December 10, 2009
Altermodern at Tate Britain was a triennial that brought together twenty eight young artists in a great show. Lizzie Carey-Thomas, the curator, is to be congratulated as this really works as a group show and at the same time gives each of the artists a platform. How refreshing it is for curators these days not to feel the need to overwhelm their visitors but to inspire them – Altermodern left me with the feeling that I wanted to find out more.
Nicolas Bourriaud and Lizzie Carey-Thomas had a singular advantage in having a wonderful space to work with, and they used it very well. It is on a human scale, intimate, surprising and free-flowing. The Tate Britain space encouraged zigzagging, which is essential for an exhibition of this complexity. It allows the viewer to circulate and peek at the more challenging pieces, spin round the show and then stop here and there before surprising a 'challenging piece' with their presence.
Marcus Coates – The Plover’s Wing
Marcus Coates has a bag on his head and a rabbit stuffed into his zip-up track suit top. Not a pretty sight but an effective one. Marcus takes on the look of animals to look in on human emotions, and his appearance is so alarming (although not frightening) that he is able to side-step the niceties and formality of conversation to get right to the heart of things.
In this piece (a 20 minute taped interview) during which Coates has the most extraordinary conversation with the mayor of Holon (in Israel), he explains to the mayor how the plover is able to gain sympathy and seek protection from enemies real or imagined. If any one goes near the plover’s nest it flies up with such cries of outrage and alarm that there is never a debate about who has the right to be there. Not an easy idea to get over to an Israeli mayor by conventional means I suspect.
Spartacus Chetwynd – Hermitos Children
I probably don’t have the right, grown-up attitude to video as art. I still think of it as just another excuse for girls to get their kit off. I was somewhat heartened to see that the tradition continues, although Spartacus (yes, it’s a she, real name Lali) with Hermitos Children has raised the bar with dozens of naked bodies, and after seeing this I am not sure I am ready for her production of The Dildo See-saw.
The presentation, with piles of old tellys and a feature, very colourful giant bean bag worked very well as I am sure it was intended for people passing bye to literally dropping in to watch a few minutes of the action before squinting at their guides in the half light searching for an explanation.
I think my thesis about art video holds true with this work.
Nathaniel Mellors - Giantbum 2008
Well you have to make your own mind up about this one. First off, let me say I thought the whole installation was very well conceived and produced. Sound proofing was good and that was an important element. The catalogue notes may help you ‘The Father returns from an expedition into the giant’s bowels. He is half-insane from having turned to cannibalism and coprophilia...’ not recognised by my spell checker which is a relief.
The installation is in three sections connected by a corridor that turns left and left if you get my meaning. The first two have video playing and the third animatronics; I liked the way the piece turned in on itself. I can follow the proposition but also found another interpretation – it showed just how resilient and hence mutable Christianity can be – is there nothing you can say about it that would wound it or does that just serve to strengthen it? Turning the other cheek is a very effective form of defence.
Lindsay Seers - Black Maria
What can I say about Black Maria - completely joined up, well thought out and beautifully presented, if that’s not enough Lindsay’s work had an overwhelming honesty and that was a shared characteristic of many of the artists in this show. I see from the catalogue that Black Maria was Thomas Edison’s first film production studio and that makes perfect sense. The set was well constructed and a perfect home for this autobiographical (camera) movie (projector) which must have written itself – it’s one of those. Once you have the key you can enter and explore the space.
There is a lesson here and it’s an old one (and oh how I wish I had could learn it) - keep it simple. Lindsay is not the sort of artist you would want to share an exhibition space with, she’s too good.
Navin Rawanchaikul - Places of Rebirth
I motioned honesty in Lindsay Seers’ work, the kind of honesty you get when you really want to explore who you are and what you are made of. Navin treads a similar path on a broader plane. His work is not only about his own identity but also the identity, the nationality and ethnicity of his whole family whose lives span Pakistan, Thailand and Japan. He does this with the written word, film and a large scale mural style painting.
There are three pieces; the letter, the video and the painting are all executed extremely well; the painting is a lively and fun pastiche. It was, I guess, the size of the painting that consigned Navin to one of the less conducive spaces in the exhibition. but not to its detriment.
I felt a particular empathy for the quiet, modest and persuasive way the family’s identity and ethics were explained, in complete contrast to the far more common strident statements that do nothing to further harmony.
