Cathy's Art Diary

Small display at the Design Museum celebrating this year’s winner of this design award, Marco Capardo. The prize is awarded to an emerging product designer whose work points to a new direction for design and Capardo's work was chosen because of his diverse and creative approaches to materials and making   imaginative use of waste materials. The display highlighted a selection of Capardo’s projects. I loved his reversible temporary furniture is made from powdered sugar and expanded clay. The objects can be completely dissolved with water into their original components when the pieces are no longer needed. My favourite was this chair using linear pieces of wood which fit together in a modular system. Closes 3 April 2023  

Interesting exhibition at the Design Museum organised by the Royal College of Art Design Age Institute looking at initiatives which might help us live, work and socialise into our 70s, 80s and 90s. The show presents 10 projects with a small display on each. There was a mix of the inspiring which I’d like now and the weird. A couple were poorly explained and I’m not sure what the inclusively designed bank was offering that was any different. Of the inspiring I liked this work Station designed to be put in retirement homes which would actually be good in any flat. I loved the smart inner soles which connected to an app and analysed your gait to help with balance. Can I have them now? The best thing in the show was a link to sign a petition being run by the Institute calling on government to introduce a minimum design standard for packaging as in a survey people identified consumer packaging as the most frustrating household item in need of redesign. I don’t think that’s older age ...

Charming exhibition at Leighton House of drawings in gold by Evelyn De Morgan. I am fond of Evelyn de Morgan’s work although it’s subject matter can be a bit strange and I own a small sketch by her, but I had never come across her rather unique idea of drawing in gold. The show explained her technique well and how she bought ‘cakes of gold’ which she ground down to create gold paint and a type of   crayon which she’d invented. It also explained how, informed by Renaissance mystic and alchemist, Paracelsus, she felt gold was a colour of spiritual salvation. The works were very delicate but at first looked a little dull but when you looked closely you could see the gold shimmering on the surface and giving an other-worldly effect. Closes 27 August 2023 Review Evening Standard  

Fascinating  exhibition at Leighton House looking at the artists that built studios around Little Holland House in the 19th century. The show was quite small but clearly explained and beautifully set out. I loved the labels which gave the artists name, address, architect of their studio and date they moved in. They also explained the links between the people. I thought I knew this group well due to their links to the Bloomsbury Group but I was introduced to some wonderful new characters. My favourite was Emile Isabel Barrington who was an amateur artist who trained with G.F.Watts and helped to make the house we were in a museum. It was a lovely touch to include not only a couple of paintings by her but a bust by Mary Thornycroft who had a studio next door to her. Can I also take the opportunity to point out the excellent recent refurbishment of house which has reinstated the original entrance and added new exhibition space and a café. There is also a compact new staircase wh...

Bright installation at the National Maritime Museum of square silk banners. The banners were the result of a project to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee last year in which hundreds of schools across the UK and the Commonwealth designed squares inspired by the late Queen’s love of nature. Selected designs were made into silk flags which were paraded in front of Buckingham Palace as part of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. Each square had a scalloped edge referencing postage stamps and evidently a silhouette of an inspirational leader, but I must admit I missed that when I saw them. The works mainly hung as a large banner over the staircase to the exhibition galleries creating a splash of colour. Some others also hung along the back wall and it was nice to be able to see the detail in then. Around the balustrade were more of the designs for banners.   A clever way of giving the project a new life and shown now as a tribute to the late Queen. Closes 14 April 2023

Strange exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey of new work by Imi Knoebel. These were mainly large painted abstract shapes on aluminium. There were three series “Archetype” based cross sections of a Neolithic Venus figure, “Love Child” which were plain and different shapes and “Once Upon a Time” where the surface was broken up by other colours. They were bold and decorative but I’m not sure I really understood them. There was also a rather frustrating installation called “Unterm Strich” which consisted of a high pink fence around a series of objects which you couldn’t see except for a clump of branches. I wondered if you could go in but there was no sign of that so I did ponder what the point was. Closed 26 Marc h 2023  

Dazzling exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum of quilts made from Kaffe Fassett textiles. The introduction explained how Fassett formed a collection of fabrics for quilting with designers Brandon Mabley and Philip Jacobs and the exhibition then showcased quilts made with those fabrics. The effect in the space was beautiful and it hummed with colour. There was a mix of patchwork and appliqué work ranging from the tradition to works that were more like paintings. The show was full of ladies who were obviously needleworkers having long conversations about technique which at times made it hard to see the exhibits and read the commentaries. As someone who did patchwork in their youth, and has a couple of half-finished quilts, I felt it was slightly cheating to use material designed for quilting. To me it has been about using up scraps.     There was also a lovely display of Fassett’s needlework cushions which reminded me I’d done a couple which I must dig out ...

