ZOE LEONARD- Hauser & Wirth
Zoe Leonard, an American conceptual artist had an exhibition at Hauser and Wirth. Her photographs were arial shots taken from an aeroplane. Having an arial view of an image gives the viewer a different angle to see something from and this can make the viewer reengage with how they see it.
From this perspective and from such a height so much more is in the photograph and shapes, lines and patterns can be seen that aren't necessarily picked up when looking at something straight on and closer up.
I also liked how she enlarged the image to such an extent that the images were grainy and not at all sharp. There was therefore no definition in the objects that were photographed. This no doubt is the intention, as this makes the viewer mainly pick up on the pattern and shapes within the image.
I really liked this image of the buildings as it makes everything blend, taking away any character, individuality, price differentiation. It also makes everything look small and maybe even insignificant.
I think the grids and the formality of the buildings also show uniformity and organisation, so thought has definitely gone in to the building and layout. Yet on the ground I'm sure a lot of chaos can be found, but this all gets lost and unseen from this height.
The close up of the roofs shows a cross criss over each roof. It shows different sizes and shapes, yet the roofs hold together as one. Similar to the image of buildings on the left, a pattern of sorts is discovered. None of which can be appreciated from the ground.
The cars seem tiny in comparison, and totally out of scale and this will be from the perspective of the image.
The photograph above of the railway lines is so simple and repetitive yet more than often taken for granted. From this arial view the railway lines could be just lines drawn on a sheet of paper or even rows and rows of lolly pop sticks stuck down with a length of strings, but the closer you get the more real they appear and once the train is on them, the more practical they become.
The photograph below, again of railway lines, but these tracks are curved and are on the edge of a town, There are also cargo trains on these tracks, so your focus is more on the lines/curves that are produced and the cargo that is replicated repeatedly on each of the tracks.
Over all I really liked this exhibition as it showed the world as patterns and shapes not objects. It took away all of the detail, which i knew was still there but these images took the pressure off to look too deeply into things.
It made the world feel far more simple, not complicated.
ANNI ALBERS- Tate Modern
When I went to Anni Albers I was very impressed by the body of work that she had, there was just so much of it. A lot of it was also very contemporary as if she had only just done it this century.
The introduction to the exhibition was how Anni Albers was committed to uniting the ancient craft of weaving with the language of modern art and how she transformed the way weaving could be understood as a medium for art, design and architecture.
When you go around the exhibition it is not hard to believe how this was the case. Her work was so vast and varied, textural and graphic. She created pieces of work that were both practical and visual.
This wall hanging stood out for me the most, because Albers used only three colour, black, white and yellow in both cotton and silk. Due to the contrast of the yarn and the different way she worked the colours together, the over all piece looks like far more colours have been used, due to the grey and green that also appear. With this as with many other weavings, it also looked like she had patchwork the pieces together by sewing them.
With this weaving the cross stands out because of the sheen to the thread and how it reflects the light. Also by using linen and metal threads the different thicknesses has added texture and the variety of browns stops the weaving from appearing flat.
With this weaving again there is that feel as if the work is a patchwork, but I also really like how the weft and warp threads she has kept as a huge boarder for the piece, so this itself becomes part of the artwork.
This weaving for me is one of the most contemporary looking, due to the colours and the textures. Again the warp and weft are used as part of the boarder for the final piece. In this one the yarn is twisted to make knots and create bobbles. If you look really close the cloth is quite chaotic and not uniform in anyway, but it still works.
The exhibition went onto show pieces that Albers had collected from her travels, mainly in Peru. Also other pieces of art work, such as embossing and experimentation she had done, such as pin pricks on paper.
CONRAD JON GODLY 'TO SEE IS NOT TO SPEAK' at JD Malat Gallery, London
Conrad Jon Godly's exhibition at the JD Malat Gallery in London was impressive.
As soon as I walked in the paintings felt like they dominated the room, the monochrome paintings had a real presence. I had learnt about the impasto technique last year and this was the first time I felt that I had experienced it and it was an experience. The floor to ceiling paintings had such depth it felt like the paintings of mountainous landscapes from South Asia were jumping off the canvas. The thickness of the paint makes you feel as if you could actually climb the painting. It was so thick that it actually cast shadows around the edge of the painting. I also felt a real need to touch the painting, it was so tempting but obviously held myself back.
What I liked about the paintings was how the lines from the thick brush strokes become part of the painting and how the thick heavy paint coming out of the canvas mimics the rockiness of the mountains. They’re the kind of paintings that you can get consumed by and feel like you can loose your self within them.