Sindy

Empty Ground

2009-06-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Empty Ground by Sindy Püssa
5 10x10 inch photographic prints on wooden frames
exhibited in London South Bank University
05.06.09-07.06.09

The project Empty Ground explores the notions of absence and emptiness in a playground that is deserted, perhaps even hauntingly barren. By being photographed at night it raises issues surrounding the absence of function and lack of purpose.

This project is influenced by the state of mind I was in during the last 18 months while battling severe health problems. The illness was caught early, so it was not life threatening. But I was told I had lost the ability to fulfil my biggest dream – to have children. That broke my heart and depressed me deeply. I asked: what do you have when you have lost everything? The credit crisis has resulted in many people realising that they were too busy and successful to have children. The downturn reveals the true value of their investments and the real meaning of their lives. Although, this work is not just dark or sad – it is also about hope and a new beginning. Just like the playground will be filled with children and laughter once the sun rises again.

The work has different readings: a personal testimony, a commentary on the current economic situation or a vision for a dystopian future. It is the time of crisis in both my life and in the economy – the time to rethink our purpose, our dreams and goals. Have we been taking these for granted?

LSBU Degree Show

2009-06-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow evening, 5th of July, will be the opening of the Degree Show that features my work as well as other people's from my Digital Photography course and couple of other courses. It is the final show featuring the work created after 3 years of studying.

Private View:
Friday 5 June, 5pm to 9pm
BA (Hons) Digital Photography
BA (Hons) Digital Media Arts
BA (Hons) Music and Sonic Media
BA (Hons) Game Cultures

Exhibition is open to the public:
Saturday 6 June, 1pm to 5pm
Monday 8 June to Thursday 11 June, 10am to 5pm

in Keyworth Centre Mezzanine
Keyworth Street, London South Bank University

Gerhard Richter & London

2009-05-28T00:24:00.001-07:00

Last week I went to several exhibitions during the same day that all had strong connections to Gerhard Richter. As I happen to share the opinion of many people that Richter is probably the greatest living painter and admire his work, it was a very pleasant discovery indeed.

In the National Portrait Gallery there is the Gerhard Richter Portraits exhibition on.
It's an absolutely brilliant display of his wonderfully varied work and different styles, yet it is held together as a coherent show by the theme of portraiture. His oeuvre is huge as he has always experimented and tried different approaches to painting. Although that means it's sometimes hard to know what to expect from his work, like the exhibition last winter in the Serpentine Gallery, which I wasn't too keen on. But the portraits are excellent.

What makes his work especially interesting to me is the fact that he works from photographs and newspaper clippings - very appealing to a photographer who works with newspapers. The photographic though blurry quality of the works is very enticing.
I also find his approach to portraiture really refreshing in comparison to what was taught to me at school. He has said: 'A portrait must not express anything of the sitter's 'soul', essence or character'. The reality remains hidden beneath the veneer of appearance.
My favorite painting is still Betty (1988) but it has to be seen in real life to understand it's allure.

Hurry! It's closing on the 31st of May.

In The Photographer's Gallery there's an exhibition on the subject of The Photographic Object, which included painted photographs by Richter among works by well-known photographers and artists like W. Tillmans and A. Warhol and tackles a very interesting and exciting realm. Sadly it is generally quite underwhelming - I was expecting to be intrigued but was left rather bored and confused (especially by the Vanessa Billy piece) in the end.

I then went on to check out the newly reopened Whitechapel Gallery, which was very impressive, a truly wonderful space! There were many exhibitions on in the several galleries spaces there and the main show was of the work of the sculptor Isa Genzken, Richter's second wife, paintings of whom I had seen just a few hours previously at the Portrait Gallery exhibition.
Genzken's work was exhibited over two floors and provided a great overview of the artist's work. I personally am not familiar enough with the genre of sculpture to fully appreciate and understand it, but at least I got a chace to educate myself a little on that.

In conclusion, it's evident that Richter is popping up everywhere! :D

Here's an interesting fact that only Estonian people will understand:
His first wife was Marianne Eufinger (who he called Ema) and his second wife was the sculptor Isa Genzken. How weird a coincidence is that?

Arte Pover at Tate Modern

2009-05-24T10:53:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we went to see the Long Weekend events at Tate Modern

In the Turbine Hall people can interact with the 'Bodyspacemotionthings' piece by Robert Morris. Although I consider it a wonderful example of Arte Povera from the seventies as well as a ground-breaking work of art that the audience can physically engage with, it is questionable how many people there this weekend understood its importance or meaning. With hundreds of kids running around it looked more like a giant playground. But that is not essentially a bad thing, of course.

Michelangelo Pistoletto with his wife, performing the piece Newspaper Sphere at Tate Modern:

Synecdoche, New York

2009-05-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hadn't been to the cinema in a while, there isn't even much on.. but I'm glad I went today. This blew me away. You simply must go to the cinema and experience it yourself.

Synecdoche, New York is a film written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. He has previously written films like Being John Malkovich, but this was the first he both wrote and directed.
It is a hugely ambitious film. It doesn't tell just a story, it is a metaphor of life itself. A commentary on the human condition.

All the wonderfully brilliant and clever references are what make the film. But these are not Tarantino-esque 'nod to movies' kind of things. The film refers to many other traditions and ideas, perhaps most predominantly jungian pshychology. And of course - 'All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players' W.Shakespeare

Last nights openings

2009-05-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't been out and about in London's art scene for a while now, so was trying to make up for it yesterday by seeing as many shows as I could. These two openings were the best part of the day though.

Raqib Shaw's first exhibition in White Cube Hoxton Square called Absence of God was amazing. The paintings are incredibly detailed and even though they are gilletering and sparkling, not 'pretty' but on the contrary, quite disturbing. There is not much point in looking at tiny photos like the one below, these seven paintings need to be seen up close in the flesh.

The sculpture Adam on the second floor was quite shocking, even if you have read about it and go in prepared to see a lobster raping a bird-headed man, still nothing quite prepares you for that. It is his first sculptural installation and he shouldn't stop there. The tension and contradiction between the beautiful and the grotesque is even powerful in life-size sculptural form. Spectacular work, bar not one for my living room.

Raqib Shaw Absence of God IV…The Blind Butterfly Catcher 2008

20 May - 4 July 2009
White Cube Hoxton Square

The opening of the Diane Arbus exhibition in the two Timothy Taylor Gallery's in Mayfair was an altogether different affair. No trendy people sipping beer and basking in the sun like on Hoxton Square here. It was all Chanel bags, Vouitton scarves and Laboutin shoes inside.

But of course Arbus is a name needing no introduction or promotion. The mayor exhibition of sixty photographs is impressive. 15 Carlos Place definitley being the main location of the show and having a more versatile selection of work. Highly recommended!

The Long Weekend

2009-05-18T00:01:00.001-07:00

It turns out that when I talked about the new arte povera display a while ago it was so new and the events that surround it are happening this weekend. How delightful. I am so excited about seeing Michelangelo Pistoletto in person and performing an art piece, that I can barely sleep!

Join an amazing four-day Bank Holiday festival of performances, films, and music at Tate Modern.