Useful online lecture from the National Gallery introducing their new installation by contemporary artist Nalini Malani. Priyesh Mistry, head of contemporary projects at the gallery, explained the contemporary fellowship that this installation forms part of and how Nalini Malani was chosen for the fellowship because of her work based on art history. He took us though three of her previous works, outlining their themes and influences then talked us through the current show which I have seen since. He talked about how she has taken 25 paintings from the gallery and 3 from the Holborne Gallery in Bath and how these and projected in an animation chamber with overlaid drawings by her emphasising different aspects of the work particularly those we may now find difficult. Each projector has a different rhythm so the work is endlessly changing. This talk was useful as I must admit I’m not sure I would have got all the nuances from just seeing it but you’ll have to wait for my review of ...

Excellent three week course from Paula Nuttall on Donatello. I always enjoy Paula’s courses for her lively delivery, enthusiasm and deep knowledge. She always overruns but that is fine by me as it is all good. Week one concentrated on the life and career of the artist looking at works in chronological order and examining any documentary evidence. It was good to get an overview of where he had worked and when and the rapid run through works set us up for the next two weeks. Week two looked at the materials he used and the techniques needed to work with them. Starting with marble we then went through bronze, wood, ceramics, a local stone called Macigno and glass. She talked us through a selection of masterpieces with super illustrations including a number from the current exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Finally in the last week we looked at what Alberti described as “movements of the soul” ie how Donatello expressed narrative and emotion through body language and fa...

Interesting online lecture from the Victoria and Albert Museum outlining some of the treasures kept in cathedrals. The speaker, Canon Janet Gough, had written a book in which she had invited the dean of each cathedral in England and Wales to nominate a treasure from their church and write about it. She had previously been the Director of Cathedrals and Churches for the Church of England. She took us through the eclectic pieces that were chosen from an Anglo-Saxon crypt at Ripon to a rood screen by Toy Swee Siong installed in Newport Cathedral in 2020. My favourites were the wonderful carved leaves in the Chapter House at Southwell from the late 13th century, shown here, and a touching pair of pilgrim’s boots from about 1500 which were found in a grave at Worcester.  

Excellent online lecture from ARTscapades looking at two Vermeer exhibitions currently on in Amsterdam and Delft. Richard Stemp led us through both exhibitions with wonderful illustrations. I had wanted to get to the Amsterdam show which sounds fantastic but wasn’t organised enough. However this gave a flavour of what it was like. He explained what was in each room and talked us through the pictures in detail. I love Vermeer so it was a treat to spend time thinking about the works and what they might be saying. The Delft show looks at what is known about the life of Vermeer with archive material and objects which illustrated the life he may have had. There is actually very little information on him in the archive but Stemp talked us through the objects in the show and some of the conclusions which can be drawn from them about the artist and the city at the time. This did get a bit complicated, partly due to the Dutch names, so I must admit I did have to relisten to the recording o...

Luscious fair at Somerset House organised by the Craft Council showcasing contemporary craft and design. This fair was full of beautiful things and was accompanied by a useful catalogue. The core of the show was a series of rooms taken by various craft galleries and organisations. I seemed to be drawn to the glass, possibly because I went on a lovely sunny day which showed it off well. Other work I liked included beautiful pieces made of paper by Su Blackwell, a room of jewellery and other gold and silver items from The Goldsmith's Company and some tapestries of landscapes in the Craft Scotland room. The most interesting rooms were those for the Open Collect project which invited a platform for artists to showcase an ambitious project. I loved these cakes shown at the bottom of the blog by Sarah Brown which are made of glass. I had a good conversation with Belinda Coyne who had done a series of enamel plaque called "Lost Paths" of landscapes which feature unrecorded ...

Second iteration of this three-part mixed exhibition at the Royal Academy of work by second year student at the schools. I went to most of these shows last year and had already done the first show of this year. This version featured work by Fungai Benhura, Norberto Spina, Jame St Findlay and Racheal Crowther. As ever with this show a bit of explanation would enhance the viewing experience. Without that, and particularly with works which are untitled, you can only judge the work by its aesthetic look and if it's a conceptual work that feels unfair. I liked Benhura's work which seemed to consist of two layers of paint on a canvas but the top layer had small rips in it showing the layer beneath which might have had an image on it. I was drawn in and wanted to know more. My favourites were the two hanging pieces by Jame St Findlay partly because I am a sucker for pieces made in ceramic. These were both called "Hydro Pony" 1 and 2 but I have no idea what that mean...

