Braving the cold I went to visit the Institute of Contemporary Arts.
The famous ICA prides itself on its three large galleries, two cinemas, theatre, restaurant, shop, bar and finally its café. It is a place of real venture and interest. There is also a certain freshness about it, which makes it the perfect place to go to when feeling a little uninspired...
The first gallery contained works from Bloomberg New Contemporaries, one being Catherine Hughes.
Her pieces were (in many ways) a literal ‘highlight’ of mine.
She traditionally framed (yet futuristically lit up) her digital prints of
advertisements and then pushed them to a side, like drawing a
curtain, to reveal only the bleak, blank wall behind.
As a result, the images were almost impossible to read and looked almost like disposed (and slightly distressed) rubbish, but I liked how you had to delve deeper into what it might be.
Another impressive piece that stuck with me was
Isabelle Southwood’s abstract wall painting ‘Homer Wake Up You’re Alive’.
It was a great demonstration of great innovation. Her approach to unlikely materials was startling as I discovered she used mustard, pepper and wasabi paste to create her painting. So wild and gorgeously unexpected - I love it. Super tasteful...(excuse the pun).
Having been set the objective over Christmas to come up with at least one passion, concern, observation or obsession to act as a springboard for my next design, I decided to do some extra research into what Southwood's piece of art here, was all about.
Apparently this (weirdly) pleasing food painting of Homer Simpson’s warm dribble is an attempt to reveal his
vitality. After an
episode of 'The Simpsons' in which cartoon character Homer somehow 'cheats death', he
finally vows to the world (and to himself) to live life to the fullest. The
following week we see him eating pork chops and watching TV. Sound familiar? It certainly sounds like my mood today… (Doh!)
On a more serious note was the work of Steven Morgana called ‘It was all
Ephemeral as a rainbow’. This piece is predominantly a light sculpture, powered by a
portable petrol generator.
A concave mirror with neon tubing creates
a dizzying yet beautifully mesmerizing halo-of-a- rainbow which silently hovers
over a semi-circle of different colored bottle-topped water.
Each
individual bottle, however, is filled with petrol and apparently (as noted on the wall text)
it is cheaper than the water they once contained. How odd. I guess it is one of the paradoxes
of modern life that water (one of the most abundant substances on Earth) once bottled
costs more than petrol...
Moving on, a noteworthy trend was the return to
prominence of found objects and I just couldn’t ignore the obsessive engagement
with the everyday and mass-produced.
Thomas Aitchison's 'Lynx Genesis' is a pure example of this. His simple sculpture was made
out of those cringey lynx deodorant cans which we all know so well...I found it quite amusing, playing on popular culture and all...
It indeed had me smiling.
Hello me (in a panel of fake grass matted with
hair gel)
Onto the theatre space of London’s ICA… it
had been transformed into this incredible piece of art by the artist Zhang
Enli. He spent a solid eight days painting the rooms of the esteemed art institution.
The amazing and delightfully wholesome installation, titled ‘Space painting’ was like entering a cocoon washed over in watercolour.
The painting contains you - it is all around you and underneath you.
It is pure energy in abundance and so mysterious in atmosphere.
The grungy, raw and urban presence is clear from the start of the piece, and only by looking closer can you witness some of those frenetic strokes of paint which resemble somewhat graffiti marks or a well-worn nightclubby ground floor.
Enli once said “I saw a mark on the floor, which had been
made by furniture which had been sitting there. After all the furniture had
been moved out, I saw marks of where things used to be. It signalled the
passing of time for me. These works also allow me to explore my interest in the
relationship between people and painting.” I found this to be so poetic and beautiful...to notice and interact with marks that tell a story through their history is such a wonderful concept.
The last room of the ICA featured my one and only,
Ibiza. (Don’t worry though, the exhibition was based on the island in
all its glory in the early 80s, so it was Ibiza before ‘Ibiza became Ibiza’ - if you know what I mean…)
The smaller space set the scene for a more intimate exhibition and I felt like I was on a real getaway, a release from daily stresses. A soft gentle beat blissfully breathed out in the background welcoming us into the world of Bohemia.
I have always admired hippies for their influential alternative
lifestyles and developing party style.
Old school posters and retro ephemera from the worlds most influential clubs at that
time (Pacha, Amnesia and Ku) surrounded the space.
There were photographs too, all along the walls and in no need of an instagram filter or photoshop to make it look like paradise.
This year’s new contemporaries (as well as the other two rooms I saw) were undoubtedly strong,
quirky and also often controversial. I liked the offbeat vibe each piece of
work/room had - I was certainly shocked by some of the new, unorthodox techniques
used by the artists.
I think the overall contrasting themes that I took with
me having left the ICA were: vitality/lethargy, sensible/ridiculous, exotic/mundane,
everyday/extraordinary, party/lonely, space/claustrophobic, present/past…
Ok…that should do it!
I think I have more than enough to work with now! Thank
you ICA, until next time…
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