Gallery Visits
Tate Modern, London
Visiting the Tate Modern on 6th January 2019, I saw an arrange of artists such as Monet and Richard Hamilton. Exploring from the ground floor to the second, I got to experience a spectrum of art movements from Minimalistic to Pop Art and Impressionism to Public Art.
Richard Hamilton, The citizen, 1981-3
Based from a news report about the IRS 'dirty protest' 1980, The citizen reflects how the Maze Prison inmates were treated as ordinary criminals which in response they decided to only wear prison blankets. In response, Hamilton stated that he would no accept the methods of the IRA, but however noticed the resemblance to Christian martyrdom.
Peter Sedgley, Colour Cycle III, 1970
When walking into the first segment on the first floor this piece in particular caught my eye. Presented in a dark room the only light was a neon spotlight which altered between blue, red and green colours. On the opposite was an acrylic painting of a circle with smaller circles differentiating in thickness in the centre. The idea behind this piece was to highlight the effect that the colour of light has on a simple image. Sedgley is interested in the optical illusion of movement created by the combination of colour and light. Throughout the 1960's and 70's other artists explored these ideas as part of an art movement called 'optical art'.
Tania Bruguera, 000010148451, 2018
In the Turbine Hall of the Tate was sprayed a light grey square on the floor alongside a room filled with an organic compound that makes you cry. Bruguera wanted us to explore the positive aspects of migration which in the smaller enclosed room creates a private space for us to reflect on the loss that migration entails. Outside the room was a man stamping wrists with a long number "000010148451". This number is the increasing figure of which is the amount of people who had migrated from on country to another last year; including the amount of migrant deaths recorded between the beginning of this project and today. The idea behind the organic compound which causes the eyes to water is to break down the social barriers within the public, leading to a shared emotional response. Once leaving the room, the plain grey square on the floor made sense. Watching families run across the grey square holding hand from on end to another simplified the idea of migration. The journey of one place to another.
BALTIC, Gateshead
On January 17th, 2019, I visited The BALTIC in Gateshead with a few from my course. On the first and second floor was an exhibition from Rasheed Araeen. Covering these floors were smaller exhibitions covering a 60 year span of his work. These included:
- In The Beginning
- Geometry and Symmetry
- Becoming Political
- In Pursuit of a Significant Language
- Reading Room
- Homecoming
Rasheed Araeen, A Retrospective, 2018
Looking throughout the many chapters within this exhibition, I drew more interest in the second chapter, Geometry and Symmetry. Presented in the first room on the third level, the coloured industrial-like sculptures were majorly inspired by the work of Anthony Caro. With his experience as an engineer, Aareen's minimalist influence drew particular focus towards geometry and symmetry. At the end of the 60's the fascination between symmetry and asymmetry soon became a defining feature within the outside world. From here he began exposing his large structures and form into the natural environment and human interaction.