Interesting exhibition at White Cube Masons' Yard of work by art duo TARWUK. The show was an installation of paintings, drawings and sculpture by Yugoslavian artists Bruno Pogacnik Tremow and Ivana Vuksic who work together as TARWUK. The title loosely translates to "I Planted a Bone in the Winter Garden". Talking of translations it would have been nice to have translations of the title of the works in the show to help think about the symbolism. I liked the mix of sculpture and paintings but must admit I was drawn more to the paintings which were in a beautiful colour palate and had a feel of Klimt or Munch about them. I loved the patterning in them and would have liked to have known more about what they represented.   In a first for exhibitions I've seen at White Cube in this show the downstairs area wasn't white but was painted a lovely shade of green which complimented the paintings. I don't think they'd have worked against the usual white. Clos...

Intriguing exhibition at the Centre for British Photography of a series of photographs by Heather Agyepong. This was a commission by the Hyman Collection from 2019 to respond to early twentieth century postcard imagery reflecting the Cake-Walk dance craze in Europe. It focuses on Aida Overton Walker, the celebrated African American vaudeville performer who was known as the Queen of the Cake-Walk a dance craze that was originally performed by enslaved people who mocked and mimicked the slaveholders and high society. Agyepong uses herself as the model for Overton and these pictures were shown in a large format in the exhibition but were also available to view in the shop in the size of the postcards they mimic. I   loved   the way they told a serious story and the issues it raised with beauty and humour. As you might have realised, I like a show that leaves me more to find out so I'm off to Google Aida and I want to see more work by Agyepong. I'm a sucker for someone who ...

Fascinating installation at the Centre for British Photography by Natasha Caruana. This work explores wedding customs in the UK by taking online adverts of brides wearing redundant wedding dresses with their faces blocked out or cut out of the shot to maintain anonymity. I liked the show just as an interesting visual with these strangely doctored images shown without explanation against a cliched bright pink background but have since realised from looking at the website that Caruana posed as someone on the quest for the perfect dress to approach the brides for higher resolution images than those used in the adverts an to find out why the dresses as now being discarded. I now want to know more and read the stories. I wish I'd paid more attention while I was there! Closes 23 April 2023

Interesting exhibition at the Centre for British Photography of work by Jo Spence. Curated by Patrizia Di Bello from the Jo Spence Memorial Library Archive at Birkbeck, University of London and James Hyman, Centre for British Photography the show takes as its starting point Jo Spence's thesis "Fairytales and Photography. Or, Another Look at Cinderella" (1982), which she wrote while a mature student on a photography course. My favourite pieces were from a series called "Only When I Got to Fifty Did I Realise I Was Cinderella" which explored facing middle age and health issues. These consisted of self-portrait mounted on card and surrounded by a handwritten thought or statement. Closes 23 April 2023

Lovely exhibition at the Centre for British Photography looking at the place of the home in British photography over the last century. The   show takes its title from Bill Brandt’s first book “The English at Home” in 1935 and traces a line from there to the present day. I was pleased to recognise a number of the photographers from previous exhibitions. i particularly love this sort of documentary photography. The show was both a history of photography but also of housing and interiors. I spent a lot of time looking at Karen Knorr’s pictures of people and interiors of Belgravia taken from 1979-80 with their ironic inscriptions. They made an interesting contrast to the earlier images mainly of working-class areas. My favourites were a series of pictures of all the living rooms in a street by Daniel Meadows and Martin Parr from 1973. I loved Martin Parr’s work but these were new to me. It was funny trying to explain 1970s décor to my younger, Swedish companion. Closes 23 Apri...

Interesting exhibition at the Centre for British Photography of self-portraits by contemporary female photographers. Curated by Fast Forward: Women in Photography the show presented a selection of series of pictures which look at how the photographs feel they are represented, what they are dealing with in their everyday lives and what it means to embrace diversities. The commentaries on the work were a bit long and worthy. I do like some explanation but at times I found the words stopped the images speaking for themselves. I liked a series by a group called Rainbow Sisters, a group of LGBTQ+ women, who had each taken three Polaroids labelled “What I was”, “What I am” and “What I will be”, a clever simple idea. I favoured works which had a dialogue with the past mainly the artists’ mothers. There was a lovely set by Maryam Wahid of her dressed in her mother’s saris in places that were important to her mother. They felt like recreating old snapshots. Closes 23 April 2023 Rev...

