After not making it beyond Stonehaven last year I've managed to squeeze in two trips to London this year, mainly to see a few bands but also to check out a few art shows and galleries. With so much on offer its easy to spend entire days going around the numerous art spaces and if you catch the Tate Modern during a busy spell then an entire day can be swallowed up just in there (only if you can handle the crowds on a weekend).
Our first stop was a bit of an accident as we stumbled upon the Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Mayfair. Showing 'The Power of the Line' a collection of recent (within the last decade) drawings by Romanian visual artist Geta Brătescu. It's amazing how much you can do with a few lines and a limited palette.
We visited a few more galleries in the area although the majority of what we saw seemed to be aimed at rich people with no taste but Waddington Custot gallery served up a treat in the form these large photographic prints below by Nick Brandt. With incredibly elaborate sets and interesting mix of people and animals, the work left me asking many questions mainly how did he manage to create these images and are they photo shopped. You can see the full set of images here.
With a recent show from JR, we made a special effort to visit the LazInc gallery and caught the last day of the El Seed show 'Tabula Rasa'. The arrival of a street art gallery in the trendy Mayfair area is a sign of the times as people bicker on line about the death of street art or harking back to the good old days before street art auctions became a thing. I guess every sub culture or underground movement eventually hits a tipping point and becomes main stream & LazInc are doing what they do, embracing the limelight and since they had a hand in the rise of British artist Banksy its no suprise. But not all street art can be translated into the gallery and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds over the next 6 months.
I was quite delighted to be able to see the 'Good Grief Charlie Brown' show on its last weekend. Although the hour long wait to get in the door was a bit annoying it was ultimately worth it as everyone loves Charlie Brown & Snoopy!
Round the corner from Jealous you'll find the Pure Evil Gallery spread over two buildings with a strange nightclub in the middle. As you'd expect the gallery stocks a load of originals from the man himself Pure Evil whilst also showing a selection of works from some of the biggest names in street art including ROA, Stinkfish and London legends like Cept and Oker. I had the pleasure of meeting Pure Evil recently and he proved to be quite the opposite of his name but perhaps it was all just a smiley facade he puts on to lull people into a false sense of security. Either way the gallery spaces are well worth a visit.
Final stop on our February visit took us up to Columbia Road for a look around the Nelly Duff gallery. Another street art gallery but also a pioneer of modern screen printing and kitsch art work, Nelly Duff always provides lots of candy for the eyes and provides a nice connection to artists like Sweet Toof and Aida Wilde who's work can be easily spotted in the streets and their gallery. Indeed the gallery can often be a who's who of London street art but there's always a few gems lying around too with Real Hackney Dave providing a highlight of this visit. Well worth a visit and even more so over a weekend when the flower traders take over the street and Nelly Duff becomes a safe haven for escaping the crowds!
Our first stop was a bit of an accident as we stumbled upon the Hauser & Wirth Gallery in Mayfair. Showing 'The Power of the Line' a collection of recent (within the last decade) drawings by Romanian visual artist Geta Brătescu. It's amazing how much you can do with a few lines and a limited palette.
A regular spot to check out is the Stolen Space gallery on Brick Lane. I was lucky to see two amazing shows in the space with graffuturist Augustine Kofie showing a new series of works titled 'Darkest Before The Dawn' a continuation of his previous works but with a slightly looser feel than some of his previous works. The front gallery had some pretty special works from Jamie Molina for his show 'Finding North'. Mini wooden maquette's and beautifuly stylised portraits filled the space with a few special nail heads thrown in for good measure. These works proved a good example of instagram making something look cool but in real life its 100 times better. Just wish I could have taken a piece home!
A hop and skip up to Shoreditch brought us to the wonderful Jealous print studio and their staff group show 'Hell Is Other People'. Showcasing a fine selection of talents across many mediums with print of course featuring heavily along with some good old house hold paint and a 3D text piece from artist and friend Adam Bridgland. Adam kindly took us up for a look at the print studio which is always packed to the gunnels with new print editions rolling off the presses and a plethora of exciting projects. We also popped up to the Jealous Rooftop to check out the recently installed balloons by The Misfortune Teller but sadly they'd already been taken down. Always a warm welcome at Jealous and always worth a visit if you're in London.
So that's it for my little London gallery round up. Of course the shows and works featured in this post were all on display in late February and many of the galleries are onto their 5th or 6th show of the year but its still fun to look back. If you have any suggestions for galleries or exhibitions worth checking out both in Aberdeen and beyond then drop me a line.
