Also at Serpentine Gallery - Wade Guyton

There was work going on at the Serpentine Gallery (and I mean work not works).

Lovely View

More roof work

Well as mentioned yesterday I looked at Artists work at Serpentine Galleries at the weekend - in what I suppose we might describe as the main gallery (the older one anyway) was work from a US artist called Wade Guyon.

And what do we think of Wade?

Referencing the Press

Well he was certainly not the most accessible modern artist - all his work was 'untitled' and was distributed as hung work (mainly canvas pairs), adapted work (in cabinets) and a stack of work (which was why the title of the exhibition  was 'abridged').

Much of his (hanging) work referenced the media - and often their was a disjoint in these works.

Seeing him talk on Youtube clips he presents as a fairly direct person but I am not too sure what I get from this body of work.

Two big works and cabinets with some of his 'altered' items 

More joined canvases and cabinets

A stack of his work - don't touch

A working space shown.

Here is the Wikipedia on the artist - and a clip that has been released to 'highlight' the current exhibition.

If you find something that will explain more about the basis of the work  please let me know- I see he commands prices around the $1m.

Now Showing at the Serpentine Sackler Gallery -Rose Wylie's Quack Quack

Rose is the artist

One of my favourite venues for contemporary art in London is the Serpentine, it's a great location and I've seen some marvellous things there, as well as seeing Marina Abramovic and her 512 Hours, Ive seen work by the Irish artist Michael Craig-Martin  and a recent self deprecating  Grayson Perry exhibition.


That's not to say that what's on show is always accessible(in terms of the art not the venue)  or easy and so it was for me with the current.



I'd not heard of the English born (and still living)  Rose Wylie before and after seeing work from the US artist Wade Guyton (more on this soon) it did seem at least broadly speaking understandable.

Serpentine Magazine 

Well I took a look at what she'd  created and recognised it (I think) as representational and naive, Rose seems to be well in touch with the current interests (her work references Sport, Films and royalty for example).




Works did not for me have a strong emotional pull and realising that she's now in her 80's was bit puzzled by what she's doing.

I did like works like Yellow Strip that were designed to be shown in a corner - it also works well as being (to me)  amusing it shows people like Wayne Rooney but it's not portraiture and barely (I'd say) Social Realism.

Yellow Strip by Rose Wylie (2006)

Rose often joins canvases together and I quite liked 'Park Dogs and Air Raid' which is two paintings one from Rose's youth and one of revisiting - the work is based on the area of the Serpentine Gallery (Kensington Gardens) - like much of the work on show there are references to Parks and animals.

Park Dogs and Air Raid (2017)

Generally  I like big pictures but here I wonder if it's an easy way out for the artist - the work looks to be without (I would say) artifice.

There were visitors 

 
















There were visitors but it was not overly crowded (with people) the space is manageable  and it was easy to take your time looking around.

Little devils

 When I got home I chose to find out more about Rose and found (via YouTube) her to be articulate and  knowledgeable in referencing Classical art - she also spoke of the way she works from memory and notes,  using text (in her paintings) to presumably help viewers.

Her work is based on her reality with the 'errors' that are  naturally introduced along the way.

Rose though is not someone whose work I would fall in love with but an artist who clearly has her own Artistic Schtick.  







[I was a bit surprised to be set upon by Grey Squirrels on my way back to Lancaster Gate tube station - one ran some way up my trousers!]

A week missing?

One of Grayson's Pots

A couple of shows

So now I'm not actively running a 365 project it's easier for me to miss a few days - not because nothing is going on but because there's a lot.


After Ian introducing us to Humour in Art decided to pop over to see Grayson Perry exhibition at Serpentine - nice to see a lot of visitors and a wide range of work - he's far from a one trick 'ceramics' pony.

A sort of self portrait 

I think Grayson is a very interesting figure (not least because he's from where I spent early years - Chelmsford) - He plays the humour card but is not scared to confront major issues - the idea of which would have once been anathema to most of UK society.

More difficult was the Arthur Jafa exhibition at Sackler 'sister' gallery  but worth a visit too.

Part of the Arthur Jafa exhibition

The Serpentine Pavilion 2017 designed by Francis Kéré

A pleasant walk too

Labour get more Pro European

Well over a year since referendum vote and dust still settling on the way UK Politicians are playing this - David Davis strategy  not playing  well on either World stage or  to his 'home crowd' - even more difficult to keep the painfully split bunch of Tory MPs (above all else they're keenest on keeping power).

