Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off. Who was left? Repeat.
Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off. Who was left? Repeat.
Pete and Repeat were sitting on a fence. Pete fell off. Who was left? Repeat.
On display were a couple of pieces I know really well, and lots I didn't. Her superb eye for talent, young and old, is really on show with this work - definitely worth a trip up to Chalk Farm for!
Perhaps the most arresting, and instantly noticeable piece were the Contemporary Terra-Cotta Warriors, by Yue Minjun. I went to see the 'real' terracotta warriors at the British Museum (all 5 or so of them) and was totally unimpressed. The ones by Minjun had an unnerving creepy quality to them, and the faces really reminded me of the faces of some of the models in the whole sale shops around here in Whitechapel.
Also in the main hall was A Universal Cooling within the Everyday Photography Array by Keith Tyson (who currently has a solo show at Parasol Unit). Tyson, who's work often explores human systems and embraces the complexity of existence, created two sets, which on the surface looked identical, but upon closer inspection were not. A mass of hubbub and organised chaos, they look incredible, and also remind me of psychological games when you spot the difference, or see what has been taken away - often believing something to be different when it's not.
I recently also found out (via Ai Wei Wei's twitter and Frieze Online) that Mr Weiwei has undergone surgery for cerebral haemorrhage in a hospital in Munich after being beaten up by Chinese policemen in China. He had been documenting and publicizing the names of more than 5000 children who had died under collapsing, ill-constructed school buildings in the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The attack occured on 12th August, the night before he was planning to support felow investigator and activist Tan Zuore, who had been charged with 'subversion' in court. Suffering with a headache since the attack, which has become more serious during his stay in Munich (where's in preparation for a show at Haus der Kunst) Weiwei was advised an emergency operation. I hope his recovery is speedy!
The brilliant, Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard use the Upper West Room to screen Kiss my Nauman a four-screen video installation with the members of the longest running Kiss tribute band (Dressed to Kill) applying the same make up as their idols, Kiss. The work was produced specially for Jarvis Cocker's Meltdown. Whilst referencing Art Make-Up a work by Bruce Nauman, it also relates to male/female roles and the whole notion of copying and repetition. The piece lasts 47 minutes, the full time they take to apply the characters make-up. It's a compelling and mesmerising experience that despite not being a Kiss fan, wasn't completely lost on me.
I could go on for ages about lots of the great pieces in the show, but won't because I don't have time. Other works not to miss are Jack Strange's Tom, For the Greenman (Mezzanine) and Stunt Doubles (Lower West Room), Sherrie Levine's Fountain (Buddha) and Swetlana Heger's 99 Years (Main Hall)
On Saturdays throughout the show at 176 are a series of talks by some artists from the show; Amalia Pica, Doug Fishbone, Ryan Gander, Neil Hamon, and Giorgio Sadotti. There are also a series of Thursday Evening Lectures from curators, writers and critics which are not to be missed! All events are free, but booking is recommended.
In the backroom was a whole host of great artworks, including Wolfgang Tillmans Concorde Grid, some Peter Coffin, and John Baldessari. What really stood out was Ai Weiwei & Serge Spitzer's piece Ghost Gu Coming Down the Mountain. I don't know if you can see from the picture, but the 96 ceramic vases have an increasing amount of pattern on them, which the amount seen is visible from different positions in the room. It's a dreamy, thoughtful piece, said to replicate Chinese art forms and the calm of Taoist and Zen philosophical influence. The vases devalue the in-itself to become the other whilst amplifying the nature of the in-itself through repetition.
I recently also found out (via Ai Wei Wei's twitter and Frieze Online) that Mr Weiwei has undergone surgery for cerebral haemorrhage in a hospital in Munich after being beaten up by Chinese policemen in China. He had been documenting and publicizing the names of more than 5000 children who had died under collapsing, ill-constructed school buildings in the May 2008 Sichuan earthquake. The attack occured on 12th August, the night before he was planning to support felow investigator and activist Tan Zuore, who had been charged with 'subversion' in court. Suffering with a headache since the attack, which has become more serious during his stay in Munich (where's in preparation for a show at Haus der Kunst) Weiwei was advised an emergency operation. I hope his recovery is speedy!
The brilliant, Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard use the Upper West Room to screen Kiss my Nauman a four-screen video installation with the members of the longest running Kiss tribute band (Dressed to Kill) applying the same make up as their idols, Kiss. The work was produced specially for Jarvis Cocker's Meltdown. Whilst referencing Art Make-Up a work by Bruce Nauman, it also relates to male/female roles and the whole notion of copying and repetition. The piece lasts 47 minutes, the full time they take to apply the characters make-up. It's a compelling and mesmerising experience that despite not being a Kiss fan, wasn't completely lost on me.
I could go on for ages about lots of the great pieces in the show, but won't because I don't have time. Other works not to miss are Jack Strange's Tom, For the Greenman (Mezzanine) and Stunt Doubles (Lower West Room), Sherrie Levine's Fountain (Buddha) and Swetlana Heger's 99 Years (Main Hall)
On Saturdays throughout the show at 176 are a series of talks by some artists from the show; Amalia Pica, Doug Fishbone, Ryan Gander, Neil Hamon, and Giorgio Sadotti. There are also a series of Thursday Evening Lectures from curators, writers and critics which are not to be missed! All events are free, but booking is recommended.
