Cathy's Art Diary

Clever exhibition at Ordovas of exploring the colour gold. In just a few works the show looked at how gold had been used by 20th century and contemporary artists as well as showing an enamelled reliquary box from about 1200. The press release talked about how gold had been used as a symbol of prestige, prosperity and sacred power. Highlights included gold bullets by Chris Burden and two early shoe pictures by Andy Warhol with the shoes in gold leaf. It was important to remember the show was about the colour gold rather than the metal so there were works such a Carl Andre's "Copper Corner" and Lucio Fontana's "Concetto Spaziale" an oil painting resembling gold. Closed 13 December 2024    

Impressive exhibition at Hauser and Wirth of new work by George Rouy. These were grand works where grouped figures disintegrated into a mass of emotion. On one hand they have a feel of Francis Bacon, on the other the scale and grouping of the figures reminded me of Caravaggio. I particularly liked the ones in fleshy, pastel tones and the way the work dominated the space.   Closed 21 December 2024  

Interesting exhibition at Hauser and Wirth of work from the 1970s by Jack Witten. The commentary said the work marked a change in Witten’s career with a move from abstract expressionism to experimental processes and material. It introduced me to the idea of Process Art, art made by the repetition of gesture or technique. The paintings played with your eyes in a Bridget Riley way which was a bit disconcerting for someone who got new varifocals only a week ago! I liked the fact they were shown with some of his sculpture from the same time made with found objects. Closed 14 December 2024

Strange exhibition at Unit of new work by Kevin Klamminger. I must admit the aesthetic of these pieces aren’t to my taste but I loved the quality of the painting in them blending the hyperreal and surreal. Evidently, they are about the “balance between conscious and unconscious minds” but I’m not sure I’d have got that. I did feel they would work well as illustrations for Greek myths. My favourites were the small, less surreal pieces with painted faux frames. Closed 8 December 2024    

Fascinating exhibition at Unit of new work by Bobbi Essers. These beautifully painted works explore the idea of platonic friendship by combining images from photographs of sections of her friends. It talks of the interweaving of groups of people. I loved the way the images blended together sometimes by combining canvases but in others creating the same effect with paint. Closed 8 December 2024

Fun exhibition at Pace of new sculptural installations by Genesis Belanger. Belanger uses porcelain and stoneware, metal, wood, and painting to create tableaux that draw from, and comment on, capitalist production and consumption. Grouping pastel-coloured objects they recreate everyday scenes in a doll like aesthetic which reminded me of the paintings of Wayne Thiebaud. Closed 9 November 2024

Monumental exhibition at Pace of new work by Robert Longo. The show was a mixture of work including a small and large graphite drawing, the large being of a huge flower in murky detail. There was also a film downstairs flashing up images from one day of news, 4 July 2024. I loved the idea but can’t cope with rapidly flashing images in a small space. My favourite piece was a five-panel work, each in a different medium. Longo calls these pieces “Combines”, and this consisted of a film still, a wall sculpture, a painting, a film and a detailed drawing. I found it very effective like a modern altarpiece. Closed 9 November 2024