Sunday 19 November 2017

Art review, 2009

Taking a short break from reviewing books to reviewing art...Time Out reviewed the shows from the past year but none of my favourites appeared in their top ten. So here they are:

Annette Messager, The Messagers at the Hayward














Spooky, mechanical, funny - featuring installations of stuffed toys,
inflatables, stockings, hair - they appeared quirky and childish at first but packed a real punch.

Saul Steinberg at the Dulwich Picture Gallery





















- beautiful line drawings many inspired by my favourite place, New York.

Swoon, Black Rat Press -




















Swoon is my favourite living artist, hands down, and this was a rare chance to see her work altogether in London. She is a street artist who makes giant beautiful pasteups inspired by Expressionism and Japanese woodcuts. She also sailed two giant boats made out of junk materials with her crew through Europe to the Venice Biennale this year. I want to persuade some gallery that handles her art to join the Own Art Arts Council scheme, so I can buy one of her pictures.

C215 at Signal Gallery

















- the same goes for French street artist C215, maestro of the stencil. I like the way he travels and engages with the communities he visits, and the way he never, ever repeats himself.


Word To
Mother at the Stolen Space gallery -












makes things out of found materials, would happily own any of his art (though I saw a video recently which suggested that he might in fact be they), a bit out of my price range though.

Mythologies at the Haunch of Venison
















This was a wicked group show, at what used to be the Museum of Mankind, and inspired by the old collection. Featuring voodoo artefacts and shadow puppet shows. Very very strong works, lots of variety.

Kuniyoshi at the Royal Academy












One of my printmaking friends got us free tickets. Truly beautiful, mind-bogglingly detailed and complex woodcuts which were the popular art of their day. He used to smuggle in political comment and criticism under the noses of the censors, in the guise of mythological creatures, legends and animals. Like all the best satirists.

I managed to miss Anish Kapoor at the RA. But £15 - that's fifteen pounds - for an exhibition? Elitist much?

Sunday 19 May 2013

Moving

At the end of this week, will be moving here, so stick it in your bookmarks.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Further Adventures in Ink *

Coming soon... So if you're at all interested in printmaking, I'll be posting more on  Adventures in Ink  from now on.  Reviving it, while this blog languishes in the attic. Or even if you're not interested, do drop in and say hello.















* looking for a title I googled 'Inky Fingers' and happened upon a website of Harry Potter slash fiction. Takes ALL sorts.


Friday 21 December 2012

Sorted


My plan:

Gone with the Wind; The Snowman Part II: the Revenge; Skellig (nice kid’s story, starring Tim Roth and John Simm, yes please); Singin’ in the Rain; Toy Story; Ice Age;  Stardust;

and then the crowing glory at 9.00 – 11.00 pm on Film 4 - Trading Places.












(There is an intriguing programme that I would love to watch called ‘My Small Breasts and I’ at the same time on a channel called Really, but sadly I don't have access to Really. Nor the Syfy channel, or I would be watching wall-to-wall Buffy all Christmas day.)

I love Christmas this year. 

Saturday 15 December 2012

Yikes

Why can' t things ever just be alright? Why does something always come along to arse things up?

My weekend job, which has been fine thus far, is the latest storm cloud on the horizon.One of the staff there,  so far we've got on like a house on fire, asked for my number. Sure, why not, we can meet up for a coffee in the week, he goes to UEL near me, ... but then he seems to be taking it all a bit seriously... asked what's the latest he can call me to sort out a time. I don't know why, when we are going to meet tomorrow at work.  When he calls I let it ring, so he texts "Hey u okay..."

I feel uncomfortable with this. He is married with a little girl. I don't fancy him and apart from getting on as colleagues, we don't really have anything in common. I phone my sister to ask what she reckons. "Ask to see pictures of his wife and little girl - say you're too busy in the week but would be delighted to come over after work to meet them all..."

In a way it's harder to knock someone back when they're not being direct. If someone asks if you want to sit on their willy, it's pretty easy to give a direct no and everyone knows where they stand. This 'friends' business makes it far more tricky. I like him and I don't want things to be awkward. We've got to see each other and work together every weekend.