Tacita Dean - ‘The Russian Ending’
There isn’t a great deal for me to say about Tacita’s work and I feel that is the reaction she intended; these annotated images are very engaging and their graphic quality appeals to me. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that there are still original ways to engage the viewer with an uncomplicated piece of flat artwork, but I am. Needing no explanation in this case, is the explanation.
As you might anticipate there is more to explore in the narrative of these images, there is another dimension, but the viewer has the choice and need not feel rushed into it as they work fine as they are.
The annotations on each image are in fact directions for a yet to be made film and the title of this collection of images refers to the ‘sad ending’ preferred by Russian cinema goers as opposed to the ‘happy ending’ preferred by American audiences.
Walead Beshty - Transparency Positive / FEDEX Large Boxes
Walead’s work is tight in concept, original and amusing; let me explain why I see it that way. He has made films about film being made (manufactured) – there is no extraneous matter, visual or other, the camera’s focus is solely on the manufacturing process. Now that is tight.
I also believe it is original because some of his works (prints in this case) have their origin in a place he describes as ‘non-space’, and he explains that this exists within unseen parts of the air travel experience. The images are derived from film that has been exposed to airport security scanners – x-rays.
And finally, his work is amusing, as the sculptures on show were created not by him but by FedEx, in the ‘non-space’. The glass cubes and their cardboard containers that are bashed, cracked, deformed and broken while being transported between exhibitions, have become the exhibits. While most people would find nothing remotely interesting within this non-space, the unseen inner world of aviation transport, Walead has created something interesting and (as a bonus) surprisingly visually appealing.
January 10, 2010
Decode: Digital Design Sensations
The origins of the V&A lie in a collection of artifacts, the purpose of which was to inspire ideas and to be used as models to be copied by aspiring designers and artists, and that pretty much is how I use the V&A and would recommend others to use it. It is not, as it is sometimes thought to be, an art gallery.
I think this statement goes some way to explain the disappointment that some have felt about Decode. If you are looking for the art gallery experience then you will not find it in this show. What you will find is inspiration and something worth copying as a starting point for your own explorations. 
February 10, 2010
As a practising designer and artist with many years’ experience, I feel qualified to say that I do actually know a lot about art, and I certainly know what I like. As far as I am concerned, if something falls into the category of ‘design’ rather than ‘art’, then it has to satisfy certain basic criteria, even if it strays into the new area of ‘design art’.
When I look at a designed object, the first question I ask myself is, ‘Do I want one of these?’, and if the answer is ‘Yes’, then I ask the question, ‘ Would I pay good money for this?’.
Let me explain ‘Do I want one?’ first. The piece in question has to be more than just an object of desire, regardless of how cool or sensual it might appear. It has to have a resonance, a timbre and a significance beyond its functionality. For me, this is more than simply ‘wanting’.
‘Would I pay good money for this?’ is the second hurdle. As I am browsing, I am not thinking whether or not I can afford the price tag. Instead, I am considering whether I feel it represents value, be it simply in aesthetic terms or in the quality of the materials and manufacture, in other words, is it fit for purpose?
January 10, 2010
Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones
On a lighter note, if you have the time a visit to ‘Hats: An Anthology’, Stephen Jones’ exhibition at the V&A is well worth it. This is a delightful exhibition, manageable in scale, humorous and broad in its scope and you can get round in 45 minutes! There were several things that I really liked about it, in particular that Stephen Jones felt he could include a piece form his graduation show (1979) and that it does what an exhibition should do in my view, inspire you rather than flatten you, as some recent stuff I have seen does.
Artists Index
Exhibition Review
| Julia Lohmann |
| Fabrica |
| Jeroen Verhoeven |
| Joep van Lieshout |
| Joris Laarman |
| Luc Merx |
| Niels van Eijk and Miriam van der Lubbe |
| Sebastian Brajkovic |
| Stephen Richards |
| Tord Boontje |
| Wieki Somers |
| WOW |
| Troika |
| 100% Design |
| Designersblock |
| Maison et Objet |
| Origin |
| Tent London |
| The Dock |
| Top Drawer |
| YSH |
June 6, 2006
If you only know a little about me it should come as no surprise that I think in pictures and having spent my time so far as a conceiver and visualiser of ideas, then painting, photography and generally making marks on surfaces is my natural medium.
As a synaesthete, I find that landscapes, interior spaces and natural forms can change into abstract, ambiguous and tantalizing shapes, similar to the process I use for solving problems for clients.
It is also refreshing to explore all the digital tools now available to creatives and it is no coincidence that these voyages of exploration often result in helping to take clients in new directions and to try new techniques.
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