Fun display at the Centre for British Photography of photographs of Splitting Image puppets. These works were commissioned by the Hyman collection which includes a number of the original puppets by Fluk and Law of Margaret Thatcher and her Cabinet Ministers and they asked   photographers Andrew Bruce and Anna Fox to respond the figures. These were pictures of the puppets against bright backgrounds. In some cases they were taken almost like portraits yet they were missing legs and in some cases were only heads. In one image they were piled on top of each other. It made them look even more ominous than they originally did. I attended the show with a young Swedish friend so it was funny to try to describe to them what Splitting Image was. They were so iconic to me but alien to them, even most of the politicians being lampooned were now unknown to them. It just shows how people and things get forgotten and in the case of many of these politicians that’s just as well! All things ...

Exciting new gallery in Jermyn Street showcasing British photography. The gallery has been set up to host exhibitions as well as to provide access to the Hyman Collection, the private collection of Claire and James Hyman and one of the world's major collections of British photography. I was interested to see from the exhibits that they not only collect work but also commission new projects. It is a flexible space over three floors and had six small exhibitions and displays when I was there, so yes, you can guess what the next few blog posts are going to be! It also has a good shop selling photography books and high-quality prints of featured artists. Each of those was displayed like a small exhibition but I’m afraid I’ll be here forever if I try to blog those as well. Some of them however did mirror work in the exhibitions. I’ll definitely make a point of going to all the shows here. The space is seed funded by the Hyman’s for two years to develop relationships with other ...

Excellent online lecture from the National Gallery on El Greco. Sian Walters led us clearly through the life and work of the 16th century artist El Greco. She made good use of pictures from the gallery’s own collection but did widen her examples with great illustrations. I hadn’t realised that El Greco spent time in Venice and may have spent time training with Titian. Walters was very good at pointing out where the influence of this time might be seen in his work from the use of colour to specific poses or compositions. She spent quite a bit of the time looking at the great altarpieces in Toledo and talked about how the Counter-Reformation city influenced his work and how and why he reverted to some of his original Greek Orthodox training.   I had only known the basics about El Greco before this talk and it certainly filled some of the gaps in my knowledge. I also got some good tips of how to visit Toledo and where to stay!

Exuberant exhibition at Canada House of large portraits of contemporary Canadians authors by John Hartman. Hartman chooses the authors based on his own reading and preferences then invites them to choose a landscape that means something to them. He then sets the mainly head and shoulder portraits in front of the landscape rather than placing them in it. Both the portraits and landscapes were impressive, working best from a distance but close to you could see the way the brushstrokes shaped the image. The commentary by each picture was by the author which was a nice touch but I would have liked a bit more about them and what they’d written. I did get that from the catalogue as well as learning that these nine pictures were part of a larger series. Closes 1 April 2023

Interesting online lecture from the National Portrait Gallery introducing their first exhibition for when the gallery’s reopening in June about the 20th century photographer Yevonde. I had not come across the female photographer Yevonde or Madam Yevonde but the curator Clare Freestone took us through her life and work in a format which mirrors the plan for the exhibition. She told us how Yevonde had been a suffragette always supported women’s issues. She outlined the various studios she had had and some of her major exhibitions. She talked about her work for the royal family and for women’s magazines and advertising. Freestone also took us through some of the technicalities of the exhibition including how the gallery has acquired a collection of Yevonde’s negatives in 2021 which have been conserved, catalogued and digitise prior to the show. She also described the complex printing process for Yevonde’s pioneering colour photography from the inter-war years using the Vivex process. ...

Charming exhibition at the National Theatre of portraits of backstage staff by Curtis Holder. Holder was the winner of Sky Portrait Artist of the Year in 2020 and had been artist in residence at the theatre. The commentaries were written by the sitters giving an insight into how they came to work at the theatre and some idea of what they’d worked on. The pictures had a lovely sense of movement as often they showed more than one version of the person. There also felt like they’d been done from close observation and conversation. No closing date given    

Calming installation in the Courtyard of Somerset House by Jitish Kallat. The work consisted of a labyrinth of road signs. There were danger signs by cities which had suffered climate related incidents and it showed the distance of cities from Somerset House. You walked in one way and out the other which I did. It was very calming to do it and it reminded me of the mazes you sometimes find in old churches which you were invited to walk around and pray or meditate. Kallat had also created this year’s flag commission for World   Earth Day which is based on a Pulsar Map which was included on plaques attached to the two Voyager scientific space probes, launched in 1977. However the design was too subtle to be seen easily from the ground. Closes 23 April 2023