Ed Ruscha: Fifty Years of Painting
When looking at paintings by Ed Ruscha, the influential American artist whose career spans five decades, it’s clear that words are key to his art. From his 1960s graphic pop art pieces, with text such as Noise or Annie emblazoned across canvases, to later work such as Faster Than A Speeding Beanstalk, playful and often profound words are everywhere. In some works, phrases float across sunsets or pretty blue skies; in others they’re barely visible and painted on stained canvases with egg yolk. In many ways he uses words as if they were objects and even in his eerie silhouette paintings they make their presence felt. With 78 canvases spread across four rooms at London's Hayward Gallery, this is a brilliant survey of Ruscha’s painting and the biggest to date.
By Emma Love
Frieze Art Fair
Britain’s biggest annual art fair arrived in London this week, bringing with it 165 galleries from around the world and a host of art dealers, curators and collectors. As you’d expect all the heavyweights are there, including Tracey Emin with her Neon project, photographers Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman and Juergen Teller, and artists Gary Hume, Annette Messager and Richard Prince. And crucially there are plenty of extra offshoots too, that are sure to appeal to everyone. Frieze Projects include Ryan Gander’s instant photo studio and Stephanie Syjuco’s Copystand where a group of invited artists are producing bootleg copies of artworks already in the exhibition. Then there's Frame, a brand new section for new galleries. If you visit one art fair this year, make sure it’s this one - for a true taste of what’s happening on the international art scene, it’s the real deal.
A few of our favourites from the fair:
Semyon Faibisovich at Moscow’s Regina Gallery (F7) - his oil painting triptych is a marvel.
Martin Eder at Galerie Eigen + Art, Berlin (F5) - his series of large-scale portrait photographs that question beauty.
Alan Michael at Hotel Gallery, London (E6) - because his use of colour captures the Aldwych Bus brilliantly.
Karl Haendel from Sommer Contemporary Art (E9) in Tel Aviv - for his hand-drawn pencil piece Questions to my father.
Lorna Simpson at Salon gallery, New York (B11) - intriguing black and white pictures with a sense of nostalgia.
By Emma Love
Polaroid: Exp 09.10.09
Last year the Polaroid Corporation stopped producing its iconic film and 9 October 2009 is the final use by date for the last batch. To mark the occasion, London's Atlas Gallery is hosting an exhibition featuring Polaroid shots by some of photography’s biggest names. The show proves big isn't always better and among our favourite images there’s a Polaroid by David Bailey of his son Fenton captured with wild hair (left), a colourful, paint-splashed triptych from contemporary artist Marc Quinn, Helmut Newton fashion shots taken in his studio in 1981, and an Andy Warhol self-portrait. What a fantastic way to mourn the passing of this great form of photography. Polaroid: we miss you already.
By Emma Love
Siobhan Davies Dance: The Collection
After a critically acclaimed showing at London’s Victoria Miro gallery earlier this year, Siobhan Davies Dance: The Collection has packed up and moved to Birmingham. Focusing on ways that movement can be seen outside a traditional stage scenario - as well as how visual art and contemporary dance work together side by side - the idea is that viewers walk around the gallery as five dancers perform a choreographed piece, titled Minutes, around them. The work will be shown continuously for four hours a day, alongside other installations such as Lying in Wait, a three-screen film by Idris Khan and Sarah Warsop (pictured above), which has been especially created for the warehouse-style space.
By Emma Love
House of Cards
House of Cards is a campaign that launched last year to raise awareness for Shelter, the UK housing and homeless charity. 53 unique playing cards have been created by the leading lights in art and design including artists Julie Verhoeven, Marc Quinn, Polly Morgan and Rachael Whiteread, and if you're lucky you can get your hands on a pack. Seven of hearts: Rob Ryan. Ace of spades: Giles Deacon. Five of diamonds: Barbara Hulanicki (pictured left). See them on show at the Haunch of Venison Gallery in London, and pre-order a limited edition A5 set online at shelterhouseofcards.org.uk, with all proceeds going to the charity. Playing cards has never been more fashionable.
By Emma Love
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