Damien Hirst
Bank Holiday Bemusement: ArtAttack Goes to Dismaland
The last day of August not only marked a day off work, another rainy London Monday and the end of summer 2015, but also the night that ArtAttack finally visited Banksy’s Dismaland Bemusement Park.
For those who don’t know, Dismaland is the infamous street artist’s latest project, an exhibition he’s curated that will be on view at the old Tropicana pool in Weston-Super-Mare for the next 5 weeks. As the name implies, this show takes the familiar theme park concept, and turns it upside down; Instead of a world where we can escape reality like its’ namesake, Disneyland, Dismaland sort of rubs reality in our face. It forces us to stop pretending the problems around us are not our problems and makes us reflect upon the consequences of inaction and indifference to global issues.
Henry Hudson Brilliantly Depicts The Contemporary Artist at Sotheby’s S|2
After too many sunny days to count, it seems the rain has returned to London, so this morning I regretfully swapped a summer dress for leggings and flannel and trudged forward, once more, unto the gloom. Thankfully, the rest of my day was not to be so dreary as I finally made my way to S|2, Sotheby’s intimate St. George Street gallery, for their current exhibition, ‘Henry Hudson: The Rise and Fall of Young Sen.’
Having not done my proper research prior, I didn’t initially realise that this was a narrative series, so the first work I cast eyes on was in fact the second of the story. I stared in awe, whilst simultaneously gaping in horror at the sight before my eyes — heavily textured guts and curling intestines spilling out of a female body being dissected at King’s Cross medical school. The graphic nature of the piece is really astounding, and the detail Hudson achieves with the plasticine medium is ultra impressive.
I soon found my way back to the beginning of the series, and painting by painting, accompanied our protagonist, Young Sen, on his life’s journey, from his humble beginnings in a Chinese factory town, to fulfilling his parents’ dream of attending medical school in London, his decision to follow his own dream instead and become an artist, a love affair, a marriage, his first NYC gallery opening, drugs, parties, rehab and finally back to China to make a political difference through his art.
A Fresh Look at the YBAs at ‘Rack ‘Em Up’
When I think of Picasso, cubism is the first thing that comes to mind. I hear the jazzy rhythms of ‘Three Musicians’ (1921) or flinch with intrigue remembering the provocative poses of ‘The Demoiselles d’Avignon’ (1907). But never do my ears hear Picasso and my brain think of say, ‘The Old Fisherman’ (1895) even though I know very well that the Spanish legend was a master of classical portraiture long before his figures turned angular. This is the case with many artists. One begins to associate them with their iconic work, often neglecting everything, no matter how pivotal, that came before. And this is why it can be so thrilling to stumble across an early Picasso, because it shares with us a piece of the artist we may have forgotten was there.
It is exactly in this way that Shapero Modern’s ‘Rack ‘Em Up’ brought a buzzing sense of excitement to my Tuesday evening. As a YBA (Young British Artists) themed show, I strolled into the Mayfair space expecting Damien Hirst‘s spots, Tracey Emin‘s neons and Warhol-esque Gavin Turk’s. Instead, upon entering the exhibition, thoughtfully curated by Mark Inglefield, my eyes widened at the sight of these artists’ much earlier work, as well as that of their peers. Packing the small space were pieces I had read about but never seen, pieces that were clearly a first step in what was to come later in the artists’ careers.
Getting To Know You: An Intimate Peek Into Artists’ Lives at ‘Magnificent Obsessions’
I am currently in the midst of devouring Andy Warhol‘s brilliant autobiography, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol. As my eyes eagerly dart across the pages, taking in the wit, colour, genius and hilarity, I often find myself wishing I could spend a moment in the pop artist’s past, a darting hour in his studio to see what it was like, to take in his essence, get to know him.
Funnily enough, this wish became somewhat of a reality at the Barbican Centre‘s latest exhibition, ‘Magnificent Obsessions: The Artist As Collector,’ where not only was I given a glimpse into Warhol’s world through the random and yet somehow just-right items he hoarded in his Upper East Side apartment, but into the lives of 13 other artists too, including Damien Hirst, Sol LeWitt and Hiroshi Sugimoto.
Damien Hirst’s ‘LOVE’ Makes Me LOVE Valentine’s Day
Ok guys, it’s Valentine’s week.
I should probably admit that the phrase “Happy Valentine’s Day” has been known to bring up two very distinct reactions in me. For example, this year, knowing my boyfriend has a massage booked for me, my Valentine’s daydreaming consists of imagining the sweet, sweet perfume of incense and aromatherapy oils, hearing my back crack and feeling like the definition of zen. The fact that I am counting the minutes should be obvious.
But as lovely as this is, I can easily think back on just a couple years ago, when simply glimpsing a “Be Mine” Sweetheart was enough to send me into an anti-V-day whirlwind.
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