Cathy's Art Diary

Moving video installation at the Imperial War Museum reflecting the psychological experience of drone warfare. Based on eyewitness testimonies and research undertaken by Dr Beryl Pong at the Centre for Drones and Culture the short film, shown over three screens, surrounding you,   take you from the sky into and though a building then into a market square beyond. I’m not sure just from seeing it that I would have associated this with drones except that the filming feels like it is done by drone. However the way you see images give a sense of walking through a house and surrounding area which has been abandoned following a bombing. The end where you seem to walk up steps and look over a square was particularly moving. Closed 16 March 2025  

Interesting installation at the National Gallery to mark its 200th anniversary. The piece consists of two video rooms. The first looks at the current work of the gallery over a series of screens. For each topic it gives a couple of facts then uses photographs of current projects, art works and archive material. It felt a bit slow at first but as you got into it you slowed down to match it. An interesting touch is that between each section you get plain yellow screens. One of the gallery assistants explained to me that if you walk past them it records your silhouette and these will be used in the reopening of the Sainsbury Wing. Look out for one with big hair and a back pack. The second room looked at the history of the gallery making good use of archive material over two walls. It concentrated on the early years and the Second World War. I’d have liked to have seen some of the gaps filled maybe with a photo of every director. If you are in the gallery pop in and give it a watc...

Strange video installation at the Hayward Gallery by Naomi Rincon Gallardo. I’m afraid this might have suffered from being one show too many in a day and from its sister show of work by Tavares Strachan being so good. The video followed children dressed as animals as they chased deities across Mexico, I think. The commentary says it reflects the artists belief that planetary collapse is imminent. It was shown with some of the masks that the children were wearing. I’m afraid I just wasn’t in the mood to engage with this colourful but confusing piece however I did notice a little girl who had settled on a bean bag and seemed enthralled or possible stunned! Closed 1 September 2024      

Clever installation at Tate Britain combining the old restaurant murals by Rex Whistler with a video commenting on them by Keith Piper. The murals have presented the gallery with some problems as they include some difficult images particularly stereotypical depictions of people of colour. The video, which is shown in the old restaurant space with the mural, presents an imagined conversation between Rex Whistler and a fictional modern academic in which Whistler describes the context of the painting and she challenges him on the images. It places the work within the context of the upper class Arcadian thinking of the time and introduces you to Whistler’s friends who appear in the mural. However it also points out that the offensive imagery was not a one off in his work. I found the discussion more nuanced than I expected and engaging with well-developed characters and arguments. Given the room was dark to show the video, it would have been nice if the room could be illuminated b...

Baffling exhibition at Somerset House by Sonya Dyer. The work consisted of a two screen video called Action>Potential which I’m afraid did nothing for me. The commentary said the character “Andromeda is trying to return home to her galaxy after unexpectedly finding herself in a science lab, where she comes across a rogue mitochondria named Lucy”. Evidently it also “metaphorically embodies the reclamation of the neglected stories of Black women of science and mythology”. Sorry but all of that passed me by. It was shown with a large scale sculpture of a mitochondria which oozed between rooms via a fireplace. I thought it was effective in the space and suitably weird. Closed 12 November 2023

Thoughtful video installation in the Curve at the Barbican of works by poet, artist and filmmaker Julianknxx.   The work consisted of three interlocking videos. I found it really paid to walk to the last one and spend some time watching it, partly because it was the only area with seats. You did however find as you walked back that the imagery was repeatedly in then other works. I took away from it themes of memory, both individual and community based, I loved the use of choirs who I’ve realised since all sang the same refrain ‘We are what’s left of us’. This was balanced with beautiful film of different cities both European and African and contemporary dance. Closes 11 February 2024 Reviews Guardian Evening Standard

Beautiful exhibition at White Cube Masons’ Yard of a new video and sculpture by Christian Marclay. Marclay is best known for his videos and this was another excellent one. It pieces together exerts from films of people opening, going through and closing doors. It swaps quickly between clips perfectly matching the placing of the door on screen so that one person enters and another appears. I’m not sure how long it is but I watched memorised for about 20 minutes. Upstairs the video was complimented by sculptures made of doors cut up and stuck back together in another way. I loved them and trying to work out how the door had been used. Closed 30 September 2023 Review Guardian  

