LONDON, DECEMBER 2016— ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM AND MORE

ART BINGE: LONDON'S WEST END

2nd-3rd of Decmeber 2016. London, England. 

Lee Krasner's TheEye is the First Circle (1960) with David Smith's Star Cage (1950) and
Hudson River Landscape (1951) at the Royal Academy.

I’m back again, and so soon! I hate to set unrealistic expectations about the frequency of posts you can expect over here, but I had so many thoughts about my London Art Binge that I just couldn’t stay away for long. I promise I won’t go into detail about all 16 here, to prevent you, dear reader, from developing some type of eye strain, but I still won’t dally around with much of an introduction. We’ve got things to get through today. 

Harry Callahan's photography of Chicago
c. 1950 at Pace London

One of the most noticeable things I found during this gallery trip was that there are currently some amazing group shows in London. Pace Gallery has truly hit it out of the park with their photography exhibition “American Classics,” on until 17th December. Although it’s chalk full of great work by some of the big names in photography— Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Irving Penn— I was swept off my feet by the work of Harry Callahan, whose work I don’t believe I’ve ever studied. In Callahan’s photography, as throughout the rest of the exhibition, there is a real attention to the built landscape and graphic forms. The social landscape is revelled in and forgotten corners are revealed. While I can’t say that the exhibition necessarily broke new ground, it was a delight to see the selected photographs in person. 

At the Photographer’s Gallery, work taken from the Verband Collection made up the exhibition “Feminist Avant-Garde of the 1970s,” on until 29th January. As an area whose narrative is fairly solidified, I was expecting to see certain heavy hitters (Cindy Sherman, Martha Rosler) exploring typical themes (identity, sexuality). From the moment I walked in to the exhibition, however, it was clear that the exhibition was so much more than that. With 200 works by 48 artists, the selection of images goes far beyond the typical and the chosen artists are diverse in their nationalities and in their practices. Along with the like of Hannah Wilke, the exhibition showcases work by artists such as Katalin Ladik, Alexis Hunter, and Renale Eisenegger. It broadened my view of mid-century feminist art practice— not an easy task. It was also a nice complement to the exhibition on at Richard Saltoun, “RENATE BERTLMANN: Höhepunkte (Two Climaxes),” on until 27th January. They both showed an unexplored dimension of feminist art practice, engaging with how feminist artists sought to make a place for themselves in a male dominated field. While the exhibition at the Photographer’s Gallery certainly could’ve placed a great emphasis on the ‘avant-garde’ aspect of their title— the radically of the artists practice was really lost in narratives of self and identity— they both hit their mark.

(L: Renate Bertlmann's Urvaginia (1978) at Richard Saltoun. R: Helena Almeida, Study for Two Spaces (1977))

The group exhibition on at the Marian Goodman Gallery, however, topped them. A standout from my gallery binge, the one to go to if you see nothing else, “Animality,” on until the 17th December, explores humanity's relationship with animals and includes work as far ranging as an Albrecht Durer wood print, William Wegmen’s ever popular photographs of Man Ray, Orwell’s classic text Animal Farm, and Jean Painleve’s 1930’s experimental films. Over the course of six themes— Origins, Markings, Crossings, Variations, Traces, Extinctions— the exhibition brings together work from 70 participants. It’s the sort of show that offers no easy answers, leaving only lingering questions. Looking at how we have cohabitated and evolve, we are shown time and time again how contradictory and complex the relationship is— we place them centrally in our mythology, elevating them and loving them, just as we also consistently mistreat, exploit and sacrifice them. Animals are absolutely central to how humanity defines itself but are so often overlooked and dismissed. 

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Alaskan Wolves (1944) in "Animality" 

The other unmissable group show on my list was a bit of a surprise to me. As an avid animal lover, I was expecting to love Animality. However, my expectations were far lower for the Royal Academy’s blockbuster exhibition “Abstract Expressionism,” on until 2nd January. Truth be told, I often leave the RA in a foul mood. It’s always full of tourists doing all the things you’re not supposed to do in a gallery (don’t touch the art!!!), and the work itself often fails just short of the mark. With the Abstract Expressionist show, I was cynical from the get go. I mean, did we really need another look at this group of misogynist white dudes? Surely this is a story that has been well told by now. What is there really to be gained here? These aren’t questions the exhibition satisfactorily answers, but I have to admit, as soon as I turned the corner into the Burlington House courtyard and saw the group of four David Smith sculptures sitting in front of the RA, the ice around my heart melted and I was giddy. 

