Cathy's Art Diary

Interesting outdoor exhibition at Coal Drops Yard at King’s Cross showcasing the winners of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2022. There was a fascinating mix of projects including quite a few domestic ones. I was slightly annoyed by a library which was praised more for its sustainability than design as a library. The most moving winner was a cemetery in Tunisia for migrants who wash ashore built by migrants that survived. The awfulness of it took my breath away. It was a nice idea that the display boards were mounted on benches but the downside was that if people sit on them, you can’t read the commentary properly which surely is the point rather than providing a bench. Closed 17 July 2022  

Fun exhibition at Coal Drops Yard at Kings Cross and presented by Saatchi Art of an eclectic mix good quality contemporary art. I had been to a previous version this fair last year and it was nice to recognise some artists from the show but also to see a lot of new work. It was nicely set out in a temporary structure in a very logical layout. I love the mix of work in these shows but it is hard to review it as a whole so here are my favourites. I liked Renee Yau’s abstracted interiors, Will Clarke’s stunning prints of London and Aaron Bevan-Bailey’s wonderful portraits with mixing sections filled with a vibrant background. My favourite was Merab Survildze’s pictures of crowds from above. Some had real tiny figures added to them and other were tiny splodges of paint which looked as convincing as the real figures. However the picture I've chosen is the carpet art by Alice Palmer (I think, but my notes aren’t great) as it made me smile. Closes 3 July 2022