This exhibition was far more engrossing than expected. Collecting is variously described as an illness, an obsession, a response to early material deprivation, the desire for acquisition…I could go on but I think you get the idea.
The artists featured include Arman, Peter Blake, Hanne Darboven, Edmund de Waal, Damien Hirst, Howard Hodgkin, Dr Lakra, Sol LeWitt, Martin Parr, Jim Shaw, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Andy Warhol, Pae White and Martin Wong/Danh Vo.
As no photos were allowed at the show I’ve pulled together a few that resonated with me.
Dr Lakra’s collections of LP covers and scrapbook images directly influence his work
as do Martin Parr’s collections of soviet space dog memorabilia and postcards. The humour and wit had people laughing out loud.
Edmund de Waal has written about his inherited collection of netsuke: history plays an important role here as we know from his book “The Hare with the Amber Eyes” ; you can see the same hare below.
Arman’s gas mask composition, “Home Sweet Home” below has a connection to his large collections of African masks and Japanese armour.
The collections of these artists have strong visual links to their work as did Damien Hirst’s and Peter Blake’s – others weren’t as obvious: Howard Hodgkin’s for example – but seeing what they choose to collect does add something to our understanding of them.
I did get a buzz from seeing Steve Reich’s hand transcribed manuscript for Clapping Music in Sol Lewitt’s carefully curated collections of photos, prints and minimalist music manuscripts, especially as I had recently heard this piece performed live.
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