I can't say I was as impressed with this show as I normally am with exhibitions at Nettie Horn. It wasn't bad though.
Estonian Maetamm's work really impressed me, by playing with his own reality he seems to enjoy the act of confessing through his work. He considers his status as an artist with a series of sentences about How he became an artist. Playing with tragic, dark tones and contemporary satire, through his video and drawings, the work could almost be seen as an exorcism-the artist's fear of not being able to live up to his role as head of the family.
Anne Brégeaut uses gouache to paint the other, and our common clichés of happiness. It's a bit morose, but quite beautiful and thoughtful at the same time.
Silke Schatz, St John for Augsburg @ Wilkinson Gallery
It's great to finally see the colossal space at Wilkinson being used for an installation. Schatz's massive intervention is made up of video, sculpture, drawing and found objects, and represents her personal portrait of the city of Augsburg. By absorbing information through the eyes of architects and tour guides the space attempts to reveal the city's history.
We are forced to view the work from a distance, large drawings are hung simply and significantly backed with extravagant wood. The fenced off area represents Augsburg after WWII when it was used as barracks by the American Army - today these barracks are new housing developments. You can see them in the slideshow projected onto the thin silver sprayed paper.
It is interesting how this work creates interactions with the public; they pull at the fence, stand on the concrete support and touch the divides. Not sure if the gallery or artist was intending this, they didn't stop it at least.
Ruth Root @ Maureen Paley
Root specialises in abstract paintings-geometric colour blocks in enamel on shaped aluminium panels. This display of current work at Maureen Paley is no different. Referencing Mondrian Mosset, the compositions have a more playful quality, engaging with the principals of formalism but suggesting new ideas and concepts.
The paintings are flush to the gallery works, creating an allusion to decaled logos or optical interventions. Root is inspired by urban experience - the colours she uses are often from city scapes, product design and 60's technographics. The harsh angles and lines reflect her relationship with digital media.
I also really liked the full block colour end walls.
