MAGAZINE
REVIEW
By: Diana Francocci
Contributing Editor
United Kingdom
First and foremost let me state
that I am not a professional art critic, but as a mature student of Fine
Art, I shall be bringing you a list of exhibitions and events that are
happening in the UK, with the occasional review. This will vary in content,
as I may focus on a specific venue, exhibition or both.
Having accepted the offer from Roger to be the UK contributing
editor, I took myself off to London last weekend to visit The Whitechapel
Gallery. I had been meaning to visit for some time, as I had never been
before.
The Whitechapel Gallery
The gallery is situated very near the 'city' on Whitechapel
High Street, London E1 7QX and the Aldgate East tube is next door.
Opening Times are;
Tuesday - Sunday 11.00 am -5.00 pm (Wed- 8.00 pm)
telephone 0171 522 7888;
fax 0171 522 7878
It is well known as one of Britain's foremost venue's
for exhibiting modern and contemporary art. it opened in 1901 with the
aim of allowing major artworks to be shown in the East End of London. In
the past exhibitions have included artists Jackson Pollock and David Hockney,
and Picasso's 'Guernica' was on view there in 1939. More recently Bill
Viola the video artist has exhibited there, and the programme is a full
one, constantly changing, so to keep up to date visit their website. The
other exhibition well worth seeing is the Biennial Open Show of local artists,
which is to be held this year.
In the foyer, there is usually
a small exhibition often related to the main exhibition but by other artists,
e.g., the next one is creative responses from Women's studies students
of the University of East London to Rosemarie Trockel's work. The staff
are very helpful and will assist with audio requests.
The gallery itself is on several
levels with stairs on both sides of the gallery spaces. There is access
to all parts of the gallery via the levels and the lift. Both the Lecture
Theatre and the AudioVisual room are fitted with an induction loop, to
aid those with hearing difficulties. For anyone who has visual impairment
or mobility needs the gallery run access sessions and free guided tours
which must be booked in advance and also provide information on audio
tape and large print.
Alongside the exhibitions the
gallery runs other activities directly related to the current show. These
include a strong educational programme for all levels from teachers and
group leaders to GCSE students. Videos are also lent to schools to let
the pupils learn something about each artist and their work, prior to visiting
the exhibition.
A major first for the gallery,
was the launch during Deaf Awareness Week ,October 1998, of 'Picture This'
a project which explores the use and development of British Sign Language
in Galleries and Museums. The video represents the combined experiences
of those who can hear clearly and those who experience difficulties, during
a series of talks at the gallery. This provides an opportunity to explore
the practical aspects of considerations and language.
This can be purchased from the Community
Education Department. The exhibition running during my visit was Rosemarie
Trockel, entitled 'Bodies Of Art' which runs till February 7th 1999
'Bodies Of Art'
Rosemarie Trockel was born in
Schwertz in 1952 and currently resides in Cologne. She has been selected
as the artist to represent Germany in the Venice Biennale this summer,
having recently been awarded the City of Munich and Düren Art prizes.
In the official agenda of the gallery her work is described as 'Poetic
and humorous, her idiosyncratic and eclectic work is inspired by anthropology,
consumer culture and the artefacts of our everyday life.' This is her first
show in Britain for over a decade.
Her works cover the entire gallery
in seven themed rooms. On the ground floor work relating to relationships
and including the new video 'Couples' is juxtaposed to the work involving
eggs.
The video 'Couples', is in black and white, as are all
the video's in the exhibition, and it involves two couples, who appear
to be lying side by side and viewed from above from the waist up. They
are both relaxing and having a conversation; which Trockel has edited
and scripted from texts relating to the nature of love and human relationships.
The men speak the words of Freud and Ingeborg Bachmann and the women the
words of Margueritte Dumas and Andy Warhol. One of the couples is young
and playful, whilst the other is more mature and at ease with one another.
The contrasts lie in the formality of the texts with the relaxed and intimate
embrace of the couples. Sometimes they speak across one another so that
the question of one may be answered by the other couple. They were all
filmed separately and then placed together. The video is complemented by
the contrasting still photographs, which have been computer manipulated
and are suspended moments , as opposed to the constant movements of the
couples in the video.
