Cathy's Art Diary

Strange exhibition at the Barbican Curve Gallery of drawings by Soufiane Ababri. This was a new commission for the space called “Their mouths were full of bumblebees but it was me who was pollinated”. At the heart were a series of fairly explicit drawings of diasporic queer experience and queer nightlife. I say strange as the space was over curated to give an installation feel and yet the focus works, which weren’t that large, were rather overwhelmed by the space. I guess it was trying to represent a club but I found the bright red lit path and haze were rather disorienting and distracted from the pictures. Closed 30 June 2024 Reviews Guardian Evening Standard  

Installation at the Curve gallery at the Barbican by the London-based art practice United Visual Artists. OK I confess I feel a bit of a fraud reviewing this as I found it too dark and didn’t venture down the steps and just viewed it from the top! Looking at the reviews I realise I missed a lot as there were 12 pendulums and I only saw two! Yes I know I’m a wimp! I did like the effect of the pendulum lights and how the different rhythms and intensity created new light shapes in the dark. It was very beautiful just very dark! Review Evening Standard