Abstract painting

We enjoyed seeing the work of two abstract painting artists in London and Liverpool. Firstly at Charline von Heyl’s show at Tate Liverpool (“Now or Else” 24 Feb – 7 May), and recently a Swiss artist’s work above in London at a show in the west End. Abstract painting and gestural painterly style in contemporary art is more commonly shown in Europe, so it is a welcome change to see more here in the UK. Since its foundation in 1988, Tate Liverpool seems to have become a showcase for painting, with other exhibitions such as Picasso, Rene Magritte and soon to start Turner Monet Twombly.

New Art from Germany

It was interesting to see Isa Genken’s work at the Saatchi Gallery recently, not all of her most recent work. The abstract lacquer on canvas was made in 1992, MLR painting series (1992), which draws on the work of the nineteenth-century artist Hilda of Klimt. These are gymnast’s rings frozen in mid-air. The images invite the viewer to ponder the symbolic, allegorical act of letting go.

More recent works included Isa Genzken’s totemic sculptures from 2004. She takes an anything-goes approach to the materials she uses to convey multiple meanings in unexpected ways.

 

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/isa_genzken.htm

 

 

New artist from China

Artist Shi Guowei (b. 1977, Henan) is one to watch. Keen to draw a parallel between events described in Western Old Master paitning and the current concerns of contemporary China , he works with photography and colours black and white photographs by hand. One of his striking images is this one, “The Wedding Invitation” which takes references from Van Eyck’s “The Arnolfini Marriage” where he has changed articles to suit a very different time and society. For example, stiletto shoes have replaced the fifteenth century clogs and the demure wife has become a hardheaded red guard. Shi’s works were recently on display at the Albemarle Gallery, January, 2012.

Exciting News

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