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Do Ho Suh: Walk the House

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Moving exhibition at Tate Modern looking at the work of Do Ho Suh. Walk the House is a South Korean saying which Suh takes to describe how we carry multiple places with us across space and time. This show examines art works he has made from and about his homes in South Korea, London and New York. I found the idea of us carrying the places we have lived deeply moving and the way he represents them delicate and touching. From the rubbing he made of his childhood home I was hooked. The show made you slow down and reflect. At the heart of the exhibition was a tunnel of spaces from his houses and flats made of diaphanous material. From the installation photographs I had assumed they were neon but they are much subtler than I expected. I loved the light effect within them but also the attention to detail like this electric plug. Reading the blurb I discovered he has measured all the spaces he has lived in in order to carry them with him and reproduce them. I loved the blend of imagi...
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Electric Dreams: Art and Technology Before the Internet

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Disorientating exhibition at Tate Modern looking at the pioneers of electronic art. It was too much for me as I suspected it would be. Too many flashing lights and playing with perception.   The labels were quite convoluted plus hard to read with the flashing and I just couldn’t engage. I did like Jesus Rafael Soto’s “Cardinal” which hung rods in front of lines to appear 2D from the front, although 3D in reality, and Lilliane Lijn’s “Bride” however I just couldn’t stay very long in any of the installation style rooms. Oh well I tried! Closed 1 June 2025 Reviews Times Guardian Telegraph Evening Standard  
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Louise Bourgeois

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Welcome return of Louise Bourgeois’s giant spider sculpture to Tate Modern to mark 25 years since it was the first art work to greet visitors to the then newly opened gallery. I don’t remember seeing the work at the time so this was a lovely opportunity to fill that gap. It suits the space on the bridge of the Turbine Hall beautifully. This is a lovely way to mark the anniversary. Entitled “Maman” I hadn’t realised the sculpture includes a sack of eggs which seems to give it an infinite future. Closes 25 August 2025
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Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road

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Useful lecture from ARTscapades introducing the Hiroshige exhibition at the British Museum. I am fond of Japanese prints but don’t know a lot about them so this was a much-needed talk before visiting the exhibition which I have yet to do. Hiroshige was working in the early 19th century so was one of the artists influencing artists like Van Gogh and Whistler. Alfred Haft explained how the show had come about following a gift of 35 prints from the collection of Alan Medaugh which has been enhanced by a further loan of 82 prints from his collection. He talked us through the five sections of the show with illustrations from each of them. He took us through the artists landscape, urban scenes, designs for fans and images of the natural world. I now feel ready for the show.
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William Blake and the Sea Monsters of Love

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Magical discussion at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival looking at the life and work of William Blake. Philip Hoare, author of a new biography of Blake was interviewed by the writer Michael Bracewell and led us through the artists life and work with excellent illustrations. Most magical was readings of Blake’s letters and poems by actor Jack Farthing which added an extra layer to the event.
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Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin

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Interesting discussion at Charleston Farmhouse as part of the Charleston Festival looking at the life and art of Paul Gauguin. It brought together the author of a recent biography, Sue Prideaux, with Mette Gauguin, the artist’s great granddaughter chaired by Michael Prodger, associate editor of the New Statesman. Both had sought to place Gauguin as a man of his time rather than judging him by contemporary standards. They talked us through his life and I learnt that he gone to the Americas to help build the Panama Canal but it went bust before he got there!
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Sing, O Muse: Fashion’s Eternal Inspiration

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Fascinating interview at Charleston Farmhouse as part of Charleston Festival with fashion collector and muse Daphne Guinness. Interviewed by fashion writer NJ Stevenson, Guinness discussed visiting courtier houses in Paris and her fascination with going to the see the cutters and embroiders called Les Petites Mains. She talked about her fashion collection and had examples from it on stage with her. She was wearing the most amazing platform shoes with no heels which puzzled many of the audience. For the Charleston audience it was equally exciting to realise that she is the granddaughter of a Mitford.  
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