Next to these photos is a long
image of eleven faces in full colour entitled 'Beauty'. Motionless and
powerful images of men and women, with what is emanating as the image
of beauty; long luxurious hair, straight noses, beautiful piercing eyes.
What makes it a strong image is the positioning of each face, being of
the same proportions and the eyes level, with no gaps between the faces.
The egg installations and sculptures
are to me, symbolic of life itself. The chicken coop with its monitor and
message of keeping the eggs warm alongside the egg dress and egg curtain
of blown eggs and tin foil reflect the care necessary to survival, juxtaposed
with the installation of a young girl lying looking at photographs of eggs
and wearing knitted Easter egg tights, which reflect our needs of comfort
, domesticity and philosophy. They focus on warmth and comfort unlike
the broken porcelain eggs alongside the egg curtain, which she entitles
ashtrays. These are more fragmented and deal with the fragility of
our lives and relationships. Others will see a different message, but,
this is how they struck me.
Signs and logos have long been
an interest to her and appear in her work. My favourite two works in the
exhibition relate to here theme of Wool and the comparisons, and associations
of women, knitting and domesticity and the contrasts with the men, and
industry and wool. The most powerful piece is a large knitted canvas in
black wool, incorporating the woolmark logo at regular intervals. there
is something warm and friendly in the well known and trusted logo, alongside
something sinister and hidden in the blackness of the background. The other
knitted canvas is grey and blue depicting a clipper sailing ships with
the word Freude spelt backwards at the bottom. Again it is a strong image
reflecting the wool trade and its links to the danger and fragility of
human life, with its associations of men on the high seas and the 'little
woman' waiting anxiously at home for news of his safe return. other wool
related works include prints and images of moth damage, which are revealing
in showing us that whatever man aspires to he cannot control nature
itself. The enlarged prints of the stitches themselves reflect the formality
of the machine made stitches to those that have been hand knitted.
Other themes in the exhibition
include the sea an sea -life and include a full size dinghy with images
being projected onto its white sail and dampened clothes and shoes lie
in the bottom of the boat , as if it has only just been moored up and left.
The top two rooms have themes relating to identity and to Brigid Bardot
and her life and work with animals and as a film star. Many drawings and
plaster faces adorn the walls, which could reveal individuality or similarities
within a family group. a corporate identity. They appear in various stages
of abstraction with perhaps similarities of one feature, e.g. the nose.
A strangely entitled sculpture
dominates the Bardot theme room; that of a suspended bronze seal with artificial
blonde hair which is apparent as a metaphor for Bardot herself, reflecting
her looks and her inner self and commitments to the animal world
it is called ' There is no unhappier being under the sun than a fetishist
who longs for a woman's' shoe and has to make do with the whole woman'
1991. nearby is a museum case full of artefacts belonging at one time to
Bardot and her world.
Her video works play a major role in this exhibition
and it is these Trockel has been concentrating on in the last five years.
These like all her work strike me as profound and strong in their lack
of colour, as she often works in monotone. There is an almost tangible
detachment form the works and the viewer that makes them elusive and yet
invites further probing, and yet which simultaneously prevents one from
doing just that with an invisible barrier.
Future exhibitions at the Whitechapel gallery
Terry Winter
19th February - 25th April 1999
Winter is known for his highly coloured and textured
paintings, that reflect the 'vibrancy, the structure and chaos' of New
York in the 1950's. This is his first solo exhibition in the UK and includes
a selection of recent works on paper and paintings.
Henri Michaux
19th February- 25th April 1999-01-26
His last exhibition in the UK was in 1963. During his
lifetime he undertook a lifetime mission in self discovery experimenting
with, language, paint and hallucinogenics. This exhibition coincides with
the centenary of his birth and the works include a selection of 'Calligraphic'
works made under the influence of Mescaline.
all quotations taken from the official agenda to the
Whitechapel gallery.
For a listing of other current and future exhibitions
in the UK may I suggest the excellent sites http://www.artguide.org/
and for London specifically, the following site is a must.
http://www.londonart.co.uk/editcont/contents.htm
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