This recent sculpture exhibition, Gargouilles, by Nicolas Deshayes at Modern Art has that seductive/repellent quality that I find so intriguing. What we think of as soft, organic forms are rendered here in hard, heavy materials. The beautiful production and finish of these pieces belies their subject matter – I feel fascination with an edge of […]
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.
Shattered Glass of Beirut at the British Museum.
Many of us will remember hearing the news on the 4th of August 2020 of a massive explosion in the port of Beirut. At least 218 people were killed, with 7,000 injured and buildings damaged up to 10 km away. The Archaeological Museum at the American University of Beirut was one of those buildings. It […]
Spark at the Greenwich & Docklands International Festival
Spark launched the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF) this year with an immersive display of “sustainable fireworks”. Developed by Studio Roosegaarde, a social design lab headed by Daan Roosegaarde, Spark was inspired by the movement of fireflies and a desire to transform the usual fireworks or even confetti of traditional celebrations. It is such […]
Earth Photo 2022 at the Royal Geographical Society
This photographic exhibition, organised by Forestry England as well as the Royal Geographical Society (with Institute of British Geographers- IBG) is “a collection of films and photographs stimulating conversations about our world”. It is an open call submission open to photographers at any stage of their career. Themes this year include People, Nature, Changing Forests, […]
Alienarium 5 at the Serpentine Gallery
Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster is an artist whose work evokes atmosphere over object and her multi-facetted installation, Alienarium 5 at the Serpentine Gallery is created around a simple yet surprising and unusual premise: “What if aliens were in love with us?” . So many sci-fi narratives explore the aggressive and frightening side of alien life; in this […]
Black Chapel, the Serpentine Pavilion 2022
Black Chapel by artist Theaster Gates is this year’s Serpentine pavilion which I visited on a scorchingly hot day, one of too many in London this summer. The dark interior was a welcome respite from the intense glare and heat. A simple circular structure, the main space is for congregation and reflection, exactly like a […]
Georg Baselitz at the Pompidou Centre, Paris
Whist not a fan of Georg Baselitz in the past, this huge retrospective at the Pompidou Centre in Paris back in February gave me much more insight into his practice. I’ve now been converted to admirer. Being able to see his creative journey, not only in time but also in different media really helped put […]
Les Archives de France, Paris. Post 2 of 2
Still at Les Archives de France but on to the museum itself. Seeing the originals of so many incredibly significant documents made my head spin. The only drawing of Joan of Arc? (photo above). It’s perhaps just the idea of her – we will never know. The Edict of Nantes below; Marie Antoinette’s last letter […]
Les Archives de France, Paris. Post 1 of 2
You can’t beat a beautiful Parisian interior and those at les Archives de France are no exception. Best thing is, they and the museum itself (in my next post) are free to visit! The Hôtel de Soubise is in Le Marais. I was fortunate to go early in the day when no-one else was around […]
Milton Avery at the Royal Academy
This exhibition, currently on at the Royal Academy, introduced me to Milton Avery, an artist I was unfamiliar with. He apparently influenced the Abstract Expressionists, particularly Rothko so I was keen to learn more. I did find it a bit of struggle at times but focussed looking always brings rewards: his physical manipulation of paint […]