The theme of this year's UBS Openings: The Long Weekend is 'Do It Yourself' and is inspired by the Arte Povera and Post-minimalist artworks in the the new Energy and Process Collection displays.

All events, films, music and performances are free.

Watch Michelangelo Pistoletto as he performs Newspaper Sphere leaving the Turbine Hall and crossing the Millenium Bridge into the streets of London.

Museums at night

2009-05-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

If I wasn't very ill at the moment, this is where I'd definitely be.

Museums at Night weekend
'
'A Night in Space' at The Royal Observatory © National Maritime Museum, London

Read the whole article:
http://www.timeout.com/london/museums-attractions/features/7693/Museums_at_Night_weekend.html?DCMP=EMC-London-14-05-2009

Sara Fanelli

2009-05-11T12:25:00.001-07:00

I have always really liked the Tate Artist Timeline on the walls of Tate Modern, both the design and concept as well as found the information on it very useful. So much so, that it is on my wall above my desk as well. But only recently, when I included a bit of the timeline into my dissertation, did I look into the designer who created it, almost accidentially.

I was impressed by what I saw and found out. I really like her work in graphic design/illustration.
Sara Fanelli is a popular illustator and graphic designer; she was born in Florence, then she came to London to study art, graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1995. She has written and illustrated many children's books and worked for a lot of different companies. In 2006 she was commissioned to design a timeline and four gallery entrances for the re-hanging of Tate Modern’s permanent collection. She is the first woman illustrator elected an Honorary Royal Designer for Industry.

The book Sometimes I think, Sometimes I am seems to be amazing, I want to buy it now.

Check out her beautiful website:
www.sarafanelli.com

Kissey Asplund

2009-04-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

I am blown away by the new soul sensation Kissey Asplund

Sweden’s Kissey Asplund is proof that myspace has changed the world. Asplund hooked up with Paris-based beatmakers Papa Jazz via the online community and a whirlwind has followed. Taking her cues from artists like Erykah Badu and Vikter Duplaix, Kissey melds genres with an understated yet quirky jazz delivery over butter smooth lounge beats and broken beat electronica. Her debut album Plethora has been creating a stir around the globe, heralding the emergence of a new star in the world of electronic soul. We were able to chat with the statuesque Swede during the Winter Music Conference in Miami as she prepared for the release of her album.
http://www.myspace.com/kisseyasplund

Kissey Asplund - Caos

Portfolio review events

2009-04-28T10:25:00.001-07:00

Spring is here and there are photographic portfolio review events coming up as people are graduating and have bodies of work to show and a desire to find work and a place for themselves after graduating. Here are examples of two events, both highly praised and recommended:

Magnum photographers will review people's work at:
First Impressions: Portfolio Review London

June 21 - 22, 2009, London

DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION: Friday 29th May at 6.00pm
Registration is limited and on a first come, first served basis.
By applying you are committing to attend the event.

Price: £135 plus VAT
Payment must be received by 8th June to fully confirm your place For queries contact: fionar@magnumphotos.co.uk

And an opportunity for emerging photographers to get advice from Autograph ABP's curatorial and archive team:
Autograph ABP's Photography Portfolio review
11 - 5pm, Monday 1 June 2009, Rivington Place, London
www.rivingtonplace.org
more details and to book: indra@autograph-abp.co.uk

Why we love?

2009-04-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

I realize that this suggestion in not really in tune with the topics of this blog, given that the book in question is by an American scientist and was published in 2004, so it's not really new cultural news from London, but regardless, this is what I've been reading over the last week and it's too interesting to keep from mentioning.

The book by anthropologist Helen Fisher called: Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love, is scientific research of interpersonal attraction. Might sound a bit dry and technical, but it's a fascinating read throughout. It provides some valuable general knowledge about the evolution of animals and humans, and explains everything very simply and clearly. It explores the notion of love, how it evolved and illustrates everything with case studies. Fisher divides love into the categories/stages of: lust, attraction and attachment.

Love is something we all think we know, it's everywhere- in songs, movies, literature, life... but looking at it from a scientific point of view, it makes much more sense, becomes less scarily overwhelming and mystical. It does detract from some of the magic, I must admit, reducing it to chemical reactions, biological urges and genetic codes, but it also makes dealing with ones broken heart a lot easier. I highly recommend it, reading it will make everything in the world and life and history make much more sense.

(Thanks, Liisa, for suggesting the book and lending it to me)

South Bank part 2

2009-04-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

The next day, on Easter Sunday, I went back to the Southbank. First to photograph TH.2058 on it's last day at the Tate and then to have nice food and take pictures at the Slow Food festival. Then to the Hayward gallery before sitting on a bench with a nice hot chocolate watching the sun set, the Thames flow by and masses of people stroll about and chill. Sometimes you can't help just loving London.

Annette Messanger said in an interview: ''My name is Messanger and the exhibition is called Messangers, but I don't have a message.'' That was more than enough to intrigue me and urge me to go see the show. Even though she is widely considered to be Europe's leading contemporary female artist I am ashamed to admit I did not know of her work before this exhibition was advertised to be coming up at the Hayward.

The Messangers
This retrospective presents an overview of the artist's career and reveals her use of an astonishing and affecting repertoire of forms and materials, among them soft toys, stuffed animals, fabrics, wool, photographs and drawings. The exhibition presents a panoramic survey from the intimate and conceptually driven pieces Messager made in the early 1970s to the very large sculptural installations of the past 15 years, in which movement plays an increasingly important role.

For a masterclass in curating go see the show by artist Mark Wallinger (2007 Turner Prize winner) on the first floor above Annette Messanger. Be quick before it closes!

The Russian Linesman
Until Monday 4 May 2009

Mark Wallinger, one of Britain's most original and unpredictable artists, curates this unique exhibition exploring notions of the liminal: thresholds between physical, political or metaphysical realms. Artists include Vija Celmins, Thomas Demand, Albrecht Durer, Bruce Nauman, Giuseppe Penone and Fred Sandback.

R.I.P. J.G.Ballard

2009-04-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

I was saddened to read the news about the death of writer J.G.Ballard last night. But the amazing legacy of work he left behind will assure he'll never be forgotten. R.I.P.

J.G.Ballard 1930-2009

I have only been familiar with his work since last September, when I visited the exhibition about his work at the CCCB in Barcelona. I haven't read all his books, although several of them. But it left a profound and lasting impression on me and influenced my work possibly more than I even realize. His work has been important for both my photography and me as a writer.

I hope my final project will be worthy tribute to him. It was his work that triggered the start of the whole project for me. Thank you!

Following from the tribute by Simon Sellars, publisher of ballardian.com:

His work embraces dystopian scenarios, including the archetypal non-space often characterised as a deadening feature of late capitalism. But this is not simply a call for nihilism. Ballard's characters are not disengaged from their world. Rather, they embody a sense of resistance that derives from full immersion, a therapeutic confrontation with the powers of darkness, whereby merging with dystopian alienation negates its power.
This is predicated on concurrency: Ballard's writing turns objectivity into subjectivity, opens up gaps where there is room for new subjects. His scenarios are what I term 'affirmative dystopias', neither straight utopia nor straight dystopia, but an occupant of the interstitial space between them, perpetual oscillation between the poles – the 'yes or no of the borderzone', to use a phrase from his work.

