Bit of Culture Reviewed

Over the last few weeks there has been a kind of culture binge going on in my life. Part of it came from the Shout Festival which was a 10 day LGBT+ festival in Birmingham. Over it I saw a few things but there were two stand out highlights for me. They were Deep in the Heart of Me, performed by Ali Child and Rosie Wakley of the Behind the Lines Theatre Company and Looking for John written and performed by Tony Timberlake.

The former was a play which on one level is about a middle aged woman coming to terms with an emerging sense of her own sexuality, and doing a bit of a Shirley Valentine (but meeting a woman). However, this beautifully performed piece of musical theatre is far more than this. There is a deep exploration of the feelings around the empty nest going on. Whilst the venue it played in was the back room of a pub, which was a bit too small for the production and the audience was disappointingly sparse there was a strong connection with the audience in this piece. It was a real pleasure to watch.

Both Deep in the Heart of Me and Looking for John made good use of background images to help set the scene and increase the drama. However, that is where the similarities end. Looking for John, which was in The Door (the smallest performance space at Birmingham Rep) was an intense piece of drama which explored the life of John Curry, by focusing on a fan who was seeking to use John’s biography to make sense of his own. Whilst there was laughter there was also real pathos.

Whilst I would highly recommend both my favourite was Deep in the Heart of Me because it was really fun.

Balanced against the performance was comedy has been art. The IKON has an interesting set of installations which are on for another week, until 27^th November. The current exhibitions include work from Žilvinas Kempinas who has been playing about with moon images and steel bearings to make some mesmerising pieces.

Sara Barker’s work has some interesting shape and colour and Philippine Hamman’s ergonomic furniture for those who don’t want to get up is fun.

If you get the chance to get to this exhibition I highly recommend it.

Whilst these events have all been in Birmingham I’ve also got down to London and had the chance to enjoy the Royal Academy’s Abstract Expressionism and  Intrigue: James Ensor by Luc Tuymans. Now, I’ll be honest I went because I’m a Friend of the Royal Academy which means I’ve paid for the years exhibitions. It’s a short wander from where Two:23 meet and I find wandering round gallery’s a way I encounter God more than in a lot of churches. Thus, I go and enjoy the art before heading off for formal worship. These days where I spend time reflecting on art before joining friends for worship are a real chance for me to spiritually refuel.

I didn’t expect to enjoy the Abstract Expressionism, however, I was really drawn in and enjoyed it. The Jackson Pollock pieces were the ones which really engaged me through their beauty but I liked a lot of the others too. Now, I’m not for one minute pretending I understood any of the art in this exhibition but the scale and colour within a lot of it really did have something which made you think ok, there is something going on here I don’t understand but I like.

The Ensor exhibition mixed pictures which were quite pretty, especially his early work, with ones which were down right disturbing. There were two contrasting crucifixions in the exhibition. One was darker and more traditional, with the crowd around Christ apparently praying. The other was brighter and the loin cloth almost had the feeling of a tutu. There were faces in this one which could have been the crowd or could have been the beginning of the harrowing of hell and may have been spirits. The latter one both disturbed and challenged me yet it was the more beautiful of the two.

These exhibitions are on into the new year and I would recommend them. 

Sonia Delaunay Exhibition Review

Sometimes you have to visit an exhibition more than once to fully appreciate it and I found this to be the case for the Sonia Delaunay exhibition at the Tate Modern.

There were two reasons I think this is one of those exhibitions which requires a revisit:

1)      The sheer vivid colour within this large retrospective can be overpowering at times

2)      There is so much detail which can be missed on first viewing because this is a large exhibition.

One of the benefits of having Tate Membership is that it is possible to make those multiple visits. For those unaware of Delaunay and her work (as I was before my first visit) she was, according to the exhibition guide, “one of the pioneers of abstraction and a central figure of the Paris avant-garde.”

The work here spans from the first decade of the 20^th century to the 1970’s and contains painting, drawing and textiles. Wandering through the twelve rooms I was particularly drawn by those works which combined text and colour as well as the textiles.

Some of the text in the work is obvious and some is not. For example the prose in Electric Prisms was initially easy to miss whilst the cover design for the catalogue of the Stockholm exhibition was not. What they had in common was that both displayed her interest in graphic design.

