a good one to be fair. Some of the time it felt as if this work was just offering itself up the public, in a desperate attempt to be liked. This attitude towards making art is definitely one I enjoy, however, it can easily feel gimmicky and cheap. And occasionally, I felt like some of the pieces did this. At times it felt like more of an amusement park, than pieces of art. 

However, there were two stand out pieces for me. The first, was the very first piece you were confronted with. And confronted is completely the right word. 'Decision Corridors' basically does what it says on the tin. Immediately, after stepping foot into the exhibition you are in a corridor. A metal corridor that very quickly turns pitch black. You are given instructions before you enter. Walk slowly. Keep one hand on the wall at all time. I felt like I was in some sort of Greek Myth. Anyway, you slowly negotiated your way around this one way in one way out maze, until it spat you out into the florescent lighting of the gallery onto the next part of the exhibition.

The second, is, you've guessed it, the slides. 'Isometric Slides' are big. And fun. And reminiscent of fair grounds. Once you decide to go on these, there is no going back. These are the point of no return. Basically, it's how you leave the exhibition. And what a way to do so. Leaving in style. (Who cares about arriving anyway.) What I'm trying to get at, is make sure you've seen all the other parts of the exhibit before you slide on down. I found myself giggling/squealing as I went down (it was much more bumpy than I thought it would be) and it was much fun. I didn't really think about much though apart from how I can kind of see bits of London as I slide down this thing, and of course the bump thought and wondering what I sounded like to other people. It was kind of cool to think that I was the sliding down person that someone saw, just as I did before I went inside. (As a participant of the slide, you do essentially become the spectacle.)

All in all, I'm glad I went. However, I'm not sure I would have paid £15 to see it. (I do understand the reasoning for this cost - it's purely because of the amount of invigilators needed for each artwork, due to health and safety I imagine, because they are very participatory and things could easily go wrong if someone wasn't there to ensure the smooth running of the exhibition and the protection of the artworks.) But if you like art disguising itself in something else, or appearing to be something its not, this might be the exhibition for you.