Here, dystopia becomes the real utopia, and utopian ideals, typically represented as a stifling of the imagination, the true dystopia. He reinhabits the frame to present a clearinghouse in which corporate and national governance is overthrown and regoverned as a 'state of mind'.

Investment opportunity

2009-04-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

If someone still has any spare cash despite the recession, here's a good chance to spend it well:
(thanks Triin for the tip)

London Auction to Offer Photographs from the Realms of Cutting-edge Contemporary Art and Fashion
Major works from realms of contemporary art and fashion as well as important master photographs will be offered at the forthcoming Phillips de Pury & Company Photographs sale to be held at the company’s London galleries on May 16 at 3 pm.

Here are some of the many photographers whose work is going to be included in the sale that I would love to buy:
Thomas Ruff, Gregory Crewdson, Diane Arbus, Irving Penn, Nick Knight, Robert Mapplethorpe
And a photographer whose work I am especially keen on:
Florian Maier-Aichen.
An example of his work is this magnificent piece:

South Bank

2009-04-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Despite the rainy Easter weekend there were still crowds this Saturday at the South Bank. I braved the drizzle and ventured out all on my own to soak up the atmosphere and culture.

At the BFI I browsed some books in the shop about making short films and was as usual, in awe of their wonderful DVD selection. In the gallery there was an exhibition called ''Unfolding the Aryan Papers''about a film ''Aryan Papers'' that Stanley Kubrick never made, but planned and researched extensively. The installation was made Jane & Louise Wilson, considered the best artists currently working with moving image in Britain. The way it was shot- using film and the actress originally planned for the movie, but not acting out any of the scenes, was very interesting. In the other gallery some old James Bond movie posters were on display. The cafe on the river side has been closed for refurbishment for a while, but now the riverfront bar & kitchen is open and looking better than ever. Still serving benugo's great food and offering a wide selection of drinks at the fabulous looking bar side.

At the National Theatre all the plays for the evening were unfortunatley sold out - unsurprising really, even given the current economic climate, due to the Travelex-sponsored 10 pound tickets, which are selling like hot cakes. The War Horse is getting rave reviews and is proving to be hugely succesful, even if not all the critics completley agree. I would like to get a chance to see that and decide for myself though.

At the Tate Modern I went to see the TH.2058 for the umpteenth time, it is closing tomorrow but as it is the subject of my dissertation I needed to get the most of it still and spend as much time in there as I still could. It got quite boring after a while though and I ventured higher up in the building and discovered that the Material Gestures wing has reopened after being closed for a while. It is my favourite part of the Tate's collection and I was glad to be able to see some of my old favourites like Fontana (pictured here one of my all-time favourites: ''Spatial Concept: 'Waiting' 1960 by Lucio Fontana) as well as works I have never seen before. I really enjoyed the whole Arte Povera display, especially the whole room devoted to Jannis Kounellis, whose work I wan't familiar with before. During his influential career he has been trying to establish 'a unity between art and life'. And in 1987, the year I was born, he already wrote something that I would sign for today: 'I want the return of poetry with all means: of practice, of observation, of loneliness, of the word, of the image, of the aversion' - brilliantly put.

I would like to introduce a ''artwork of the month (or week) section to my blog, because I'd like to highlight a piece that really impressed me:

Film Star 1960 by John Latham
(Books, plaster and metal on canvas, object: 1600 x 1981 x 228 mm, relief)

This work was titled Film Star because it appeared in Latham's film Unedited Material from the Star. It incorporates books whose pages have been painted in twelve colours. Because the books can be opened at different pages, the work can exist in different states. The film consists of static shots of opened books. During production, Latham would stop filming at various points, turn the pages of the books, and start filming again. When the film is shown, the books appear suddenly to open, close and change colour. (From the display caption March 2009)

It's impossible to show or describe it here - this has to be seen up close and preferably with the video alongside it, but I'm not sure how to get a hold of it. A fascinating piece though, love it!

Entre les Murs

2009-04-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Entre les Murs or the Class as it titled in English is old news of course, it has been highly acclaimed and talked about and everyone has already seen it, but I still had not. Finally I did see it now, and I am very glad I did. It certainly didn't disappoint.

The film is beautifully simple yet complex, like the young characters themselves. The plot is that, well, there isn't much of a plot. The description: Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood - sums it up, really.

I was struck by the immediacy of the hand-held camera and urgency of the raw emotions. It was all very real, very moving. You cry and laugh (nous croutons - a truly 'laugh out loud' pun!) with the kids, get to know them, start to care about them. Even though I would have thought this movie is going to put me off wanting to teach for ever, it actually did quite the opposite.
It was very inspiring to see that a powerful movie can be made on a set limited to mostly one classroom and a cast consisting mainly of amateurs. Brilliant.

Cindy Sherman show opening

2009-04-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

CINDY SHERMAN
16 April - 27 May 2009
Private view: Wednesday 15 April 2009, 6 - 8pm

THE photographer Cindy Sherman, who is SO important and influential to contemporary photography that I cannot even begin to describe it here -and I'm sure you know it anyway- is having an exhibition of her recent work opening in London next week.

I must say I am personally quite tired of hearing her ''unititled film stills'' series get mentioned over and over (and over...) again, and also of seeing her face, I am definitely going to see this show, because it's important and the prospect (even if unlikely) of potentially seeing her there in person, is just too thrilling to miss!

Sprüth Magers, London
7A Grafton Street
London W1S 4EJ
www.spruethmagers.com
Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 6pm

The Guardian already published a preview review:

An over-made-up woman wrapped in a fur stole and smiling (as much as a face-lift allows) is surrounded by a fiery orange marble-effect halo. It is just about the ugliest picture I've ever seen. In reality the woman is Cindy Sherman, art world chameleon, who has spent the past 30 years playing female stereotypes throughout her various works. Movie stars, prostitutes, murder victims, valium-hooked housewives - you name it, she's transformed herself into that character. In her new series, Sherman has dressed up as what is laughingly called, in certain magazines, the "seasoned woman". Many of the results are ludicrous, which says something about the way we perceive the older woman. Ageing crones, facelift harpies, embittered divorcees - once again Sherman pictures our nightmares and throws them back in our faces.

TH.2058 Events

2009-04-01T02:03:00.000-07:00

sorry for the long period of inactivity, I was taking in nothing but ski-culture for a week in Austria. Back in town now and need to catch up now.

I basically spent a week at Tate Modern in March because of the series of events connected to the TH.2058 exhibiton that I'm doing my dissertation on. There was an artist's talk and three days of screenings of her films as well as films that were relevant for her work or somehow connected to it. It was called: Memories of a Certain Time: Films for TH.2058
I liked several of the films very much, and am very glad that I had the chance to see such landmark films like Chris Marker's La Jetée (1962) and Un homme Qui Dort by Georges Perec and Bernard Queysanne (1974) as well as see Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster's films.

