Cathy's Art Diary

Interesting exhibition at Somerset House of work by contemporary artists looking at the utopian nature of graffiti. I must admit I didn’t make very good notes on this show and I have now forgotten much of it. There was literal street art by Mike Bradford trying to represent the actual road surface using oil, spray paint and chewing gum! My favourite was a series of high viz jackets with funny slogans on the back such as Insecurity, Tour Guard and Law Abiding Citizen. I did notice in my notes I’ve written mess next to a number of the items! Closes 2 May 2016  

Confusing exhibition at Somerset House of work by street and graffiti artists supposed on a theme of maps. I say confusing because I wasn’t too sure that all the works fitted the theme. One seemed to say it had stared with the idea of painting a map but it had ended up as woman! Things were not helped by the fact that your only guide round the show was a very confusing leaflet which I have pictured. It was a large format and as the works weren’t in order you were constantly having to open it and refold it to find what you were looking for. Added to that the numbers of the items were printed over the text and arrows, also over the text, joining up works in similar mediums. I’d also say I got lost finding the gallery so I was grumpy before I even got there! I did however love a pyramid of coloured cement castles by 3TT Man. I think it had something to so with combing contradictory beliefs but I just thought it looked pretty. Also Will Sweeney’s take on Cabott Square in Canar...

Colourful exhibition at the Opera Gallery of work by SEEN, a Graffiti artist. I thought this was a fun colourful show when I walked in. Not quite my seen, pardon the pun, but still interesting. I assumed it was the work of a young up and coming artist then I looked at the price list, £93,000, and realised I wasn’t really understanding what I was looking at. A bit of Googling later and a useful article in the Independent and I found out SEEN is described as the “Godfather of Graffiti” so I was actually looking at new work by a man who had formed the origins of an art phenomenon. A bit of explanation on the hand out might have helped, but I guess for most people if they were there they knew and the gallery wasn’t expecting stray middle aged ladies to come in off the street! Review Independent