Deconstructing the Private View
The private view is a curious affair. An open invite to those in-the-know, it’s a chance for the oppressive and invisible gallery rules - ‘quiet and don’t touch’ - to relax for one evening. Drinks and snacks are laid out, and an increasingly tipsy group fills the gallery space. But like the lure of the Lotus Eaters, it’s easy to forget that you came to see the art. Studying at the Courtauld provides every opportunity to learn about the art world and Freshers week is no except
William Blake 1757-1827: Reflections on artworks outside their context
William Blake is an artist that does not have to be introduced to anyone even remotely aware of ‘the classic’ figures of British culture. A painter, printmaker and poet loved by the public, he influenced many artists to come. An exhibition presenting his works has recently been opened at the Tate Britain, a museum which promotes itself as home to the greatest British art collection in the world. Illustration by Rebecca Marks The show is arranged over five rooms, leading the v
The Water Drinkers: Celebrating creativity through the works of Fischetti, Rüdham & Kay-Barry
Set in a townhouse right in the conglomerate of tourists that is Covent Garden, artists Crystal Fischetti, Harry Rüdham & Lee Kay-Barry are shown in the exhibition The Water Drinkers. Presenting a series of works by all three, the curator and Courtauld graduate Eleanor Stephenson strategically uses the space of Burleigh Street Townhouse to harmoniously fuse and connect all pieces together through their dramatic use of color. Beyond the Door (2019) & Self-Portrait (2018) by Le
Allora and Calzadilla: Tate Modern gets political in activating "Balance of Power" by Puer
Acquired by the Tate in 2009, Balance of Power (2007) has been recently ‘activated’ at Tate Modern in London. The performance piece consists of three yoga instructors dressed in military gear from head to toe, carrying out ‘warrior’ poses in a loop. With a wide interdisciplinary artistic career, ranging from video to sound, to sculptures and interventions, the works of artists Jennifer Allora (U.S., 1974) and Guillermo Calzadilla (Cuba, 1971) are known to ignite, at least, a
The Royal Opera House's Manon: The Show Must Go On...
Desire, doomed love and a dodgy knee unfolded on Wednesday night at the Royal Opera House. The ballet in question was Kenneth MacMillan’s 1974 retelling of Manon. The dancer and choreographer also remade Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake throughout the 60s and 70s. The intense psychodrama of Manon is based on an eighteenth-century novel which was banned upon publication in 1731 due to its risqué content, before leaping into popular culture through the circulatio
Dressing with Dissent
The month of October has been one of protest. Dissatisfied with the English government’s response to climate change, swathes of people flooded Trafalgar Square for a fortnight of organised anarchy. A temporary camp was set up and banners bearing the now infamous extinction rebellion symbol flew high above the heads of Landseer’s lions. This logo was also to be found closer to the ground; patched onto the backs of jackets and screen-printed onto shirts, it quickly became the i
Max Porter's 'Lanny': ‘In Came the Sound of a Song, Warm on his Creaturely Breath….’
Not far from London, in an unnamed sleepy English village, Max Porter invites us to step into his dark green folk tale about a boy and an ancient tree. The titular character of this novel is ‘Lanny’ a young and imaginative, green-eyed boy painfully out of place in the insular world of the village. We see him through the eyes of fellow outsider and famous artist Peter Blythe, or as he is commonly referred to ‘mad Pete’. Accompanied by the anxious lens of ‘Lanny’s Mum,’ current
Playing Host to Istanbul's 16th Biennial: A Highlight from the Pera Museum
The seemingly unexpected trajectory of storytelling—an amalgamation of time, space, and events—poignantly unveils itself through the 2005 Turner Prize winner, British artist Simon Starling’s Infestation Piece (Musselled Moore). The methodical narration, that metaphorically links Anthropocene, cultural exchange, and historical narrations, is woven through his four works exhibited at the Pera Museum for Istanbul’s 16th Biennale, The Seventh Continent. Simon Starling, Infestatio