My favourite was Alain Resnais Toute la mémoire du monde which was just wonderful and a kind of tongue-in-cheek story about humankinds attempt to categorize and systemize everything. But archiving the world's knowledge makes the National Library a museum-like tomb.

Toute la Mémoire du Monde (All the World's Memory), Alain Resnais, 1956, 35mm, 20 min

A grand tour of the vast processes of classification, documentation and preservation in Paris Bibliothèque Nationale, Resnais's Toute la Mémoire du Monde pursues humanity's fragile and absurd attempt to verify knowledge as a concrete, historical form. Within the corridors, tombs, offices and shelves of the library, each book, periodical, object and oddity becomes part of a huge catalogue, split and split again into groupings and compartments, laws and lists. Expanding with each year this museum of words and images populated and administered by scholars and the industrious staff, aims at the ultimate dissolution of mystery by the conservation of all memories. However within these ever-increasing mounds of material, there is only ever less certainty as the promise of some ultimate truth becomes ever more entangled in the particularities of each number, shelf and page.

The video of the conversation between Pablo Leon de la Barra and Dominique Gonazalez-Foerster and that took place in Tate Modern on the 12th of March is uploaded now and can be seen
Artist's Talk - Dominique Gonazalez-Foerster:
www.tate.org.uk/onlineevents/webcasts/dominique_gonzalez_foerster/default.jsp
It helps to decode her work and get a better insight into what she thinks and wants to say with it. And just generally a very interesting discussion.

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Pablo Leon de la Barra will talk among other things about home cinemas, moments ginzas, tropical modernities, super tropicalisations, oasis of utopias, plans for escapes, dystopian architectures, turbinas futuristas...

Thursday 12 March 2009, 18.30–20.00
Tate Modern, Starr Auditorium

V&A library

2009-03-11T02:01:00.000-07:00

The day started with a group tutorial in the morning, which was as always quite interesting and inspiring. It's always good to see other peoples work and get feedback for your own. I showed the latest photos I took for my project and after getting suggestions on which artists and writers to look at next I headed off to the V&A library for some research.

I had heard that The National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert museum is great, that's why I went to join it yesterday, but never would have thought it's so beautiful and inspiring - the atmosphere is just perfect for studying. It's so small compared to the British Library, so that it's not busy and crowded and you feel much more at home. At the same time it has all the art books you could ever want. It's brilliant!

I looked at the work of photographers who I know but haven't looked at very thoroughly before. Mari Mahr and William Eggleston. Today there's more of that, plus Wolfgang Tillmans and installation art books waiting for me there. Can't wait! I wish I could just live there.

After it closed and I was thrown out I was supposed to head home for some more studying. Fortunately Triin called and invited me to the pub, otherwise I would have OD-d on studying for sure. A relaxing drink was just what I needed after a mentally draining day :)

Nothing

2009-03-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

I came across an article in The Guardian titled ''Paris hosts new exhibition of nothing'' and my first thought was, that how come they are doing it, if Yves Klein already did it and we have evolved so much further in art from that point forward.. But then I read it and what they are doing in the Pompidou is a retrospective exhibition of the work ''Voids'' so it is indeed the same piece. Or could it ever be different anyway if it's just nothing. Or different, for that matter.. hmm. all I know is, I think it's great they are showing Yves Klein's work and that I wish I could go to Paris

In nine empty rooms, 'most radical show ever seen' celebrates 50 years of the art of the void

Voids, a retrospective

Pompidou Centre, Paris

Starts 25 February until 23 March 2009

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2009-03-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

After waiting impatiently for ages to see the new Woody Allen film, it finally came out and we went to see it straight away. Even though our expectations were perhaps a bit too high after all this anticipation, we were still pleased with the movie.

A bit too light-hearted and comical, perhaps, yes. But any good? Definitely! With its fun, entertaining, sunny nature it does charm you and make you want to book tickets to Barcelona straight away. And it does make you laugh.

I, personally, loved it, because I felt a very close personal connection with the Cristina character, played by Scarlett Johansson. Carefree, but tormented; fun but confused; talented but insecure... plus of course the more obvious parallels that she is also blond, a photographer and loves Barcelona! I could totally see myself ending up in a relationship with two crazy artists in sunny Barca.. wouldn't mind it at all :)

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2009

2009-03-04T03:32:00.000-08:00

Having lunch with Hanna discussing life, art and politics (with a side of gossip) at the Photographer's Gallery yesterday I realized that I haven't written about the exhibition currently on there, which I went to see on the 20th of February already.

The Deutsche Börse prize at The Photographer's Gallery

This year the photo prize was a bit of a disappointment, I am sad to say. I don't know whether it's because I have developed my critical view or that the work was not as great as it has been on previous years, maybe I was just expecting something else. But the work there this year was quite different for sure.

Taryn Simon's An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar is a project that I liked when I saw it in autumn 2007 but maybe it's because I have come across it too many times in photomagazines etc that the project does seem to have a slightly too much of a 'Sunday supplement' quality to it. It could be that for my personal preference the photos were a bit too arranged and staged. Stunningly beautiful images though and the subject matter is indeed very intriguing. For me, the stories do overshadow the photos themselves a bit, as they are very interesting on their own already.

Paul Graham's series a shimmer of possibility left me quite indifferent. The description ''at once poetic and political, his photographs draw out something truly profound from the flow of everyday life'' sounds brilliant. But it was hard to see that great idea in the photos. As I am dealing with the everyday in my project I was hoping to be more inspired by this work. The images of basketball playing in the hour just before sunset were quite magical, as they encapsulated the simple pleasures and joy of life in that can be found only in the most thoroughly everyday situations.
Maybe more of his images should have been displayed, as I do like some of his earlier work and I don't think this display does justice for his project.

Tod Papagoerge's Passing Through Eden - Photographs of Central Park were lovely and great, but I wouldn't say he is the photographer who made the most significant contribution to photography in Europe, which is the point of this prize. Even though the series is good, and there is really nothing wrong with it, I find it a bit upsetting that it is the best piece on the exhibition that is supposed to show the best photography made at the moment.
Material for a film by Emily Jacir appealed to me because of the use of texts, objects and interviews along with the photos. But as the material was stronger as an archive rather than a photographic project I found that it was a bit out of place there.

St Ann's House

2009-03-03T16:23:00.001-08:00

Even though I mostly write about cultural life in London I am making an exception to recommend a guesthouse a hundred miles away from the capital. The reason being that it really was that great that I just have to mention it.

Sometimes we all need a break from the hectic urban life, but for Londoners the real hardcore countryside can be a bit too extreme a transition. The perfect escape is Salisbury - the rural city, as it likes to call itself. It has the market town feel combined with some decent restaurants and it being only a 2 hour drive from London you don't feel stranded in the middle of nowhere.

When staying there for a relaxing weekend look no further that the guesthouse St Ann's House. A lovely perfectly restored georgian townhouse where every detail is perfectly thought through and that leaves nothing to be complained about. And believe me, I tried to look for faults, but there just weren't any. It is my favorite hotel I have ever been to, and I've been to a lot of really bad as well good ones to be able to compare. And I have never been more satisfied than there.

