A week of FrancisKnight birthdays and with it comes a few days off and a chance to check out some independent galleries in London.  First up, back to The White Cube in Bermondsey to see The Crystal Land by Josaih McElheny and Fragments by Ibrahim Mahama.  Stunning galleries that easily show off large scale installations both thought provoking and beautiful. Next stop Victoria Miro in North London, where Do Ho Suh’s Passage/s was well worth the steps to the top floor gallery space – featuring a stunning walk through configuration of nine structures. And finally Antoni Tàpies at the Timothy Taylor gallery in Mayfair showing late works by the celebrated Catalan artist – bold and abstract, perfectly framed with the title Revulsion and Desire.  

A quick trip to Bermondsey last week and we managed to catch the Anselm Kiefer show Walhalla at The White Cube.  It was a stunning and apocalyptic exhibition fit for the season; dark and lead heavy with the skeletons of life bulldozed into piles of rusting hospital beds, bikes and starched splattered hanging garments. Believe us when we say it was a real treat on a cold February afternoon!

As the Hayward Galley undergoes refurbishment they are showing pop-up exhibitions. The Infinite Mix is an exhibition in association with The Vinyl Factory and took place in the creative space called The Store, 180 The Strand.

The Store is a brutalist 1970 building with three floors and car park, and expansive views over the Thames from the Store Kitchen and Shop. The Store is expanding and in January 2107 will be opening its creative space and complex of studios.

10 audiovisual artworks took over the vast spaces within the building displaying moving image and in most instances composed, commissioned or remixed soundtracks.

Highlights included:

Ugo Rondinone Thanx 4 Nothing 2015 featured legendary beat poet John Girono performing Thanx 4 Nothing a poem written on his 70^th birthday.  The multi-screen installation featured close ups, high speed editing, and black and white contrasts.

Dominque Gonzalez-Foerster OPERA 2016 appeared as an eerie floating ghost like apparition of Soprano Maria Callas.   In the holographic illusion the artist appears as a luminous figure dressed in the singer’s signature red dress and dramatic makeup at the end of a dark derelict corridor lip-syncing to Callas’s arias

Finally Jeremy Deller & Cecilla Bengolea Bom Bom’s Dream 2016 is a lighthearted, funny video that follows the adventures of a Japanese dancer known as Bom Bom.  The dancer travels to Jamaica to dance in the local dancehall music scene.  The original soundtrack is by Dellar.

Last week we attended the Kent Construction Expo at Detling Hill Showground.  We are also member of the Kent Construction Focus Group (KCFG). Go us! It’s an interesting environment for us to be in, mixing with Kent based architects, planners, local authorities and of course construction companies. 

As far as we know we are the only public art consultants, so it’s always an interesting pitch, describing what we do and how we do it.  They are a friendly bunch and receptive to art in terms of placemaking and community engagement.

This part of the story we rarely tell.  How do we get to work on those big developments coming forward, how do we convince developers to part with budgets to bring artists into the process of building new homes and neighbourhoods?  It takes a lot of determination, lots of advocacy, lots of presentations, meetings, networking and finally we secure a contract and can start to invite artists in. 

Being part of KCFG and attending the Kent Construction Expo gives us the opportunity to meet and chat to the companies undertaking the kind of wok we’re interested in getting involved in.  Thanks for being so welcoming.