London Trip!

I went to London from the 17th June to the 21st and saw lots of art!

• 'Ernesto Neto, The Edges of the World' and 'The New Decor, Artists and Interiors' at the Hayward. Really enjoyed the complete immersive and sensual quality of Ernesto Neto's work. Also really interested in the way that he alters the already existing space to change the space's inhabitant's experience. I started thinking about how I could do that, specifically within stairwells...


• 'Rude Britannia' at the Tate Britain. Not really my thing.


• 'Rachel Harrison, conquest of the useless' at The White'chapel Gallery. Quite liked some of it, but was mostly interested in the way she incorporated the plinths into the work. (Dean had said someting about tables instead of plinths.?)


• 'Architects Build Small Spaces' at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Was really excited about seeing this as I've been thinking a lot about the viewer in the work rather than looking at it, but I was quite disappointed by the spaces, I think because there wasn't a specific focal point or viewing point and the spaces weren't exciting enough in themselves, unlike Neto's spaces, to get any emotional response from them. I'll have to think about this in relation to my own work, as maybe trying to get the idea of transition across, takes more than the viewer moving through a constructed space...


• 'Francis Alÿs, A Story of Deception' at the Tate Modern. Loved it! Best exhibition I've seen in a long time. Amazing how he can address some extremely sensitive political issues but creating work that is almost playful, such as 'the green line', which is Alÿs's act if dripping green paint from a paint can with a hole in it along an armistice border in Jerusalem to remind people of the separation of Israelis and Palestinians, and as it says in the catalogue, he wanted to ask what the role of poetic acts could be in highly charged political situations. Alÿs also works in such varied ways, and this exhibition was curated in a way that validated every work, so that the films were never overlooked as their of manner of display was different every time, from massive projections in dark rooms to tv screens with headphones...
• 'Hotel' on Greenfield Rd. A group exhibition, including tutor Dean's work. Really amazing space, but there was no information about why the artists were exhibiting together or what the work was about, and a lot of the work was 'untitled'. Maybe this was deliberate, but I definitely need a way in when it comes to exhibitions... will have to think about how the MAs will get across the information they need or want to when it comes to the show.
• Central St. Martins degree show. Poor work and poorly presented, but did hear a rumour that the style of their degree shows has always been 'work in progress' rather than 'final show'. Good to see though, but left feeling disappointed and unaffected.
• Goldsmiths degree show. Much better than St. Martins, work wise and presentation.
• Saatchi Gallery. Was amazing to see Richard Wilson's 20:50 in situ as have only ever seen it in books. It really does trick the eye. Unfortunately the walkway into the oil was closed off so we could only view the work from a raised platform. This will have changed our experience of it greatly... must think about this in relation to my work.