The hands-on owner Michael welcomed us with his huge dog and made us feel at home and well looked after. He checked us into room nr 1 - the room itself was big a and lovely, but it were the details that really did it for me. The sheets were exquisite egyptian cotton, crisp and smooth with an ever so slight hint of lavender. Towels were the thickest I've ever used and the complimentary products local and organic. The hangers, hairdryer, a board game and alarm clock were all loose, not attached to the furniture with padlocks like in most hotels which is my pet hate (especially the hangers - how annoying!) But there, I felt that everything was designed to cater for my every whim and that this is the perfect hotel for me. The breakfast, which Michael who lives just across the road cookes every day is delicious and, also, just prefect.

Oh, and if you'd like a drink, help yourself down at the bar - just write down what you had! :)

Day at the Tates

2009-03-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

Today I've had a very artistically stimulating day. After an interesting group tutorial at uni that gripped us from 10-14 without us even noticing how fast the time flied by I spent the afternoon visiting exhibitions. I went to see Roni Horn aka Roni Horn, a mid-career review of the New York artist Roni Horn's work at Tate Modern.

There were many interesting ideas there, amongs some other work that left me quite indifferent. Unfortunatley the works were often a lot less powerful and interesting than the ideas behind them. This is not good inspiration for me, who I suffer from the problem of having huge and complex ideas that sometimes don't come through in the work as strongly as they could be. Like her I am very fond of minimalist style.

Nevertheless I found many of the photographs to be meaningful and definatley very beautiful and stylish. I like the way she workes with pairs and series, often quite large ones. The way the images surround the viewer in a loop was good, but the ideas attached to that sometimes too far-fetched f.e. the viewer becoming the weather etc. Also I like that she uses text a lot and finds that very important, as do I. I have to agree to an extent with the critics who say it's not the best show but for me personally it was very useful and inspiring.

My favourite piece were the photographs of the Thames. The remarks on them weremaybe a bit too numerous and distractying for some, but I enjoyed them:
''What is the darkness of the Thames? Is it you?''

After a nice lunch at the member's room I took the Tate boat to Tate Britain - ahh, the simple pleasures! :)
There, I looked at the other half of the Altermodern show. It was all too much to take in the first time I went, so this second visit was necessary to see all the works and generally take in the exhibition as a whole and look at it more objectively and critically than previously.
Some of the work there is not great at all and the whole concept of the show as a staring point for a new era in art is staring to seem a bit too far-fetched. But ambitious is good - at least it will start a debate in art and the truth always lies in the middle of opposing views.

Lindsay Seers' piece about her being a camera for a while was very interesting and lovely. Charles Avery's work about the imaginary islanders is great, but didn't really shine on this show, prehaps because more of it would need to be on display for the right impact. Bob and Roberta Smith's pieces were wonderful as always and Subodh Gupta's immense mushroom cloud sculpure made of tin utensils just unbeliveable. I feel I've exhausted the exhibition now though and also that I'm kind of tired of the Altermodernist stuff. What about proper, good and established art - I think I need a good dose of it now. I might go and see the Picasso exhibition. Or Van Dyck and Britain!? Hmm.. can't wait!

There is life & design outside London

2009-03-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

There is a charming shop in Winchester that stole my heart. Winchester is a lovely town by the way, well worth a visit for the sights like King Arthur's Round Table as well as the charming high street. It just has a great vibe, especially on a lazy Saturday afternoon in the first rays of spring sunshine with the scent of first daffodils lingering in the air.. ahh..

The Hambledon

They sell homeware and clothes, as well as furniture, shoes, books and beauty products. But at the same time avoiding brilliantly the threat of turning into a department store. All the items have been chosen with such care and attention to detail and are just perfect on their own. Eclectic but harmonious. That's why they also all fit togther to create this wonderful atmosphere where I wanted to buy every single thing. Or just live there.

The shop has received raving reviews from magazines and papers, including Vogue.
''A huge lifestyle shop with the most gorgeous mix of clothes, homeware, kid's things and vintage furniture, all beautifully presented in an incredible double fronted Georgian building in Winchester.'' - The Telegraph, Stella

www.thehambledon.com

It is located opposite to the cathedral and right next to a La Place Froggies Bar, a french bistro, which is also a one-off place not part of some chain and has a charming decor and a very inviting ''Ouvert'' sign on the door. (it's in the in the off-white building)
www.froggiesbar.co.uk

In Bath, on the prestigious and swanky Milsom Street, there are a few nice and interesting shops, but Vinegar Hill was by far the best shop ever for nice homeware. Just those little everyday accesories and small things like pretty mugs, scented candles, picture frames and stuff that probably would leave a man indiffrent but make every woman go weak in the knees. So cute!

I am glad that there is life outside of London, often a much nicer life actually and some great and stylish independent shops like these. Even though that means it's not possible for me to visit them as often as I'd like.

Reet Aus - London Fashion Week

2009-02-22T23:36:00.000-08:00

I really like Reet Aus - both in person and her designs! I think she is brilliant and the fact that she was chosen as the first estonian to have a show at London Fashion Week is just great! Go see it and celebrate Estonian Independece Day while you are at it.

A private view by the fashion designer Reet Aus

24 February at 8pm

ambient space
Regent Studios Unit 76
8 Andrews Road
London E8 4QN
Map

You are most welcome!

Admission free

RSVP kersti@reetaus.com

“Slow fashion, beautiful cloth” is the motto of the leading Estonian ethical fashion designer Reet Aus,

who will take part in the London Fashion Week. Her collection will be exhibited as part of the esthetica presentation,

focusing on ethical fashion. The brand stands for ethical fashion, by designing and producing eco-friendly clothes and accessories.

“We’re passionate about waste, things that nobody wants. We take it and turn it into luxury.

We do it by redesigning used clothes and textile. Every item is handmade in Estonia and refined right down to smallest detail.“

The show is a collaboration with Finnish video and sound designer Ville Hyvönen.

Two days at the Tates

2009-02-12T09:58:00.002-08:00

I tried to be mentally prepared for a demanding day when I went to see ''Altermodern'' in Tate Britain, because I knew that it is a big-big show. I always find art fairs like Frieze and all kinds of biennials and triennials quite daunting. There is a limit to how much art I can take in druing the course of one day and even though I find that I can take a lot more than I used to, it is still only enjoyable up to a certain point. In this case I hit my limit roughly halfway through the exhibition. Luckily that is not a problem thanks to free entry through the uni and the fact that it will be up until May. I plan to read up about all the works at home and then go back, fully prepared to enjoy the other half of the works.

Firstly, to understand what the proposed new art term ''Altermodern'' means please see this funny cartoon: www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/altermodern/cartoon.shtm

The Tate Triennial 2009 at Tate Britain presents a collective discussion around this premise that postmodernism is coming to an end, and we are experiencing the emergence of a global altermodernity.

