A Comprehensive Exhibition On Graffiti at the ‘Fondation Cartier in Paris’
September 14th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Up until 22 November 2009, the Fondation Cartier in Paris (created in 1984 par Alain-Dominique Perrin), is showing an exhibition entitled: ‘Né dans la rue – Graffiti’ which translates as ‘Graffiti – Born from the street’.
It is quite unusual for such a high brow institution to showcase this kind of art, seeing as the French don’t seem to have much regard for an art form which seems to plague their streets, defacing the city’s beautiful classical architecture.
However, since the rise in interest in ‘street art’ in Britain and the elevated prices works by such artists are attaining at auction, a new admiration of this art form has begun, and this appreciation has clearly spread across the pond.
At the Fondation Cartier, the entire gallery space as well as the building’s façade and surrounding garden brings together the extraordinary development of an artistic movement that was born in the streets of New York in the early 1970s to rapidly become a worldwide phenomenon.
‘A Shadow Falls’ – Photography by Nick Brandt
September 13th, 2009 § 1 Comment
Renowned Fine Art Photographer Shows at the Air/Atlas Gallery, 32 Dover street, London
Nick Brandt began his career as a music-video director and was working on Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth’ video in the mid 90′s when he fell in love with the African landscape. A few years later, he embarked on a zealous quest to photograph the animals of East Africa, afraid that he was running out of time to capture their beauty amongst the natural landscape.
Brandt freely admits that his images are romanticised, showing a kind of idyllic Africa, but he doesn’t like to photograph nature’s more brutal side – he points out that photographs of this kind of thing don’t fit within the aesthetic sensibility of his work.
I haven’t quite decided what to make of Nick Brandt’s photographs. A couple of his pieces currently on show at the Air/Atlas Gallery are really quite stunning, however others remind me of modern day Athena poster-type prints.
I can’t quite figure out whether it is the fact that his photographs are digitally printed on a textured cotton rag Hahnemuhle paper that lets the work down – (I know that more and more people are beginning to accept the digitally outputted print, but I am not sure if this does the work any favours) or Brandt’s excessive use of Photoshop to enhance his images.
In Brandt’s defence, I know that he has previously spent years trying to find a printer that could produce his photographs with the right tonalities and that he has never found anything that worked for him, hence him turning to modern printing technology to aid with the colour process. Also, Nicks’ background is in painting, so it’s no surprise that he uses Photoshop, however even though he says he is careful to maintain the integrity of the negative, I feel that a little less manipulation of the original shot, may work better for him.
Despite my reservations, Brandt’s photographs have received acclaim from publications such as Time magazine, and he has had major exhibitions worldwide from Berlin to Los Angeles.
Putting all that aside though, Nick Brandt’s work is very different to other wildlife photographers in that he photographs wild animals as if he were photographing people – close up portraits capturing them in their state of ‘being’ as opposed to ‘action’ and combining this with sweeping landscapes which stir the emotions of the viewer in powerful ways.
Nick also only shoots on 120 mm film (because of the detail in a negative of this size) with the aid of a Pentax 67 II camera. He works using an unusual technique in that he does not use a telephoto lens saying, “You wouldn’t photograph a person from one hundred feet away with a telephoto lens and expect to capture their personality. I feel the same way about photographing animals.”
He also likes shooting under cloud cover, whereas most photographers prefer sunlight. “It perhaps sounds a little strange to choose to photograph in cloudy weather”, he says, “but the flat light makes the shape of the animal cleaner, more graphic, more iconic. There are no heavy shadows and blown-out highlights to obscure, to complicate the shape of the animal.”
Hopefully the images in his show will enlighten people as to these animals threatened existence. Nick has organised a special evening at the gallery on September 16, from 6.30 - 8.30 pm, where guests can meet him and buy signed copies of the book at a reduced price of £50.
The Air/Atlas Gallery will donate £35 for each book sold to Tusk, the wildlife charity (www.tusk.org) Entry is free.
An exhibition of his works and signed copies of the limited edition book can be viewed from September 8 to October 3 2009 at the Air/Atlas Gallery, 32 Dover Street, London W1S 4NE (www.atlasgallery.com).
Battersea Power Station: Inside the Landmark
September 12th, 2009 § 1 Comment
Ever wanted to have a real look inside Battersea Power Station?
As a shadow hangs over the future of Battersea power station, the Royal Institute of British Architects is opening an exhibition of large scale photographs of one of London’s most recognisable landmarks. Photographer Michael Collins describes Battersea power station as a ‘twentieth-century ruined castle’.
This view, complete with the building’s iconic chimney stacks, shows the entrances to the turbine halls and the boiler house. Collins applies the principles of Record Picture photography to his images – placing an emphasis on clear, unadorned description – a practice that, for many years, has been employed by architects and civil engineers.
The exhibit runs from 3 - 29 September 2009, RIBA, Gallery 1, 66 Portland Place, London, W1
Contact RIBA on: +44 207 580 5533 for news on future programmes.
