Gallery SO (Gallery 2)

This was a great find on Brick Lane. The gallery is one year old and the space is truly amazing and unique. It mainly showcases jewellery. This show was called Multiples and included artists Christian Gonzenbach, Manon Van Kouswijk, David Bielander, and Lisa Walker. The front space was small and had white walls and showcases. The back space, which was through a door and across a small patio, was bigger and had brick walls with small white panels to display work. There was also table cases to display other works. I loved how most of the work was minuscule. I especially like Kouswijk's pieces which were earring studs that looked like tiny ears and necklaces made out of archive stickers and entitled Paper Pearls. David Bielander's work was also impressive. I almost didn't notice his Ladybird Brooch, which was a tiny gold ladybug brooch.

Whitechapel Gallery (Gallery 1)

Whitechapel Gallery was a let down. They were in the process of switching shows in some of the galleries so all I really saw was four exhibitions, three of which were not that impressive. Claire Barclay's sculptural work was displayed in the first gallery. I didn't feel anything while looking at it. This is Tomorrow was kind of like an overview or remembrance of the 1956 Dada show at Whitechapel. Richard Wentworth's works consisted of orange string hung and tied vertically around nails. I actually liked this piece, the string pattern became almost like a wallpaper or wood paneling and transformed the white walls. Lastly, Mona Hatoum, had an installation in one of the galleries upstairs. This piece, I found, was the most impressive. It consisted of square cages that formed a bigger rectangle space in which light bulbs sat and turned on and off gradually. The wires all came together in the middle and sound played in accordance to the movements of the lights. This piece was very technical but successful and reminded me of her other works in the Tate.

Tower of London

The Tour of London was a nice break from seeing so much art. I thought it would be bigger and there would be more things to see but it was still enjoyable. The armory room was extensive and cool. I took some interesting photos there. It was kind of an unusual experience because the physical spaces were very historical and old but the displays were quite contemporary and high tech. Some sections were like video games or interactive games. It's also interesting to see such old artifacts hanging in fancy glass cases that light up and turn different colors. It seemed as though they were commercializing history, trying to make it more interesting and appealing.

British Museum

The British Museum was tremendous. There were so many artifacts and different sections pertaining to places/areas. I appreciated the Parthenon sculptures and Elgin marbles. It is disappointing to see such monumental works crumbling and disappearing. I think the debate about where these artifacts belong is also very interesting. If they were put back together in Greece I feel as though the history would be more complete, or at least visually more complete. The Rosetta Stone was cool to see but I thought it would have a bigger presence. People were crowding around it and taking photos. I don't think I realized the degree of importance of it until I read the brief history. I found the gallery of clocks and watches to be extremely interesting. There was one piece that was called a rolling ball clock, in which a ball rolled down a grooved pattern to change the minute hand. It was captivating. I didn't know what to expect from the Picasso to Julie Mehretu exhibition but I ended up enjoying it. The pieces were united by the urban energy of the times. My favorites were R.B Kitaj's Sides 1976 where the subject was a Vietnam veteran who modeled for the artist. There were three images of the side of the model drawn in different color chalk on yellow paper. There was something about this piece that struck me. The way the two outer drawings were pulled back and the middle one was a more up close perspective caught my attention. Mehretu's Untitled 2002 ink on vellum and mylar piece was awesome. Her work deals with elaborate abstract layering of multiple lines with the ideas of globalism and personal narrative. I enjoyed the Korean contemporary ceramics room, the different colors were captivating. Lastly, as I was leaving I stopped at the Cradle to Grave By Pharmacopoeia, which was profound. I loved the pairing of personal photographs with the pills and the linear quality of the piece.

Black Watch at the Barbican

It was hard seeing another play about war. It struck closer to home as well because it was about current warfare. The theatre was intimate, which worked well with the sort of low-fi production. Sometimes I had trouble switching between its theatricality and raw drama. But it was interesting to say the least. I think it is important to enlighten people about the issues of war. By shedding light on the individuals in the military maybe people will become less desensitized to war and actually come to terms with how horrific it is, for everyone, especially those who are directly affected by it.

Damien Ortega at the Barbican

I liked the space at the Barbican. I think it worked well with Ortega's work, both were kind of raw and minimalistic. His artwork dealt with the news and was made in response to certain news articles that hung on the walls next to each piece. I really enjoyed the piece where circular objects hung from the ceiling in size order, they casted interesting shadows on the floor, the thicker the object the darker the shadow and the thinner the object the lighter the shadow. The Other Side 24 Sept 10 was probably one of my favorites. It was simple but successful. The small cubes sat inside the shadow of the bigger pedestal.

V&A Tour with Glenn Adamson and Camera-less Photography

Even though the tour was fast paced and there was a lot of information all at once I thoroughly enjoyed it. Glenn Adamson was down to earth, not really what I expected. He explained everything really well..clear and concise. I was impressed by the room we started in, full of the direct casts of classical sculpture. The David sculpture was extremely monumental, I never realize it was so tremendous. The ceramics room was overwhelmingly full. The idea of having a resident in that fish tank/bubble is awesome, currently it is Pheobe Cummings. However, personally I would hate it because I would be bothered by all the people coming in and asking questions- I feel like I would never get any work done. The modern and post modern room was probably my favorite. It turns out I guess I really like product design.

The show Shadow Catchers: Camera-Less Photography was sooo awesome. By the end of the exhibition I was completely inspired and motivated to work more with camera less techniques like photograms, chemigrams, dye deconstruction. The gelatin silver prints were so much more compelling than the c prints by Garry Fabia Miller. I was drawn most to Susan Derges's and Adam Fuss's works. Derges explores the idea that natural patterns are the signs of deeply hidden affinities, visible signs that point to the invisible. I especially liked her tadpole series. Fuss's snake photogram was so simple but so beautiful. I never realized photograms could be dynamic and painterly. In the video Adam Fuss said something that I really identified with, "It is possible to make pictures without needing the outside world as a subject." I think photography is often looked at as a recording or capturing device and not as a creative medium. This exhibition has helped break down that strict mold, showing that photography or at least photographic techniques can be fluid, painterly, unique and creative.