I am very excited about the whole concept of a new stage in the development of contemporary art. The manifesto of Altermodernism states that Postmodernism is dead. I couldn't agree more. I think we have actually been at this new stage for a while now and it was about time that somebody worded it. Of course it had to be an unapologetic frenchman who got the job done. Even though it is the Tate Triennial it would be probably a bit too much to ask from the reserved bitish people to announce a groudbraking change. So they have the curator Nicolas Bourriaud to front the whole thing. Hopefully it will hold. I really enjoyed the works at this exhibiton and although they very very versatile I do feel that there is something that is uniform in them. And if that 'something' is called Altermodern, then that is fine.

I spent the next day at Tate Modern. One of my favourite destinations in the world for art. Re-visited the installation TH.2058 on which I am doing a part of my dissertation on, so always feel necceary to see again. Some things had changed by now. The books that formed a part of the show by being scattered on the bunk beds and that people could pick up and browse, were chained to the beds now. There we also less people there and watching people interact with it wasn't as interesting as usual.
I then went to see the Rodchenko & Popova exhibition totally randomly. I hadn't even heard of it, it had just opened that morning. But I really respect Rodchenko as a totally groundbreaking photographer and it was very interesting to see all the other art he had produced before and the work of his comrades. I was not familiar with any of his paintings and the work of Ljubov Popova either. Of course I had heard about the Constructivist movement but had never actually been to an exhibition that dealt with it so extensively. I found that I liked it a lot. ''The Constructivists compared the artist to an engineer, arranging materials scientifically and objectively, and producing art works as rationally as any other manufactured object. This was, in theory, an art that transcended gender differences. The equality of the sexes was an important Communist principle, and this was one of the first periods in history when female artists were valued as highly as their male counterparts.''
It was very interesting and I'd highly reccommend this show to everyone. Especially interesting for people who speak russian and understand the brilliant advertsing posters that Rodchenko and his contemporaries designed.

Afterwards I had tea in the Tate Modern Members Room. It is a lovely place, set on one of the higest floors of the building with big windows and terraces overlooking the river and st pauls as well as south london on the other side. If I got asked the question they pose to Time Out readers every week - ''If you had an hour to spare in London what would you do'' I'd choose this as the place to spend my time at.

.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-12T09:58:00.001-08:00

The movie Slumdog Millionaire has been getting raving reviews and all kinds of awards, so I felt I had to see it, even though I never really wanted to that much. It was just too much for me - a mixture of extreme poverty and wealth, bad and good.. topped with an indian-style dance in the end.

I felt that even though it did feature the dark side of Mumbai life and the problems in society, it glossed over them in favour of a love story. The way the story was told through the answers in the TV show was quite clever though. On the other hand, at least this kind of film was made and got such widespread attention. There should be more movies like that, we over here in the west need to open our eyes to the problems in India.

Developing the project

2009-02-12T09:52:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday at uni I got some suggestions (I wouldn't really call it feedback) for my final year project.

'Robinson in Space' by Patrick Keiller was recommended and I borrowed it from the library knowing only the information that I got from the wikipedia entry:
''Both London and Robinson in Space are narrated by an unnamed character (voiced by Paul Scofield) who follows his friend, the unseen Robinson around London. Robinson is involved with research into the 'problem' of London and in the later film, England. The films are seen as a critique of the British economic landscape under the Conservative governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major.''
I was sure I'd be able to say more after seeing it, but it's really hard to describe. It is just the most peculiar kind of movie. The only similar thing to this that I had seen was the 'London Orbital' film about the M25, based loosely on the Ian Sincalair book by the same name (those were was recommended to me by my tutor last semster) Interesting and insightful filmmaking, but quite weird indeed. Never seen anything like this before. It must be a british thing.

While I was in the library I took some time to browse through the photography section to see if there were any new books. Either it was new or I just hadn't noticed it before I don't know, but I came accross a book called 'ReGeneration: 50 photographers of tomorrow' which feaured many young photographers working along similar lines thematically and visually as I intend to use for my final project. What was weird was that it seemed that most of the worlds most promising new talent has studied in ECAL in Lausanne. I later found out that
''Curators at the world-renowned Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne selected the photographers from hundreds of candidates submitted by more than sixty of the world’s top photography schools. The panel’s choice was made with one key question in mind: is the photographer likely to be known in twenty years’ time? The results show that, as the new century builds momentum, the art of photography is alive and well, and that photographers of extraordinary talent are well on their way to making their mark.'' quite funny that they just ''happened'' to like the work of so many students from their own town... but aside from teh apparent corruption that is behind the chosen work, the book is still quite good and will prove to be useful for defining my own work, I'm sure.

The next day I spent an afternoon and evening at the British Library reading and taking notes from Species of Spaces and Other Pieces by Georges Perec, which really is a wonderful book, and Reading the Everyday by Joe Moran. Georges Perec was a true literary genius and I don't know why I haven't known about his work until now. He explores the notion of the banal and the everyday. For example he lists all the beds he has ever slept in or everyhting he ate in a year - and it is a pleasure to read it, not dull as it may sound. He focuses on what is truly daily in our lives, is commited to the ''infra-ordinary'' and that is the subject I am interested in investigating as well with my work. If our lives consist of mostly meaningless trivial things, are we therefore trivial? If we remove the grand narratives and strip our everyday existence down to the bone, what are we left with?

Revolutionary Road

2009-02-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

The new Sam Mendes movie Revolutionary Road was astonishing. It really struck a chord with me because the type of topics it tackles are what have always been among the ones that move me most. The feeling of being trapped in a suburbian dream/nightmare; wanting to live life to the full but suffocating in the triviality of everyday existence; the thoughts of being capable of so much more but never really achieving any of that...

it is kind of my worst nightmare, but something I fear will quite possibly happen to me as well. I have escaped from it several times already in my life, but probably won't run from it forever. That is maybe why Kate Winslet's April touched me so deeply. Her acting was immaculate - and many people agree with me on that, she won Golden Globes and last night also Baftas for her performances in The Reader and Revolutionary Road - and the character wonderfully complex yet so simple. All she wants is to lead a happy life, a wish that we can all relate to.

The 50's america setting is also something that has always been hugely appealing for me. The anxieties and behaviour of the housewives in this movie reminded me one of the characters in the all-time-favourite movie of mine, The Hours. As a feminist, I really feel the anguish of those women back then. And the dresses are just beautiful! The feel of the era was very succesfully recreated in Revolutionary Road. All the interiors and the clothes.. plus the lighting and colors of the film were just perfect.

British Library

2009-02-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

I am the newest proud member of the worlds busiest research library. Today I went through the process of signing up (a whole complex process in itself) and got my lovely membership card that provides me access to more books that I could possibly ever even dream of reading, or needing, for that matter.

The world famous reading rooms that have provided a workplace for many a famous writer, including the infamous Karl Marx, throughout history are now also accessible for me. I plan to go try it out, maybe all the intelligence in the air will provide inspiration for me, too. As for reading - I'm not sure how much of that I'll be doing there. Most of the books I would need are stored in Yorkshire and have to be ordered days in advance, making the whole process rather complicated. Loving the building and the setting though.

Three Monkeys screening & interview

2009-02-08T04:20:00.000-08:00

I am well aware that his is the third time I mention Nuri Bilge Ceylan already but it is because he really is that good.

