So the weekend rolled around and I went and explored London town. Saturday was an utter failure of a day. After sleeping in, I spent the rest of the day traipsing round looking for small galleries which turned out to be closed, between exhibitions or utterly inaccessible. Sunday, however, was great. I got up early and went to the Tate Modern. Though I didn't shell out for the 'Pop LIfe' exhibition, the free parts of the gallery had more than enough to keep me busy. There was some great work there and I ended up with a big list of pieces to look up later. A couple that stick in the mind:
Salvador Dali, Moutain Lake - Though I'm not usually into surrealist painting, something about this piece just grabbed me. It's like a dream - or nightmare - I've had. Very sinister indeed.
Joesph Beuys, The Pack - This one made me laugh. I'm not sure if it's supposed to illicit that response, but something about the wolves being exchanged for the sled's they pull - and all coming out of the back of a useless looking VW. Apparently it's based on the artist's personal experience of being stranded and rescued; having fat rubbed on him and being wrapped in furs. Either way, I liked it for it's comic absurdity. There should be more laughter in galleries I think - it's not always serious.
Kurt Kern, Leda and the Swan - This short film/video art was pretty erotic. Extreme close-ups of the seemingly horrific rape of young Leda by a bizzare puppet Swan! Egg yolks rolling off breasts, seasonings and cream everywhere, and a beach ball or something in the mix too. All cut in a very jerky manner. It was like a snuff film or something. Hypnotic to watch.
Oh and I also managed to see some work by one of my old favourites, Joseph Cornell. That was quite special; just being in it's presence.
So after that, I made a trip over to Tate Britain. I happened to pass Westminster on the way...
And of course the protests were happening. Personally I reckon I got a great shot here... better than the papers. It was chaos there over the weekend, mind.
The turner prize was on at Tate britain, but I only had an hour before closing and didn't want to shell out a tenner. Instead I absorbed some beautiful Romantic paintings and saw a few other exciting pieces like this one by Anish Kapoor called 'Ishi's Light':
Which is a great thing to behold. When you look inside at certain parts, it's light looking into the sky on an overcast night; pitch black, it seemed to go on forever.
So that's enough for now. Catch up later in the week.
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