London Galleries Visit
Earlier this week the MA Fine Art course group visited London galleries which provided us with an opportunity to view a number contemporary fine art practices. All the artists' work viewed throughout the day engaged me and stimulated my thoughts towards my own practice. From some I considered my combinations of materials such as mixed media 3D works, use of textiles in narrative and paintings, and how these could be exhibited together as a unified collection. Importantly, I took note of how the artefacts were curated and professionally displayed, communicating narratives to an audience. Three collections in particular provoked my senses and seized my attention;
- Damián Ortega Play Time 27 September – 12 November 2017 South Galleries, Bermondsey White Cube Gallery
- Sheila Hicks Stones of Peace 4 OCTOBER - 11 NOVEMBER 2017 Alison Jaques Gallery
- Jake & Dinos Chapman The Disasters of Everyday Life 4 October - 11 November Blain|Southern Gallery
Damián Ortega
Ortega's Play Time exhibition is a collection of new works consisting of large scale installations, sculpture and 2D works. His varied themes include chance and game play, systems of knowledge and individual expression. In the foreground of the image above is an intriguing collection of papier maché forms entitled Encyclopedic Geodes 2017. They take on the appearance of geological, spherical and elliptical forms and have been created by layering pages from the 1975 edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica. The halved spheres reveal accumulative layers of printed material like an archeological artefact. "These rock-like objects offer a visual echo of time; ‘a cloister of knowledge, a code encapsulated in strata.’ " The simplicity of these objects and the use of multiples in the configuration create a strong narrative which inspires me to fully consider the historical reference implied by my use of materials in sculpture making. The low island plinth and space surrounding the objects gives importance and focus to the piece. The bright accent colour in the infographic posters juxtaposed with the neutral artefacts draw in the viewer for closer examination. The industrial packaging casts using differing materials created interesting, repeating, abstract, sculptural voids. Again, this use of repetition and balance is an important element in the display of the work. I really liked Ortega's playful use of materials but was also impressed by his interrogative dissection of inanimate objects for thematic debate.
Sheila Hicks
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SHAKER, 2017
Cotton
29 x 24 cm, 11 3/8 x 9 1/2 ins
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| AS IF I DID NOT KNOW, 2015-2016Cotton, paper, silk, synthetic thread and feather
28.5 x 14 cm, 11 1/4 x 5 1/2 ins
I first encountered Sheila Hick's work earlier this year at the 2017 Venice Biennale in which she plugged the cracks in the Arsenale cavernous walls with flashes of vibrant coloured wools and infilled arches with giant boules of coloured yarn. This not only highlighted the historical archaeological heritage of the area (a medieval shipyard) but also the contrasting material textures explode in a riot of colour. Her sculptural use of textiles interests me hugely and the way that her work 'transgresses the boundaries between painting, sculpture design and architecture' provides me with a benchmark for my future works. Her travels across Africa, Asia and Latin America are clearly referenced in her work and the small woven panels act as diaries and journey reflections. Framing small textile pieces as 'paintings' are as important as the larger scaled pieces and provide context and narrative to the collection exhibits.
Escalade Beyond Chromatic Lands
Jake and Dinos Chapman
Immediately you are stuck by the terror invoked by the seven bronze suicide vests. The oxymoron imposed by these insidious, malevolent sculptures is that the bronze objects make for quite beautiful casts. Their aesthetic forms and textures contradictorily challenge our consciences. We do not want to be drawn in by their 'beauty' but somehow the Chapman brothers' devilish playfulness hooks us into admiring and engaging with the objects and dismissing or overlooking the implied violence of the pieces. The objects are framed by a series of embellished (Francisco de Goya) etchings using glitter and collage to deflect the horror communicated in the original prints through compelling dark humour.
The bronze vests were inspired by artist Jeff Koons’ Aqualung from 1985.
The Disasters of Yoga, (2017)
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