I had seen his previous film Uzak at Estonian film festival Pöff at 2004 and was deeply moved and impressed by it. It won Best Film award from Estonian Film Journalists' Association. So I knew he was a great director, but it was after I saw his photographic exhibition at the BFI that I felt I need to see more of his work and see this man.

So when Karel booked the tickets to go see the preview of his latest film Three Monkeys for which he won best director award in Cannes and hear the latest live interview with him as part of the Guardian Interviews at the BFI I was very excited and high expectation. And the film didn't dissappoint - it was amazing and I really liked it. And him as a person, too. He is extremley talented and succesful but such a simple and straightforward man. So honest in his replies and just very low-key. Charming!

Read the interview here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/feb/06/nuri-bilge-ceylan-interview-transcript

The various posters for Three Monkeys

His website is also worth checking out:
http://www.nuribilgeceylan.com/

visiting the Saatchi gallery

2009-02-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

A week ago on Saturday I visited the Saatchi gallery to see the Unveiled: New Art From The Middle East exhibition. I had been to the exhibition the gallery housed before, it's first show - ''New Chinese Art'' and liked some of the work there but was especially impressed by the space itself. On a lovely green, just off Sloane Square in this magnificent building there is a totally contrasting gallery space inside. It is very impressive and a great environment to view work in - there is just so much space and light.

As for the art shown there, it is very typically Saatchi. He has chosen the most controversial and shocking pieces and even though the names of the shows might suggest an ''overview'' of f.e. Chinese contemporary art, we have to keep in mind that it is his personal choices that have influenced the variety of art that is included. There we some great works in the Chinese exhibition and my expectations as I went to see the Middle Eastern show were prehaps a bit too high. Not that it was disappointing - it's definitely worth seeing even for just the 'Ghost' piece - but we have to understand that the modern art in the Middle East is only just emerging and hasn't been around as long as it has been in China, let alone try to compare it with Western art.

The work entitled Ghost. 2007 by Kader Attia made of aluminium foil.

In Ghost, a large installation of a group of Muslim women in prayer, Attia renders their bodies as vacant shells, empty hoods devoid of personhood or spirit. Made from tin foil - a domestic, throw away material - Attia’s figures become alien and futuristic, synthesising the abject and divine. Bowing in shimmering meditation, their ritual is equally seductive and hollow, questioning modern ideologies - from religion to nationalism and consumerism - in relation to individual identity, social perception, devotion and exclusion. Attia’s Ghost evokes contemplation of the human condition as vulnerable and mortal; his impoverished materials suggest alternative histories or understandings of the world, manifest in individual and temporal experience.

A show-stopping piece that had people gasping when they saw it and standing around it unable to stop looking at it. I had seen pictures of it and thought it must be quite cool, but didn't expect to be so moved by this work. I liked the way each one of the shells was slightly different, yet so uniform. They can force these women to dress alike and kneel down in one direction, but are not able to strip away the last traces of individuality from them, the yearning to look around is still there, there is something startlingly human about them and it makes the work quite sad. At least for me, a die-hard feminist and womens rights activist.

I also liked the mixed media installation by Wafa Hourani 'Qalandia 2067' which was a powerful comment on the two opposing sides of war and the series of out-of-focus portraits 'Hidden War' by Halim Al-Karim.

And after you have seen the show, when you are there in the area, go check out the new Taschen store. It's full of wonderful unbelievably beautiful and great books. Especially interesting for photography and architecture, but all booklovers will be in heaven there. Located just around the corner from the gallery.

Unveiled: New Art From The Middle East

2009-02-02T02:46:00.000-08:00

THE SAATCHI GALLERY

invites you to a members' preview day of

UNVEILED: NEW ART FROM
THE MIDDLE EAST

PHILLIPS DE PURY GALLERY: ARAB AND IRANIAN MODERN MASTERS
SAATCHI GALLERY PROJECT ROOM: WILL RYMAN

Monday 2nd February 2009	10.00 am - 6.00 pm
Tuesday 3rd February 2009	10.00 am - 6.00 pm

SAATCHI GALLERY,
Duke of York's HQ,
King's Road,
London,
SW3 4SQ

www.saatchigallery.com

Admission is free

Go see

2009-02-01T15:49:00.001-08:00

I have now found out and can tell you that the private view of Andres Serrano's exhibition in the Yvon Lambert Gallery titled ''The Unbearable Lightness of Being'' is this Tuesday between 6 and 8. I am going and really hope to meet him in person. The man is an icon, a genius!

The exhibition is on from Feb 3 - Mar 28
Tue-Sat 10-6pm
20 Hoxton Square, N1 6NT

exhibitions

2009-01-29T23:11:00.000-08:00

Thoughts on the exhibitions I went to see on Thursday around Shoreditch as well as West End.

Photographs from South African photographer Santu Mofokeng at Rivington Place were impressive. Not only is his work great documentray photography of life during Aprtheid he has a deeper underlying theme which is exploring the places of artrocity and spiritual sacrifice. I am very interested in everything along the lines of cultural memory and heterotopias or 'other' spaces and it was therefore exciting for me to discover his work.

The visit to the White Cube Hoxton Square was very unsettling. Both artists on show deal with blood and guts. Rosson Crow's paintings from the series Texas Crude were not as disturbing, more like a social commentary, but Andreas Golder: Surgite mortui venite ad Judicum was quite shocking. I don't usually get upset by art that often anymore, but being in the room with his sculpture and the paintings made me feel very uneasy. In the middle of the condensed space sat a very digusting and scary statue of a creature, surrounded by very intense and dark paintings from all sides. I like art that creates a feeling, an emotion, an experience for the viewer, and in that respect the feeling of unease was very successfully exerted from me, that's for sure.

The Australian Minescapes series by Edward Burtynsky in Flowers East gallery on Kingsland Road really blew me away. At first I thought these have to be paintings, because I've never seen photos like that before. The areas on the photos were huge, but didn't look like aerial photographs usually do. The quality of the print made it look more like oil paint.. on some images it was clear that there were tiny trucks and things on there in those vast mines and they were indeed photos. The composition and colors were truly beautiful in a slightly grotesque way. The artist himself describes the weird pleasure one gets from these images ''like enjoying a scan on your leg'' On an ethical level we are not supposed to find manufactured lanscapes beautiful, but the images are just wonderful. Hurry, it closes on the 7th of Feb!

Trevor Sutton watercolors that were on the second floor were the kind I had hoped to see in Jerwood Space. They were abstract but beautiful and minimal yet full of life. It's curious how I found what I as expecting to see in the other exhibition I found in the Flowers gallery instead.

I wandered though the British Musem for a couple of hours, because I had not been there for a long time and only ever been twice and somehow managing to not see the central court. This time I walked through most of it, not managing to take it all in of course, but I like the feeling of walking through history. I focused more on the far eastern galleries and learnt a bit about Japanese culture. Sometimes it is just nice to look at beautiful things like the Sri Lankan statues or emellished swords and lose yourself in a different world and time.

