New Designers is an annual exhibition showcasing the work of recent graduates from design courses around the country. Everything from textiles, fashion, jewellery, product design, furniture, interior design and illustration are covered in the first week. It can be overwhelming so, as a long-term visitor, I tend to skim-view the displays, only stopping when something […]
One-minute blog of interesting things
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As a working contemporary artist I visit many exhibitions and shows, but sometimes it is the things I see that are part of daily life that capture my interest. My one-minute blog of interesting things reflects the fact that although we are increasingly time-poor, there is creativity all around us. Email me at info@carolinebanks.co.uk with your name and email to receive a weekly post that only takes 1 minute to read.
Banksy’s sculpture in London’s Waterloo Place.
This caused quite a stir, as does any new Banksy artwork, when first discovered in Waterloo Place, central London. As you can see below, he picked his location with care: the place is full of historical memorials and grand statues of the “Great and Good”. Seen from a distance the scale perfectly fits its setting. […]
Travelling in a 1949 Daimler
This is my first (and probably only) post about a car. I was amazed to go out in this classic 1949 Daimler when I visited a friend recently. People stared as we drove past and complete strangers came up to talk to me. It’s the first time I’ve been in such a car and I […]
Zurbarán at the National Gallery: Still Life
The penultimate room in this exhibition at the National Gallery focusses on Zurbarán‘s still lives (as well as those of his son), showing how they were also used as references within other paintings. This small painting is from the National Gallery’s own collection. It could have been an individual piece or a section of a […]
Zurbarán at the National Gallery: the richness of detail.
I first heard the saying “every detail is not a detail” decades ago from luxury brand Hermès and it has been one of my mottoes ever since. It came to mind when looking at Zurbarán in the current exhibition at the National Gallery. One of the wonderful things about seeing original art is that you […]
Zurbarán at the National Gallery
Who? people said to me when I mentioned this show at the National Gallery. A 17th century Spanish artist, Francisco de Zurbarán worked during the Counter-Reformation. His patrons were religious orders intent on reinforcing the power and influence of the Catholic church throughout the Spanish Empire. I don’t know if he was very religious but […]
Our Fragile Space. Photography by Max Alexander.
This show of photographs by Max Alexander took place during the recent Artemis space expedition in the courtyard of Burlington House, home of the Royal Astonomical Society The first two photos here are of satellite trajectories giving an indication of the amount of space traffic above our heads. We are putting an increasing number or […]
Michaelina Wautier at the Royal Academy, London
Michaelina Wautier was a successful artist during her lifetime (1614 – 1689) but subsequently unknown until very recently. This exhibition at the Royal Academy is the celebration of a talent that deserves to be better known to the public. Previously ignored due to male art historians unable to conceive that a woman could paint to […]
Samurai at the British Museum
The British Museum‘s Samurai exhibiton was understandably hugely popular. We’re all familiar with images of samurai armour but one of the things I appreciated about the show was learning about other aspects of this warrior class. I wanted to share here a small part of the show: the spear cover standards used to identify different […]
Veronica Ryan: Multiple Conversations at Whitechapel Gallery, London
This retrospective at Whitechapel Gallery covers five decades of Veronica Ryan‘s career, from the 1980s to 2026 including new works specially commissioned for the show. I’ve focussed here on her use of seed pods and fruit as the theme runs throughout her career (see the drawing above from 1983). They represent growth and possibility, decay […]