Exquisite exhibition at Tate Britain of videos by Isaac Julien. As some of you may know I'm not very keen on video art but I loved these and they were cleverly shown. At first the display felt a bit confusing as you walked into one multiscreen piece without explanation but if you made you way to the centre of the show there was an entrance to each screening which you could watch in any order and a useful indicator showing how long the piece was and how far through it was. I dipped into all the works and spent a bit more time in some of them but I want to try to go back and watch a few of them in full. On the whole there weren't too long but I did hear someone say if you wanted to see all of them it would take 4 hours! The works were beautiful filmed and had a gentle narrative arch while being packed with ideas. The ones I watched for longer were centred on race, history and art. It’s well worth a trip but give yourself time to relax and enjoy it. STOP PRESS: I’ve bee...

Fascinating exhibition at the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin of work by John Beattie responding to Mondrian. The centre price was a video of the reconstruction of Mondrian’s studio. Unfortunately it was a hour long but I dipped in and out a few times. In rooms either side were large black and white photographs of squares from Mondrian pictures. Rather clever to take the colour out of the pieces and yet you knew what they were. As the gallery has Francis Bacon’s studio it spoke to the wider collection. Closes 8 August 2023

Innovative installation at the National Gallery by Nalini Malani. It consists of a room in which you are surrounded by rapidly changing images of works from the gallery’s collection and the Holburne Museum in Bath overlaid with graphics by the artist. There is then a soundscape of the story of Cassandra from the Trojan War in her own words. The idea of the show is to offer a new interpretation of the works and the graphics reflect how he artist has looked at the works. She also adds portraits of imagined people from Asia and Africa with their faces disappearing behind stock-market charts. I thought the idea behind this were fascinating and having done an introductory talk about it I was looking forward to it however I found the images moved too fast. I’d just be developing a train thought a combination of images when they’d change setting off new ideas. I’m also don’t understand where Cassandra fitted in except to give the voice of a woman. I guess it may introduce people to the...

Claustrophobic exhibition at Punta Della Dogana in Venice of new work by Bruce Nauman. I love the exhibition spaces at Punta della Dogana but this show made it feel cramped and disorientating. Sadly, as quite often in this space, the art is mugged my the amazing views from the windows of the city outside full of life and colour. The show mainly consisted of large and small videos of him walking. I particularly liked the ones where the body was broken up like a sequential consequences drawing to give the contrapposto pose of the title. The last work you see was almost the best superimposing a life size figure of him on one of the walking videos so you wonder if he is actually in the space. Closes 27 November 2022

Interesting video and installation at the Photographers’ Gallery by Helen Cammock. Cammock worked with the people of Rochdale to explore ideas of community and the principles of the Cooperative Movement which were laid down in 1844. She used the collection at the Touchstones Museum in the city to talk people about these ideas and recorded them in a video in which she also showed the people around the city with he objects. As often the case with a video it was too long. I liked its slow pace but just didn’t have the time to watch the whole thing which I think from memory came in at well over an hour. Alongside the video the objects the people had chosen to talk about from the museum were shown in the adjoining room with stills from the video. Sadly I was more taken by this eclectic mix of objects than the video and loved this picture by Tristram Hillier from 1865. Closes 13 February 2022

Moving video installation at the Towner Gallery looking at man’s relationship with the sea, and its role in the history of slavery, migration, trade, and conflict. Over three large screens Akomfrah used a mix of footage from the BBC Natural History Unit, archive film and newly filmed material to contrast the beauty of the marine world and the destruction of animal and human life at sea and on the coastline. There were challenging recreated images of the slave trade but their power was lessened by the knowledge that the scenes were staged. More visceral was archive footage of polar bears being killed which were stark and real. The film was long at 48 minutes but mesmerising and well worth spending the time to watch it. Closed 26 September 2021

M ore of this enjoyable series of short videos from the Metropolitan Museum filmed during lockdown highlighting recent exhibitions and specific works of art. These are emailed to members and patrons once a week, so I hope it is OK to share the links. Most take the form of a talk from the curator’s home with a powerpoint presentation. A number of the curators have picked works which are particularly poignant at this time. Episode 37 : Augustus Saint-Gaudens's 'Standing Lincoln' Thayer Tolles, Marica F. Vilcek Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, take She follow its journey from monument to statuette, and explores how the artist deftly produced a likeness of the 16th President that melds fidelity of physical appearance with imposing projection of character. Episode 38: TheColour of the Hour Stephanie Herdrich, Associate Curator of American Painting and Sculpture, take a closer look at Sargent's portrait of Mrs. Hugh Hammersley and her vivid velvet dress....

