Monday 27 October 2014

La Semaine Dernière à Galerie Paris-Beijing

This week is the last week to catch Lunar Caustic at the Galerie Paris-Beijing in Brussels, part of our exhibition, Beijing Silvermine, don't miss out!!! If you are in Brussels or close by, head on down to the gallery to see our work as well as the amazing show by Wang Bing!

Signed, Sealed, Smoked, SPBH Book Club VI

 
 
This weekend saw the Smoke Press start up in London, as the first shipment of my new book, SPBH Book Club Volume VI, a wonderful collaboration with SPBH Editions arrived from the printers, ready for the finale, to be smoked! 

As the day dawned, sunlight shone over the stacks of plywood, tiny screws glistened and the smell of smoke filled the air as the flat packed Smoke Houses, reminded me of their last performance at Unseen Amsterdam, now a month ago. 

Freshly axe cut wood chips where chopped and soaked in water, four smoke houses where put back together and a roaring fire was started with charcoal. The next step was to order, number and sign the books, a fair few hours passed before the smoking could commence and then, everything was ready, it was time to start!

The four smoke houses bellowed with thick white smoke, as one publication after another was placed inside for ten minutes, soaking up all the aromas that the wood, coals and plywood could muster up. After the strict timings where abided by, each book was quickly and carefully placed into plastic, to seal the smell. They were still warm to the touch, a literal nod to the saying, "hot off the press." 

As night drew in, the fire still roared and smoke still poured from the smoke houses, until the first batch was finalised and a weekend of smoking was complete. Signed, sealed, smoked and delivered... very shortly indeed!


Wednesday 22 October 2014

The New Yorker & Le Soir - Arts Libre Review

 

With only a few weeks left to see our Brussels based exhibition, it is fantastic to see how far reaching the works from Lunar Caustic are proving to be and none more so that the 'swimming lady' herself! I am delighted to see that The New Yorker Photo Booth did a great follow-up article on the Beijing Silvermine, after Thomas Sauvin took over their Instagram account last week. 

It is truly extraordinary to see how the use of Instagram is in many ways revolutionising how audiences get to view new imagery.  With an account of 106,000 followers the images that make the cut are seen far and wide by a very active audience.

Reviews are coming for the exhibition Beijing Silvermine and it is great to see that Lunar Caustic is being selected out, here in this double page spread in the Arts supplement, for the newly released French, Brussels based newspaper Le Soir, article written by Jean-Marc Bodson.



Saturday 18 October 2014

Frieze In All Its Wonder

 
This week saw the opening of Frieze Art Fair and Frieze Masters. London is overflowing with exceptional work, every corner you turn there is another opening, another fantastic exhibition to put on the list and as you wonder through both fairs, the delights await and entice! 

This year saw a slightly different layout, and it was by far the most easily navigable, as the flow of one stand to another didn't throw up any confusion, only once did I find myself a little lost, a sure improvement on past years! I also decided to take on a solid approach this year, working alphabetically, up on side and down another, eyes wide open, head turning left to right, right to left as to ensure I didn't miss any galleries, it seemed to work well.


As I started my mission, there were key galleries that I knew I wanted to spend sometime in, particular artists work that I adore and other finds waiting to be found. Herald Street with Pablo Bronstein's incredible architectural drawings, Frith Street with Tacita Dean's "Quatemary" absolutely stunning, David Zwirner's installation with Wolfgang Tillmans and Francis Alÿs was quite unbelievable. Jack Lavender's works on glass at The Approach were excellent, as too were the stands by Maureen Paley, Vilma Gold and that's just a start! 

As I meandered on, I saw weird and wonderful installations, a giant dice, corrugated cardboard Jabba the huts, classic 8mm film projectors intermixed with weights, powdered pigment canvases, concrete foundation blocks,  all a feast for the eyes, every gallery booth you turned into, something else caught your eye to excite and entertain, and that was just at Frieze Art Fair!


After a fair few hours, taking in the contemporary delights, a relaxing walk up to the Masters, to be yet again overwhelmed by an abundance of unbelievable artworks. What I find wonderful about the separation of the fairs, is the space that it not only physically creates, but psychologically too, as the fresh air, autumnal natural surrounds truly cleanse the mind, ready for the next digestion. 

Frieze Masters in its second year, really is something to be experienced. A complete opposite in every sense from the Art Fair, the Masters has a much softer, gentle atmosphere, a quietness the other couldn't possible have. Works by Pablo Picasso, Hans Bellmer, vintage Gilbert & George, Francis Bacon, Heniz Hajek-Halke to Cincinnato Baruzzi, Auguste Leveque, Vincenzo Civerchio, the list goes on and on, it is really quite astounding! 

So after an inspirational day packed with culture and artworks you could only have dreamt of seeing, what better way than relaxing with a few drinks as the sun sets on Regents Park for another year.

Friday 3 October 2014

Exhibition Profiled On Paris Photo, L'Oeil, Agenda Magazine and Case Studies In Wallpaper*

  

Fantastic to see that our new show, "Beijing Silvermine" at Galerie Paris-Beijing in Brussels is getting great coverage in the press and being profiled on some great sites. 

To start an excellent article and interview with Mister Sauvin in Agenda Magazine, then profiled in the case studies for Wallpaper* which is very exciting indeed. Next, L'Oeil de la Photographie and not forgetting with Paris Photo, on both their website and Tumblr sites, showing "Lunar Caustic" which looks just fantastic up there, especially against their bright magenta title page and it's only been open less than 2 weeks!


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