The paintings and intsallation by Jon Pylypchuk at Alison Jacques Gallery (see images at www.alisonjacquesgallery.com) were communicating serious concerns through comical approach - cartoonish characters and stuffed animals were representing humans. Or were they simply corrupted by humans? Manky animals doing coke off a beached walrus sure does require a vivid imagination on the artists part. It's interesting to draw parallels with the work of Andreas Golder (the scary sculpture discussed before) but Golder definitley wins the contest of a more horrible imaginary creature.

After an inspiring lunch at the Photographers' Gallery cafe followed by a rummage through some books and magazines they have in the shop I wrote my proposal for the Final Project.

Thanks to a tip from Paul I finished the stimulating day of gallery visits at the opening Sprüth Magers gallery in the evening. The exhibition is called Objects on Pedestals by Peter Fischli David Weiss, who I love, and I think I managed to see them in the crowd as well. Way too many people were there though, so impossible to see the art or introduce myself to the artists (which I would have loved to do). So instead of actually seeing the exhibition I had a nice chat with my tutor :)
http://spruethmagers.net/exhibitions/229

Book now!

2009-01-29T23:02:00.000-08:00

Three Monkeys + The Guardian Interview with Nuri Bilge Ceylan
BFI Southbank Wed 4 Feb 18:30

The film director who's photographs I was raving about earlier (the exhibition of incredible photos of his father that restored my faith in portraiture etc) is coming to BFI to have an on-stage interview and there will be a screening of his new film as well. And I've got the ticket :)

''Such a promising talent that we mounted a retrospective of his films when he'd made only three features, Nuri Bilge Ceylan is now widely regarded as one of the finest film-makers at work today; having already won many major prizes, he carried off the Best Director award at this year's Cannes with Three Monkeys. We are delighted, then, to welcome him here to discuss that film and his work not only in cinema but as a photographer.''

www.bfi.org.uk/whatson/three_monkeys_nuri_bilge_ceylan

Culture makes you hungry

2009-01-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

When sitting still in cinemas and silently lurking around galleries all gets too much it's time to enjoy a bit of a different kind of culture, but as important nonetheless.
I decided to have girly chat (which, adimittely, turned into a long discussion about holocaust and it's similarities and differences to the deportations in Estonia) and take is some latin american culture in Las Iguanas. Delicious food, a wonderful 2for1 offer on caipirinhas and a lively atmosphere was just what I needed to escape the cold winds and drizzle outside in grim old London. Highly recommended!

exhibitions

2009-01-28T22:47:00.001-08:00

My thoughts on the exhibitions I've been to see on Tuesday

For My Father: Nuri Bilge Ceylan in the BFI atrium

'/.../Ceylan creates photos extraordinary not only for their superb compositions but also for their painterly texture and exquisite detail.'
Loved it! These photographs at this exhibition I stumbled upon by chance really blew me away. All the photos were very cinematic, of course, had a tension/a story but the way they were printed was what truly set them apart. I wish someone from my family was such a willing subject... Anyway, Go see it!

The main exhibition in the BFI was Michael Snow's Yes Snow Show that featured the work of one of the most influential experimental film-makers of all time, but steered clear of being a retrospective. Instead it was a great quite small exhibition featuring 5 of his video works that were all witty, brilliant and simple (given that simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve) and very inspiring. I especially enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek approach of the piece 'Sheeploop' that features sheep grazing grass and being thought of as ''CCTV footage of a pastoral scene''. Genius.

An exhibition of mostly abstract paintings called Invisible Cities in Jerwood Space didn't do much for me. I usually enjoy minimalist and abstract art, but couldn't really see what held the work of those 9 artists together. 'The metaphorical understanding of space that the artists give themselves to make the paintings is a reference to the book Invisible Cities and is used as an allegory of that process.' - sounds great as text but didn't communicate visually at all to me, unfortunately.

The Photographers' Gallery has moved into a temporary space for as long as the new building is being completed and I really liked the first floor, where their great cafe, brilliant bookshop and print sales exhibitions were all in one space (not in 3 different places like in the old building) and created this totally inspiring chilled area. I think I'm going to be popping in there to think, eat, write and plan my work.. and I'm sure good ideas will come to me straight away. A heaven for a photographer like me from a country that does not have this kind of photographic community space.

The main exhibition that was on was Katy Grannan The Westerns that was very stylish and great in many ways but not really the type of photography I personally prefer. It remained quite unclear to me what it was trying to do - is is supposed to be documentary or is the highly staged aspect the point? Are we supposed to be shocked by it? Or relate to the subjects? Didn't really do much for me at all to be honest.

Loved the Michal Chelbin prints of child performers and dwarfs, though. I have seen his work before and really admire it but it really was a great to see some of it again on the walls of the cafe, it capped off the inspiring and enjoyable day.

the pre-bafta/pre-oscar movie overload

2009-01-28T08:11:00.000-08:00

There are so many movies that have just recently come out or that are opening over the next couple of weeks. Many of those I'd like to see, but it's just a bit too overwhelming, there is not enough time at the moment, so I might some when they come out on DVD. 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' are among the ones I plan to go see as soon as possible though.

Recently I've seen several good movies. 'Milk' and 'Che' were very powerful films. I like movies that are based on true stories and the lives of remarkable people. What I really liked about 'Che' was the way it steered clear of trying to be an all-encompassing biopic or a precise documentary. Even though it didn't use the kind of narration like 'Milk', where the story is told in retrospect through the eyes of main character, it still plays around with the time frame. It is the case with both films that we do actually know what is going to happen anyway, if we are familiar with history at all. Walking out of the cinema after 'Che' one is not really sure if one has just seen an action movie or what it really was. It is because Che's personal life is totally left out and even though we get to know Che the Fighter' (and, in my case, begin to fancy him a bit, too) we do not feel as close a personal relationship with the character as we do by the end of 'Milk'. I'd recommend both films, 'Milk', especially is totally unmissable and his story should be known to everyone.

'Doubt' is exceptional because of the immaculate acting by one of my favorite actresses, Meryl Streep as well as Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams. The story is simple and subject very widely used, but the movie manages to leave the viewer in the state of, well, doubt. It raises moral dilemmas and gets the viewer engaged with the issues it deals with. Everyone has their own truth.

Sindy

Empty Ground

LSBU Degree Show

Gerhard Richter & London

Arte Pover at Tate Modern

Synecdoche, New York

Last nights openings

The Long Weekend

Museums at night

Museums at Night weekend

Fri May 15

Sat May 16

Sara Fanelli

Kissey Asplund

Portfolio review events

Why we love?

South Bank part 2

R.I.P. J.G.Ballard

Investment opportunity

South Bank

Entre les Murs

Cindy Sherman show opening

TH.2058 Events

V&A library

Nothing

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2009

St Ann's House

Day at the Tates

There is life & design outside London

Reet Aus - London Fashion Week

Two days at the Tates

Slumdog Millionaire

Developing the project

Revolutionary Road

British Library

Three Monkeys screening & interview

visiting the Saatchi gallery

Unveiled: New Art From The Middle East

Go see

exhibitions

Book now!

Culture makes you hungry

exhibitions

the pre-bafta/pre-oscar movie overload