Fabulous online talk organised by the Samuel Courtauld Society looking at Stanley Spencer’s two wives Hilda Carline and Patricia Preece. If you follow this blog you’ll know that Spencer is one my favourite artists and I have always been fascinated by his story as well as his art. He married Hilda in 1925 and was devoted to her continuing to write to her after their divorce and even after she had died. However in 1929 he met Patricia Preece in a tea shop in Cookham and became infatuated with her and they married in 1937. This was all despite the fact she was living with her girlfriend, Dorothy Hepworth and continued to do so. The speakers, Amanda Bradley, who has curated the exhibition at the Stanley Spencer Gallery that this talk Is based on, and the author Carolyn Leder, told this story well and it was particularly interesting to hear anecdotes from Leder of people she had interviewed who were part of the tale such as Elsie, Stanley and Hilda’s maid and Daphne Charlton, Spencer’s...

Lovely video installation at the Victoria and Albert Museum by Do Ho Suh documenting the demolition of the brutalist housing estate in E14, Robin Hood Gardens. Using time lapse photography Suh took 300 pictures in the sweep of a room and stitched the rooms together to make an animation scrolling up and around the building the half demolished building. In one section we scroll across the building and he layers video of the flats before they were vacated by the tenants who had lived in them for over 20 years giving a moving record of the lives that had been loved there. The Victoria and Albert Museum have also added a 3 storey section of the façade of the building to their collection as an example of brutalist architecture and worked with Suh on this film. I can’t wait to see how they display it. Closes 13 October 2019

Magical exhibition at the Royal Academy of video installations by Bill Viola. If you follow this blog you may know I often have issues with video art but the one artist I always seem to like is Bill Viola so I was very excited to go to this show. It took me a couple of rooms to slow to the right pace. You have to give this work your attention and often it can feel like not a lot is happened then you realise that something has subtly changed which can then cause you to sit thought the film again with a different eye and to spot the moment when things change. Huge thanks to the curators for including running times in the commentaries but I’d also make a plea for some idea of how far through a work you are as I like to see a work from the start and would happily return to a room at the right time to do that. I preferred the works which were straight videos to the more installation style pieces. I loved an early work of a reflecting pool where ghostly figures appeared in t...

Thought provoking video installation at the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne by the Vincent Dancy Theatre. The film was shown over three screens mounted on stands from a school changing room and looked at the impact of digital culture and social media on girls highlighting some of the dangers of the online world. As you watched you started to realise some of the clothes and prop used in the film were stored in the changing room installation. Some of the film was a hard watch but it did get me thinking and myself and the friend I was with did keep discussing it as we drove home exploring the ideas raised and talking about the imagery used. Closes 10 March 2019

Funny video installation at the National Gallery by Rachel Maclean looking at the relationship between England and Scotland. I loved the way the room was set up like a grand theatre with red and blue drapes and comfortable pouffes. The film lasted about 15 minutes so it was easy to wait for the beginning and watch it in full. You know my usual moans about long video art! The film featured real recordings of the Queen being mimed by Maclean in a wonderful, lavish comic costume. It was odd to see this strange figure speaking with such a familiar voice. The two countries were then represented by the lion and unicorn of the title, based on an interview of Alex Salmon (Unicorn) by Jeremy Paxman (a very suave lion). Again there were lovely lavish costumes and the comedy figures emphasised the difference in the two characters. It’s rare that a video installation makes me laugh but I did laugh out loud at this one and yet it was also making very valid and interesting points. ...

Mesmerising video installation at Tate Modern by Christian Marclay. This work lasts 24 hours and puts together clips from films which show clocks and time so that they appear at the correct time of the real day. You can drift in and out, don’t worry you don’t have to watch 24 hours! The room is huge and set out like a cinema but with sofas but it’s a bit hard to find your way onto one in the dark. I dropped in for about half an hour. Watching it seems to make time slow down as you wait for the next minute to tick over and you try to spot the clock and the time in the clip. You also play a game with yourself to try to name the film. I was delighted to spot Big Ben and the Liver Building in the section I saw. I also got a bit of James Bond, a few Westerns and lots of trains, which of course are a rich sauce of time references. I want to try to go back at a different time to watch a bit more and see if the work feels different it you are watching different times of day. ...