Pollock, Mural (1943) displayed with Smith's Tanktotem III
(1953) at the Royal Academy

That’s really the thing about the Ab Ex artists— they’re a joy to see. Even if you dislike the work of some of the big name artists included— de Kooning for me— there’s going to be something for everyone here. After a quick ease-in to the exhibition with the first room, show casing some early, figurative work by the artists included, the show starts to hit it out of the park, showing us all exactly what we came there to see. There’s a beautiful Gorkey painting, showing touches of Kandinsky’s colouring. There’s a room of classic Pollock’s, including Mural, made for Peggy Guggenheim’s apartment. There’s monumental work by Clifford Still (a point where the exhibition really excels). There was even some work by De Kooning that I liked.

True, the Rothko’s on offer were a bit disappointing, awkwardly placed in the central hall of the RA, but his art was never made for the hustle and bustle of a blockbuster exhibition. I was also a bit let down by the Newman’s. They seemed to be placed with the Ad Reinhardt’s merely for convenience, and the combination didn’t do either of them any favours.

That choice aside, however, the curation was absolutely brilliant, and no where was this more clear to me than with the placements of the David Smith’s, which sat in the centre of most rooms. The sculptures absolutely sung with the paintings. The exhibition also ended on an undeniable high note. While the Pollock’s early in the exhibition were hard to beat, the second to last room, showcasing photography and work on paper was a delight. The drawings brought a dimension of  delicacy to the paintings that came before them, and here, Newman finally got a chance to shine. The photography was a pleasant surprise as well. While the inclusion of Hans Nauman’s photography of Pollock felt unnecessary, I was delighted to see Harry Callahan pop up again after seeing his work earlier in the day at Pace. 

Arshile Gorky, Water of the Flowery Mill, 1944

The last room, however, was where I was entirely won over. I had spent the majority of the exhibition wishing that the curators had made more of an effort to include female artists— the large Lee Krasner in the Pollock room was one of the few works by a female artist given pride of place. Most notably, I was wondering where Joan Mitchell was. True, there was some of her work earlier in the exhibition, but it was decidedly second-rate. Well, it turned out that they were saving her best until last— just before the exit, Mitchell’s Sault Tom (1979) absolutely sung. It instantly became by favourite thing about the exhibition, and I consider it to be worth the price of admission alone. It’s full of depth, texture, and light. I could go on but, for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, I won’t spoil the joy of that first look. For those of you who have, you’ll know that words can’t do it justice anyways. I don’t think I’ve ever left the RA in such a good mood.

Having written more than enough words already, I’ll take you through just one of the solo shows I visited in detail. At Victoria Miro, Warf Street, Alex Hartley’s photographs and sculptural interventions were right up my street as a lover of architecture. Reminding my a bit of Robert Smithson’s work, he shows us buildings overcome with decay and ruin. Overlaying the photographs with obscuring, semi-translucent panels etched with natural elements, it’s like we’re standing in a fog, seeming to view the present and the future at once. The screen, seeming like some kind of future-ghost, places us at a remove from our time. While we may still be standing in the present, the future is shown as fact. And indeed, it is fact. While we may consider ruins to be poetic and intriguing, they're what will remain when we no longer do.

(L: Hartley,  Arrangments in the Beyond (2016). R: Hartley, A Gental Collapsing II (2016))

Selected Other Exhibitions Visited:

Dayanita Singh, Time Measuers (2016)

- “Revolt of the Sage,” Blain|Southern. Until 21 January. (This was the last exhibition I visited, and by that time, I was completely unable to take in more art. It looked fantastic though, and I suspect that it’s actually one of the better shows on at the moment).

- “Robert Therrien,” Parasol Unit. Until 11 December.

- “Michael Benson: Atmospheres.” Flowers Central. Closed.

- “Dayantia Singh: Museum of Shedding.” Firth Street Gallery. Until 13 Janurary. (Another one worth seeing! I loved the sense that there was something unaccessible to the viewer, something hidden. It creates a feeling of impossible temptation.)

- “Art and Language and Ilya Kabokov (The Non-Objective World).” Sprovieri Gallery.  Closed. (As a fan of Art and Language and Malevich, this was a delight). 

- “Hugo Wilson: Europa.” Parafin Gallery. Until 28 January. In a strange way, this actually touched on some of the themes of Animality. In looking at how myth functions and where it come from, Wilson ended up including several images of animals. It was interesting to see the two back-to-back.)

-  “Ed Rusha: Extremes and In-Betweens.” Gagosian Gallery. Until 17 December. 

- "Richard Serra: Drawings." Gagosian Gallery. Until 15 December. (Loved these! They had such wonderful texture.)

The problem with seeing so much art in one day seems to be that it makes it truly impossible to be brief… Perhaps a lesson for the future? Likely not.

 I have a few things to say about the art scene in Oxford, where I’m currently living so, believe it or not, you’ll be hearing from me again soon!