Now widely recognised for her importance to Abstract Expressionism, Imagining Landscapes, the Helen Frankenthaler exhibition currently at Gagosian in London shows fourteen paintings from 1952 to 1976, some of which have never been shown before. I have included a detail shot for each painting shown as so much is about the paint and mark-making. I […]
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.
Michael Armitage at the Royal Academy
Michael Armitage gained his postgraduate diploma from the Royal Academy Schools ten years ago and returns to the Royal Academy with Paradise Edict, a powerful exhibition of paintings. Some were inspired by the 2017 Kenyan elections, others explore East African society, landscapes and figures referencing classical narratives. The lushness of colour and assured mark-making belies […]
Brutal Beauty: Jean Dubuffet at the Barbican
“I aim for an art that is directly plugged into our current life” – Jean Dubuffet An artist I have been aware of for most of my life, Brutal Beauty, an exhibition of Jean Dubuffet at the Barbican, was an unexpected joy to visit. There was a strong current of energy running from the work […]
Zanele Muholi at Tate Modern
As exhibitions everywhere have been disrupted over the past 15 months I was determined to get to Zanele Muholi at Tate Britain before it closed. I had seen an exhibition walk-through online but, as ever, you just can’t beat seeing art in reality. The photos and videos are a key element of Muholi’s activism, coming […]
Copernicus at the National Gallery
A national treasure in Poland, this is the first time the massive painting of Copernicus by Jan Matejko (1838-1893) has been exhibited here at the National Gallery in London. Copernicus (1473-1543), another Pole, was the astronomer who realised that the earth revolved around the sun, thereby establishing that science evolved through ideas, not religious authority. […]
Rachel Whiteread at Gagosian Gallery
This exhibition marks a shift for Rachel Whiteread – the clue is in the title Internal Objects, recently held at Gagosian Grosvenor Hill. The casts we have been used to seeing are still there including this rather wonderful corrugated piece made from scrap paper, one of a pair near the entrance. The big change however […]
Eileen Agar at the Whitechapel Gallery
Despite being influenced by Surrealism (haven’t we all?) I have viewed it with a certain amount of suspicion due to its overt misogyny – fortunately the last few years have more fully revealed the creative impact of women in the movement. One of these was Eileen Agar, whose exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery gives an […]
Kristin Hjellegjerde gallery in Andrew Logan’s house
Wandering round the back streets of Bermondsey I wanted to show a friend Andrew Logan’s house, not realising that it was now the Kristin Hjellegjerde gallery in SE1. Kristin Hjellegjerde is a gallerist I’ve admired and followed since first meeting her several years ago at her first gallery in Wandsworth. Gerald Chukwuma’s solo show, Eclipse […]
Park Seo-Bo at White Cube Gallery
One of the founders of what became known as Dansaekhwa (or Tansaekhwa), Park Seo-Bo‘s recent show at White Cube gives an overview of his long career, even including a couple of paintings from the 1960s. Here are photos of some of the pieces that touched me the most. These ridged works are made with Hanji, […]
Chasing Seasons by Lucy Stevens
One of the shows that is now possible to visit in real life, this exhibition by Lucy Stevens at StudionAme in Leicester combines art and science to explore the effects of climate change on bird species. On from 7th till 20th May and also available to view online, the project sees her working in collaboration […]
