Cathy's Art Diary

Interesting exhibition at Charleston Farmhouse of new work by South African artist Lisa Brice. I had seen Brice’s work before and liked it and it looked good in this space. I love that it is hung like an installation with a stripe of the blue pictures around the room making you look at them as a whole and then to walk slowly around the set taking in the detail of each work. The works themselves take ownership of how women are, and have been, portrayed in art and record small private moments of lone women all done in just Cobalt or Prussian Blue which gives them a cohesive appearance. Some of the works responded to the sister show of work by Nina Hamnet and in this picture you can see one of these works echoing Roger Fry’s picture of Hamnett in an Omega Workshop dress. I also liked the texture of the shadows in some profile works and again one is shown here. Closes 30 August 2021  

Lovely exhibition at the Stephen Friedman Gallery of new work by Lisa Brice. This was an interesting series of freely drawn paintings of women caught in private moments, often in-between dress and undress. They are all in a bright blue and the press release said Brice uses the paint straight from the tube, creating depth and light and shade with a single colour. The work was hung beautifully in one long line round the gallery at head height. I liked the fact some of the pictures almost appeared to be negative images of others but they were hung apart so your eye just saw them as familiar images. I loved one of a woman putting her knickers on next to small radiator as it caught such a private but everyday moment. I also liked the ones with the figures in a striped dress which often set up contrasting lines with the room around it. Closed on 22 April 2017 Review Telegraph