PTBM Research Journal: exhibitions

Showing posts with label exhibitions. Show all posts

Dalston Anatomy

Lorenzo Vitturi's show at The Photographer's Gallery focuses on the incredible depth of colour and culture he sees in Dalston. In an interview with Time Out*, he explains that he has "always been interested in states of precariousness." It is clear that, like me, Vitturi has an affinity with the moment - those beautiful and unique instances all around us, thousands and millions of them new and then gone, over, every day. Vitturi says: "Using all this organic stuff like fruit from the market, photography is the only way capture it - otherwise something might only last for five minutes." The transience and expiration of the things/moments pictured in his photographs are integral to his practice, and he marvels in the unique joy of each one.

*The interview is here.

LAB451 at Camden Image Gallery, performance, and collaboration

LAB451

I don't get to see much performance art very often usually, but my band recently performed at a performance art focused event in Camden. Performance is effectively a component in every artwork through the process of creating it and the process of showing it. These actions can be termed performance and can be viewed through the lens of performance. Performance art is not something I directly and purposefully interact with in my art practice, however I perform in a musical context, and in a wider sense my art practise concerns itself with the methods via which I make art and the emotive transmissions and transferences therein.

I made a video journal depicting the night at LAB451 which is viewable below.

During our performance, my band/duo (Rescue A Family) played projected videos with each song. My bandmate, Ed, usually controls visual filters and effects as we play. Different effects are assigned to a series of knobs which increase or decrease effects as they are turned one way or the other. We wanted to invite audience participation after our initial performance by running our videos and allowing people to play with our effects as Ed does as we perform.

COLLABORATIVE ART

In tandem with my MCP essay (currently titled "Why Do People Reject Themselves As Artists?") I have been increasingly interested in collaborative art. My art practice has always been very solitary, and following criticisms of it's insular nature and accessibility concerns it seems it might be an idea to work with other people as a way of pushing myself towards work that is more comprehensible and purposeful. I particularly would like to collaborate on projects with people who are reluctant or shy about art.

I'm interested in bringing "non artists" (or as I like to refer to them, the "artistically dormant") into my art practise and into art making generally, as an exercise that would serve to create bonds between both us as people, and between my collaborate and art. Functionally, I sort of want to drag someone into art against their will.

I have elicited several drawings from my boyfriend - a person who doesn't really draw. I thought a nice way of making "unwilling" collaborative art would be to collect requested drawings and then myself organise them into a college, which I can then embellish. Thus the collaboration is completed without directly collaborative participation from my collaborator. Sneaky.

I have attempted to have us both draw alongside each other in a booklet, but (as is evidently the natural fearful response of someone who is not really used to drawing) he tends to locate his drawings far away from mine and usually with quite a lot of blank space around them. This doesn't really work for collaborative purposes as he instinctively distances his drawings from mine (as well as from each other). This is the reason I came up with the idea of my doctoring of his images as a means to construct collaborative artworks, as that way he can contribute in a passive way to a collaborative project - the only way it would be possible (unless he shed his artistic instincts and barriers).

The Saatchi Gallery: Paper, New Order: British Art Today, and Contemporary Ukrainian Artists

Elliot and I went over to the Saatchi this week and looked at all the things.

Freya Douglas-Morris - They Visited Twice, 2012

What I liked about the above piece was the watery texture and the subsequent hurried look to it. The idea of making art at speed, or art that is relatively simplistic, is really appealing. These textures could be created quickly but still look really nice.

Christian Holstad - Defending Decisions, 2005

This altered newspaper photo reminded me of some of my previous work, some photos I altered with water. It's a really pleasing thing to do because with one quick movement you can make such a huge change to a picture (or indeed, to other objects), and it can become so dreamy (which I love - a beautiful way of idealising a moment or image).

People

John Kleckner - Untitled (Herucles), 2006

I like this as a caricature of masculinity, or of representations thereof.

Storm Tharp - Love Nothing More, 2009

These Tharp paintings remind me of the technique experimentation I did during my fine art a level and I feel a bit nostalgic for using bamboo sticks and pieces of card to paint with! Again, I love the watery look. Very ethereal and uncontrollable and spooky.

Elliot ft. Margot Sanders - In Fine Company, 2012

Storm Tharp - Jodie Jill, 2009

The use of shading here is really striking.

Nicola Frimpong

Nicola Frimpong - Untitled

These Frimpong pieces interest me due to both their highly-politicised content and their childishness. That combination is compelling.

Paul Westcombe - Coffee Cups (my favourite is the little red one one, which is called "In The Morning In The Shower I Saw The Shit Run Down Your Leg")

People taking photos with Rebecca Turner's Dumbstruck, 2011

The secret art me and Ells found (arty ladders)

Art by some schools

Really cute and sweet and innocent.

Me ft. Zhanna Kadyrova - Diamonds, 2011

Elliot responding to art

Zhanna Kadyrova - Diamonds, 2011

These are really slick, smart sculptures. I like how neat they are as objects.

Elliot still responding to art

Pavlo Kerestey - Kids on Trees, 2009

The colours here are so bright and adventurous and unreal.

Roman Minin - Plan of Escape, 2013

Rafal Zawistowski

Chunky textures like this always make me feel sort of reckless and real and remind me of blood and food or something.

Wendy Mayer - After Louise, 2011

Wendy Mayer - Fly Away Peter, 2011

Wendy Mayer - Gold Watch, 2012

Amanda Doran - The Semen

Again some great colours. The salmon pink and blue combo is appealing. Seems young in some way.

Gert & Uwe Tobias - Untitled, 2011

Jake and Dinos Chapman - Exquisite Corpse, 2000

I am a big fan of exquisite corpses as a cool and casual mode of collaboration. So clearly defined in sections but so clearly all about that collaboration. These ones by the Chapman brothers are very much exquisite.

Cross pathway private view, 1st Oct

These are my two favourite pieces from today's private view:

Mavis Qu

What I like about these 2 pictures is their careful composition, the blue and white colour palette, the focus on one character, and the intriguing storytelling aspect.

Joe Brown

What I like about this is it's simplicity, the childlike expression and way it seems fast and messy whilst remaining a confidently exercised piece of work, the use of words and the emotion portrayed through them.

Mavis' work is inspiring to the work I plan to make in exploring personality through appearance and style, and Joe's is more my general style and can inform my exploration into childlike art and the expression of and influence on emotion in art. It's also worth examining his colour palette. He seems to have used quite moody colours, which perhaps enhance the effect of the text.