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?