Saatchi artists on Show at the Michael Hoppen gallery
September 12th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
I believe the Michael Hoppen Gallery is probably the best photography gallery in London, always showcasing interesting work from a wide range of photographers. The staff are polite, professional and extremely helpful – particularly in print sales.
This month, be the first to see an exhibition of new works by six artists from Saatchi artists online, opening in London tomorrow.
Working from their own photographs – found or made – the artists have spun the images into unique and unusual works of art.
The collaboration between Michael Hoppen Contemporary and Saatchi online features the work of artists Maurizzo Anzeri, Gabriele Beveridge, David Birkin, RobinCracknell, Hannah Dakin and Dong Yoon Kim.
‘Starting with a Photograph’ shows until 12 October 2009.
Anish Kapoor at The Royal Academy, London
September 11th, 2009 Comments Off
Go and see the stunning supersized works by Indian artist Anish Kapoor at The Royal Academy of Art which opens on 26 September till 11 December 2009.
Anish Kapoor is also showing smaller scale works at the Lisson Gallery in London NW1 (the gallery he was signed to when he was 26 and has been with ever since), from 14 October – 14 November 2009.
Born in Mumbai in 1954, Kapoor has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s where he moved to study art, first at the Hornsey College of Art and later at the Chelsea School of Art and Design.
This Turner prize winner has gained international acclaim, represented Britain in the 1990 Venice Biennale and has had solo exhibitions at major museum spaces and galleries worldwide. His often large-scale sculptures tend to be made from tactile, sensual materials screaming out to be touched and interacted with.
His pieces are on show in New York at MOMA, the Prada Foundation in Milan, the Guggenheim in Bilbao and Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum, and more recently two made their way at No.10.
Today, most of the monumental work he is commissioned to do tends to be for public spaces, hence his need to work out of a large studio employing something between 20 and 30 full-time staff. His worskshop is based in Camberwell in south London where teams of craftsmen work under his command on several projects at the same time. This is where his playground is, an area where he can try things out, play with a variety of shapes and experiment with a range of materials.
Kapoor’s work along with the likes of Lucien Feud, Jeff Koons and David Hockney is highly sought after, and fetches millions of pounds – in 2008 an alabaster sculpture fetched a record £2m at Sotheby’s.
This Royal Academician was awarded a CBE in 2003 and it is fitting that he is exhibiting at the Academy this month. It is his first show since 2002, when he took over the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall with a vast, alien-like form entitled Marsyas. A show of this scale has never taken place at the RAA by a living artist, so it’s a huge honor for Kapoor and a show which will not disappoint. The show will feature new 50 pieces, including the magnificent Svayambh (see first picture) an incredible wax-like work that moves right through Burlington House.
Visit his website for a more comprehensive view of his stunning work. www.anishkapoor.com
Watch Art Critic Ossian Ward taking a walk around the exhibition:
Francesco Clemente Exhibition in Naples
September 11th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Francesco Clemente
MUSEO D’ARTE CONTEMPORANEA DONNAREGINA NAPOLI
Curated by Pamela Kort
30 May – 12 October 2009
Francesco Clemente (b.1952) is an Italian painter who’s work contains both surrealist and expressionist references. Clemente was self taught and studied architecture in 1970 at the University of Rome. Francesco Clemente’s work came to my attention over 10 years ago, when he provided paintings for the film ‘Great Expectations’ starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke. He has since been a firm favorite of mine who’s work seems to always leave me with a lasting impression.
Famously cosmopolitan, Clemente has long been a resident of New York, yet he is one of those artists who remains obsessed with origins, both metaphysical and personal. This retrospective focuses on Clemente’s relationship with Italy and his hometown of Naples in particular.
The exhibition highlights the connections between the artist and his own culture revealing Clemente’s sense of nostagia for his country. Showing over 120 works and culminating with the grand fresco Ab Ovo, this show is well worth the trip.
Turner Prize Winner Grayson Perry at the Victoria Miro Gallery
September 11th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Solo exhibition featuring artwork by Grayson Perry
2003 Turner prize winner Grayson Perry will be showing a new work The Walthamstow Tapestry at the Victoria Miro Gallery in London. The tapestry explores the emotional resonance of brand names in our lives and our quasi-religious relationship to consumerism.
Born in Chelmsford, Essex in 1960, Grayson Perry lives and works in London. He uses the seductive qualities of ceramics and other art forms to make stealthy comments about societal injustices and hypocrisies, and to explore a variety of historical and contemporary themes.
Starting Friday 9 October – Saturday 7 November 2009
Visit: www.victoria-miro.com for more information
NB: Thames & Hudson will be publishing a new book on the artist by Jacky Klein to coincide with this exhibition on 5th October 2009, priced at £35.00.
The tapestry was on display during Frieze week and the images show details from Perry’s work.
