It’s inevitable that I’d post about Olafur Eliasson, one of my favourite contemporary artists, especially as his exhibition In Real Life, currently at Tate Modern is one of the blockbusters of the year. I missed experiencing his seminal Turbine Hall Weather Project in 2003 as I was living in India so, apart from the occasional […]
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.
Dóra Maurer at Tate Modern
I have to confess that I had never heard of Hungarian artist Dóra Maurer till I visited her exhibition at Tate Modern. Born in 1937, most of her creative life took place under communism which wasn’t exactly a favourable environment for conceptual art. Much of her work is concerned with process: KV’s 1st of May […]
New work by Steve McPherson at The Other Art Fair
Steve McPherson is a regular exhibitor at The Other Art Fair with his marine art pictures and has been collecting the plastic debris washed up on his local beach for over ten years, recording his findings as an archaeologist/treasure hunter/collector. Ahead of the next The Other Art Fair in October I wanted to show some […]
The Vessel and the Shed at Hudson’s Yard, New York
As it had only recently opened to the public back in early May, I wanted to visit Hudson’s Yard to see what all the fuss was about. Well, firstly it’s a huge corporate development with The Vessel designed by Thomas Heatherwick Studio (which isn’t small) dwarfed by the buildings around it. I liked the reflections […]
Ed Moses & Qin Feng at Blain|Southern London
The West influenced by the East and vice-versa. It’s a truism as of course we’re inevitably influenced by others, evident in this exhibition of artists from two different cultures (and generations) with an affinity of concerns. Both Ed Moses and Qin Feng have a connection to abstract expressionism and a shared fascination with the gesture. […]
The Ollerod Hotel
I haven’t done a hotel visit for a while and this one was almost accidental. As part of ArtCan I’m participating in Wanderlust, a group show currently held in the public spaces of The Ollerod, a 4 star boutique hotel run by Chris Staines and Sylvana Bandini. More accurately a restaurant with 14 rooms, it’s […]
Helene Schjerfbeck at the Royal Academy
Well, it’s been a long time coming but the work of Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck can finally be seen in the UK at the Royal Academy in London. I was struck by the stillness and spareness of her paintings. The portrait below from 1907 is, in fact, called Silence. Self portraits form an entire room […]
AI: More Than Human at The Barbican
The history of and rise of artificial intelligence fills me with wonder as well as some dread, a combination not uncommon in most of us so this exhibition at The Barbican gives some indication of the current state of play. Beginning in pre-history, the concept of something more than human may be found, moving through […]
[Un]seen: Hanna ten Doornkaat, Annamarie Dzendrowskyj and Sinta Werner at Arthouse1
Previous attempts to visit Arthouse1 had been foiled so I was please to finally get there for this show. A sense of understatement connected the artists; no shouty shoutiness or “hey, look at me!”. This was all confident and assured. All you need to do is look and you will be rewarded. Hanna ten Doornkaat […]
Paintings from The Affordable Art Fair, London
Looking at the photos I took at The Affordable Art Fair in Hampstead, I couldn’t help but notice that they were all “quiet” pieces. Was it because I was very tired that day? Maybe I just needed to look at something soothing. Anyway, this doesn’t detract from the quality of the work. Cameron Contemporary Art […]