If Theresa May's election gamble had paid off we'd have a far stronger hand it the deal making as it is here government is isolated at home and even more abroad - seems Labour are not scared to exploit this weakness - the autumn party conference will be interesting. 

John Latham - a major figure? (104)

The Gallery

On Tuesday after my final session of the CityLit exhibiting course decided to stop off at Serpentine Gallery on the way back home - I generally enjoy the visits to this gallery not only because of the fantastic location but also because of the artists they show and the scale of the two galleries - the Sackler often providing new items in a unique setting.

The headline figure is a British artist (although born in Zambia) who was anew name to me - seems he'd been important but not a headliner grabber the way some of his contemporaries were - his name John Latham and in fact he only died about 10 years ago at the age of 84.

Books lovely books

A strongly coloured work

Latham worked in a variety of styles but much of his work considered the importance of books (it is said as a reaction the the destruction of some by Nazis).

As well as 'retinal art' though he was associated with the Fluxus group (the group included Yoko Ono and Gustav Metzger) and was a radical figure - subsequently his studio in Peckham has become an exhibition space and I hope to visit it soon.

More work from Latham

Latham even had something of a philosophical idea that he called Event Structure -

Deep or what?

Here's a clip where people who knew him speak about him and  his work -

(N.B. Skoob is Books backwards).

Doors

Another £1.10 takes us to  £135 15p

It's in Argyle Road W13 and perhaps not a duplicate road?

And hiding behind the car a nice Stained glass job

Week 2 welcoming at 'New' Design Museum and Well Done to new Turner Prize Winner

New Design Museum- Steady stream condition now 

Last Friday morning I was on welcoming duties at Kensington High Street's Design Museum- happy to report a very steady stream of visitors - many of them encouraged by the chance to see 'Free' collection.


I've not yet had a good chance to look around the Museum partly because we've not got any passes but also because after a shift I'm wanting to have a sit down!

A budding designer perhaps?

And that roof is iconic (almost)

Congratulations to Helen Marten

It's good news for Helen Marten - who it was announced yesterday has won the Turner Prize for 2016 - Helen gave a great acceptance speech and as she's already won one prize (The Hepworth) has decided to share the £25,000.

Here's some pictures of her work that was recently at The Serpentine - Hoping for more great stuff from her.

Helen Headlining

Reminds me of a Record Player

A trademark work from this year's Turner Prize Winner - Helen Marten 

Marc Camille Chaimowicz and Red 25

And Helen tommorow 

At the Serpentine Gallery yesterday and saw two very different exhibitions (more on Helen Marten tomorrow).


What I liked about the work of French born Artist  Marc Camille Chaimowicz was his use of space (in 3 Dimensions), his influences go far beyond traditional painters touching on  literature (Proust for example) and the Glam Rock of the 1970's was much in evidence too.

The work Celebration? Real life was like a student bedsit on party night complete with an evocative David Bowie soundtrack (gosh he was good songwriter  when he was on form).

[I see there's an associated book - let me know if you rate it - email]

A view onto Celebration? Real Life

Also other work demonstrated a strong design approach using various materials and concepts - his work has elements of performance and the  individual displays suggest so much.

A range of textures

A set designers eye

Oddly I was drawn back to the 1972 work above all else and I'm not too sure what my take-on the show would have been without that work of around 40 years ago.

Red 25

And part of Marc's work used a striking Red light

When You're young a Red'  light can seem right trendy

Serpentine Sackler Gallery and Red 136

The Weight of the World.

At the Serpentine Sackler Gallery last week I saw a surprisingly colourful artist displaying - the exhibition was called The Weight of the World.

In fact to label Etel Adnan as a 'Artist' is perhaps an understatement -still  going strong at 91 she's also a multi-lingual writer of books and poetry.

The Arabic aspect of her heritage is clear in many of the works - bold colours and strong shapes.

Looks simple?

A well laid out show

Projections too

There's quite a volume of work on show at the Magazine- Etel has worked in photography and film too - I liked the folded items shown in cabinets as well as Screens working in a similar vein.

New York with folds

A screen too

I liked the picture below which for me felt  as though it had been influenced by Kandinsky.

Frustratingly many of Etel's works were the classically 'untitled' - which gives so little away.

Bolt colours are a bit of a calling card from Etel Adnan.

Red 136

That's decorative