Cathy's Art Diary

Fun installation outside the Hayward Gallery of a art work by Salman Toor. It shows a group of people making and listening to music and is a welcome blast of colour against the concrete. It is a great lock down choice for the galleries latest Billboard project celebrating, as the blurb says “the freedom, empathy and joy of being physically together to witness art.” Being in a public space it is great to see it with people around it, almost extending the scene into the space. Closes May 2022  

Striking image   outside the Hayward Gallery by Zohra Opuku. This the latest in the gallery’s Billboard series where they display a large image in the public realm for a long period, often mirroring the topic of one of their exhibitions. This is a self portrait of the artist inspired by West African masquerades and the natural world. She often uses indigenous plants in her work to represent identity and belonging however in this case Rhododendron her head is a non-native plant, representing finding yourself in an environment/country which is not your own. I love the contrast of her white blouse which stands out against the dark and how she wears a necklace of shells reflecting her home. I also like the way the leaves look so beautiful yet conceal her face.