Zambian Modernism

A Tale of Two Tates - notes from my Notebook

Back to London for visa and to see husband off to Zambia. Out of laziness opted for Tates to visit.

I've always like the idea of Tate Modern, impressive building, great to see it being used again (what plans for Battersea?). Important to have a truly iconic modern art gallery in London. But Tate Modern is disappointing.

Why?

Dreary interior - grey, dark, little natural light.

Huge but poorly utilised space, massive walkways, reception areas, huge shop (of course) but little art in comparison. A floor for members only? Hmm.

Ok, building is great but does it really make good gallery? To appreciate it is to appreciate industrial design, wasn't built as a gallery unlike Guggenheims and other Tates (note to all and self - visit St. Ives!).

Didn't go to exhibitions had to pay for (doesn't tell you anywhere how much costs until you get to the floor they are on, then you have to go back to buy tickets, no thanks), just meandered. Anne Lee exhibition 'No Ghost Just a Shell' - big raspberry, trite, vapid - sometimes bad idea to let artists write, some truly awfully scripted video installations.

Pop Art room a nice find, Andy Warhols - pretty exciting to see in real life, 3 Way Plug by Claes Oldenburg a revelation - texturial, erotic, funny and overwhelming. Huge plug made from mahogany wood, hanging majestically in the space but gallery a bit pokey.

Tate Modern = tiring - no proper seats, just those weird stools that are so awkward, overcrowded

= cold!

Still love it for its flaws however, better if it tried to be less apologetic for being an art gallery and toned down the theme park aspect.

Tate Britain - now that's better.

Big spacious rooms, beautiful construction.

Places to sit!

Light!

Fascinating narrative of art through the ages in Britain. Great exhibition - 'Beating the Bounds', great work by Frank Auerbach - paint as sculpture, brilliant video installation Helen Appel, funny moving. Nice to see some Gilbert and George - have we forgotten about them?

Verdict: Tate Modern like a gritty communal shower

Tate Britain - a warm bath in a porcelain, private suite

Digbeth Art Exploration Part III

The Ikon Eastside is an additional art space in Digbeth, a branch of the original Ikon in Brindley place a few miles away. It's a small space and only open from Thursday to Sunday, but plays host to talks and innovative art exhibits as well as Birmingham's amazing Flatpack Festival (see link below). At the moment, RAQS Media Collective from New Delhi are showing their work 'When the Scales Fall from Your Eyes'. In the warehouse sized room was a number of everyday objects - sofas, desks, fridges and other appliances - painted white. On each object was the exact same glass cast of a suited human torso, topped with weighing scales for heads, acting as vessels for various objects ranging from surreal to mundane.

The room, although not crowded, was comfortably filled with these creations and lit by a circular, gentle light about 6 foot across that slowly changed colour. The effect was truly beautiful, and I appreciated the work more taken as a whole rather than examining each piece individually. When I did so, I felt the work was not so strong and even looked a little shoddy, as the white paint was unevenly applied to some of the objects.

According to the literature provided by Ikon:
'When the Scales Fall From Your Eyes is devised to encourage a contemplative practice of considering 'muchness'. ' I can't say I felt it dealt with this effectively and seemed more of a study in the surreal or fetishism. Judging from the albeit cliched title of the show, I can only assume I was supposed to see some truth beyond our consumerist existence. I didn't. I enjoyed the work aesthetically but felt it failed in its message.

A couple of streets down from Ikon Eastside is Eastside Projects. As well as the similarity in name, Eastside's current exhibition is supported by Ikon and, like the RAQS Media Collective work, also explores modern life. Joanne Tatham and Tom O'Sullivan's show is called 'Does your Contemplation of the Situation Fuck With the Flow of Circulation?' The title is take from a Jan Verwoert text.

The work itself featured a large, cubic tunnel, painted white on the inside and with an abrstact pattern in pale pink, white and black on the outside. On one side is a wall decorated with a pale green pattern that bears posters that state 'Ecstacy kills'. On the floor are crudely rendered white outlines of maps and other objects I couldn't identify.

The work, is in some way a reflection of contemporary messages (in reference to the posters) but similarities have also been made with our current economic slump - the word 'circulation' perhaps referring to money. To be honest, I didn't get it. I read the interview with artists I was given when I went in, I still didn't get it. Sorry.

I also didn't like the space much, it was odd how the space was without boundaries and the work is very much dependent on the gallery itself, but from a more pragmatic point of view, I had trouble working out where the art ended. I found myself thumbing through some interesting publications displayed, then thought that perhaps they were part of the piece and gingerly put them back. They do, however, have an amzing office area constructed and the guy at reception was really helpful.

LINK ATTACK
Ikon Gallery - with pictures of exhibit
Eastside Project
Flatpack Festival - Awesome film festival in Birmingham