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London Drops an H-Bomb or Two

It is difficult to commute on the Tube everyday without seeing some mention of the upcoming 2012 Olympics. In light of this increased global attention and the spirit of the world’s nations coming together, I’d like to consider this year’s museum offerings and the subsequent pressure to represent England’s national identity.  Of all the shows happening this year, Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern and David Hockney at The Royal Academy come to the forefront. Now, I don’t pretend to be an expert on the very British of the British (especially as a Canadian living in London), but intend, instead, ... More » »

A Present Absence: Ai Weiwei in London

It was rather ominous to see, a few weeks ago, a group of twelve wrapped sculptures populate the courtyard of Somerset House (a neoclassical building in Central London that once housed The Royal Academy and now is home to The Courtauld Institute and various art events). Ominous because their creator, Ai Weiwei, had himself been under wraps, imprisoned by the Chinese police and not heard from since the beginning of April (recently, he has been allowed a a visit from his wife). Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads is both the first contemporary art installation in the historic courtyard and the first ... More » »

Yohji Yamamoto All Over London

The current feature exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum on Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto spreads itself out. Not only does this first UK solo retrospective spill out of the V&A’s main exhibition display room – popping up in spaces all over the museum – the celebration of Yamamoto’s work also appears at The Wapping Project Bankside as well as The Wapping Project in Wapping. The V&A features an extensive collection of garments covering the Japanese designer’s career since his Paris debut in 1981. While the fashion photographs shown at the Bankside location are unusual and captivating, the installation at ... More » »

Angela de la Cruz and Rashid Rana at Lisson Gallery

In the works of Angela de la Cruz and Rashid Rana currently on display at Lisson Gallery in London, there is more than meets the eye. Both artists beckon the viewer to reconsider their works’ seemingly simple form and look across their oeuvre to the rich ideas that lie beneath.

New Gallery EB&Flow Opens in London

Last night, the tide of well-wishers and curious aesthetes was roaring at the new Shoreditch gallery EB&Flow. Their inaugural exhibit showcases the work of eleven young, up and coming contemporary artists. Entitled Since Tomorrow (which in itself encourages imaginative exploration and definition), the group show is a variable mélange presenting a dialogue of artworks, some brilliant and some bland, but creating an overall visual/intellectual hum, the energy of a fresh space filled with art and ideas.

Meekyoung Shin at Haunch of Venison, London

The London gallery Haunch of Venison, currently housed in the back of the Royal Academy, would seem to be out of place. While its main location undergoes renovation, the contemporary art gallery is running its shows in the cavernous spaces of the eighteenth-century museum. Upon first impression, however, the sculpture (a polychrome fragment of Roman Antiquity?) in the niche at the top of the landing of the grand main staircase appears to fit right in. The sculpture, though, reveals itself to be Korean artist Meekyoung Shin’s Translation- Greek (1998), a figure made entirely of soap. Within this artist’s first major ... More » »

Ewa Zebrowski in Montreal

My mother’s desire to retrieve the vestiges of invisible human history is tinged with a certain melancholy. She manages, with only her small digital camera – and no PhotoShop distortions – to make the invisible visible. Water threatens to swallow the city of Venice in arrival (seen after the jump), the cityscape smeared with the sweat and blur of aqueous peril. My mother left the film industry in 1997 to return to school and become a photographer. Thus, since I was 11 years old, my mother has undertaken her journey to become an artist. Ever since, I have witnessed her ... More » »

Peter Greenaway’s The Last Supper: A Retrospective View

British film director Peter Greenaway interpreting Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper seemed a compelling combination. At least it piqued my curiosity. While the exhibited video work concluded its run at The Armory in NYC on January 6, I have been struggling to find the words to describe my disappointment and dissatisfaction (to put it lightly) ever since the work confronted me. While some of its technical setup and execution are to be praised, the finished product betrays and insults the experience of Da Vinci and his masterpiece. I write this piece because Greenaway intends to continue exploring some of ... More » »

Susan Philipsz wins Turner Prize

Glasgow-native Susan Philipsz was awarded the Turner Prize at the Tate Britain earlier tonight for Lowlands, a sound installation featured at the 2010 Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art. The fourth woman to win the illustrious Turner Prize, Philipsz is also the first ever artist to have her sound piece garner the accolade recognizing the best in contemporary British art exhibitions. Lowlands is an incantation, the multi-channel sound piece originally haunted the undersides of three bridges in Glasgow with the shuddering song from a drowned sailor. (Read more to hear an excerpt of the winning piece…)

GL Brierley at Madder139

The captivating and skillful paintings of GL Brierley are appropriately exhibited at Madder139, located at the fore of Vyner Street. This street in east London is one of many avenues with a concentration of galleries that, every first Thursday of the month, hosts a free late night open-gallery event. GL Brierley served as a beacon to my inaugural First Thursdays in London, her paintings immediately captured my fascination. They are abstract yet anatomical, precious while also grotesque. Deft displays of painterly ability, Brierley’s canvases hover in an ambiguous space, all while triggering reactions both sensual and intellectual.