The influence that Van Gogh has had on Anselm Kiefer is blindingly obvious once you notice. I’m ashamed to confess that I hadn’t until now but have discovered I’m not the only one. My friend and I were surprised to find how satisfying Kiefer/Van Gogh is as an exhibition. It helps that it’s small, only […]
One-minute blog of interesting things
Subscribe to my blog
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.
Inside Notre Dame de Paris
Now that Notre Dame is open again to the public the crowds have returned in force. The cathedral exterior remains partly under scaffolding but the roof is on, the spire is back and the interior completed with services running several times a day. Most visitors still don’t seem to know this but you can book […]
The Poetry Pharmacy: poetry on prescription
The Poetry Pharmacy describes itself as “The world’s first ever Poetry Pharmacy offering walk-in prescriptions, literary gifts, and books to address your every emotional ailment”. It’s a delightful concept. A friend introduced me to the original shop and cafe in Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire where they told me that they had a London branch, on Oxford […]
Feel The Sound at the Barbican.
The premise of Feel the Sound, the current exhibition at the Barbican is of the deep effect sound has on our bodies and other senses. It’s quite interactive which is fun and in this post I’ll aim to give a you a taste. Here are photos of some of the most visual exhibits. I recommend […]
Everything is Connected. A project with University of Central London (UCL).
This exhibition was part of an ongoing project celebrating ground-breaking neurological research, innovative collaborations between artists, researchers and communities and the University of Central London‘s ambitious project in progress to build a world-class neuroscience centre. The show explored how researchers and artists (I have only mentioned a couple here) working together can contribute to a […]
Huma Bhabha. Encounters: Giacometti at The Barbican, London.
This part of The Barbican has been repurposed into an intimate gallery space where the works of contemporary artists are being shown with Giacometti’s sculptures throughout this year. Giacometti’s figures come from the desolation of World War 2. The first artist in this series is Huma Bhabha whose sculpture also deals with violence and ruination. […]
Cornelia Parker: History Painting at Frith Street Gallery
I’m a big fan of Cornelia Parker so was keen to see her new show History Painting at Frith Street Gallery. The grid format is inspired by famous newspaper covers and the colour theory of American artist Emily Noyes Vanderpoel. there’s more to it than that. With Parker there often is so I recommend reading […]
The Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery, London.
I was privileged to visit the newly redesigned Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery before it reopened to the public. Before I talk about the interior I have to mention the thing that excited me the most: Mud Sun, a newly commissioned piece by Richard Long, installed at the top of the stairs. There has […]
The Craft of Carpentry at Japan House, London.
I came across this gorgeous exhibition at Japan House quite by chance as was attending an event there. Carpentry is not normally something I would get hugely enthusiastic about but this is different. Everything is beautifully presented as you would expect with different and ingenious ways of joining wood on display. You can get hands-on […]
Citra Sasmita: Into Eternal Land at Barbican Curve
Citra Sasmita‘s show, Into Eternal Land, was on at The Curve Barbican . The traditional technique of Indonesian Kamasan painting was historically carried out exclusively by men to illustrate Hindu epics. Taught by a priest’s daughter she uses the medium to explore Bali’s culture and colonial past, inventing new female-centred mythologies to reimagine a post […]