The exhibition guide is worth reading more closely than many because it reminds you of the tumultuous events of the early 20^th century and the contradictions they produced. The artist opened a hop in Madrid in 1918 following family funding being stopped due to the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia. The fashion she produced was worn by the rich and beautiful when many others were suffering from destitution. This included a beautiful coat designed for Gloria Swanston which is displayed.

My favourite rooms were in the middle of the exhibition. Room 6 is the fashion and textiles room and this was my favourite although room 7 Poetry and theatre came a close second.

The most entrancing piece in room 7 is the “surie vent (on the wind)” curtain poem with text by Philippe Soupcarlt.  

Amid the abstraction and fashion Room 9 Paris 1937 contains vast canvasses celebrating modernism in bright and vivid colour. These are murals which were shown in the Palace of the Air at the International Exhibition of Arts and Technology in Modern Life.

The exhibition is one which I would say is best enjoyed when the gallery is quieter and you can wander and linger as you wish. I found visiting just after 3pm on a Tuesday ideal.

Would I recommend this exhibition? Certainly, if you are in London at any point to the 9^th August. If you are making a special trip I would you visit from 3^rd June onwards when you will also be able to catch the Agnes Martin exhibition.

Margate Mini-Break / Provincial Punk Review

Back in January when we were on retreat somebody introduced me to Leonie Dawson’s Life and Biz Workbook.  It happened to be somebody I have respect for who suggested that I might it useful to help guide me through this year of change and so when we got home I ordered it. I haven’t really used the Biz part, but I have found the Life part has really helped me both refocus and dream again. Most importantly it has encouraged me to actually do something with my dreams rather than just throw them into the impossible box……and that’s what led Karl and I to take a mini-break in Margate.

Let me explain. One of the exercises in the book is to make a list of things to do in 2015 which can “be silly, fun, joyful, big, creative….a culmination of all your goals, or totally new ones”. For me the list has contained a mix of spiritual, practical and fun things which I would like to do this year. One of the things on my list is go to the sea side at least twice and another is to go to the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate. This past weekend I made one of my trips to the coast, getting to meet up with old friends and enjoy the Grayson Perry exhibition Provincial Punk whilst I was down there as well as catching a CCCU exhibition at the Pie Factory.

After making a last minute decision to go for it on Thursday evening we arrived in Thanet on Friday night. After spending the evening with friends we got to the Turner Contemporary bright and early on Saturday, the opening day of the Perry exhibition which runs until September 13^th . As we made our way upstairs by this space which overlooks the sea we found ourselves in a room full of pottery which was decorated by collaged images in many cases. As you look at the pots and their decoration, which as with a lot of Perry’s work mixes social comment, history and cultural icons, I would argue there are a couple of reactions the first is to take it earnestly and the second is simply to laugh at the humour in it and enjoy. Karl and I went for the latter, although there might have been a bit of the former creeping in. It is accessible and fun and that is something that some of us appreciate about Perry’s work. Going round art galleries is often an earnest affair a bit like going round a library where there are expected reactions it seems you are meant to give. Yet, at it’s very best art can make you want to laugh as much as it makes you want to scream or cry and this is what this exhibition does.

Going round the Perry exhibition was fun on one level because there were so many little bits you could identify with (such as on one etched map where there were so many identity groups mentioned you couldn’t fail to fall into at least one group). It also had a lot to say too though about all sorts of things and that’s the point about Perry’s work the more you look the more you are actually made to think. It might seem obvious and full of statements but the detail leads you on your own journey of thoughts and at time memories.

As I’ve already indicated one of the  great things about Grayson Perry’s work is that it is so accessible. As with the recent exhibition at the National Gallery (a couple of works from which were included in this one) this one was free to access. In terms of what this meant in practice as we wandered round is that there were more kids around. One small person was being led along beside a tapestry with their parent helping them identify which brands they knew named on there. Another was sat down in front of one of the tapestries discussing about what they thought the pictures on there were. As we were walking out a couple came in with their Morrison’s bag something we’ve never seen at the TateModern so this art might be, according to the Guardian journalist, too obvious but what it does is allow kids and parents to engage with it on one level whilst adults can take it in on another. I’d take that any day over stuff which is so obscure you can’t engage with it.

Before we left the gallery we noticed Grayson Perry himself wandering about, the artist’s presence is something I also haven’t seen too often at the Tate. That said not everything is different about this gallery. Just like the Tate it is possible to get a really tasty scone with jam and cream to wash down with a pot of Earl Grey. It made an enjoyable morning snack in Margate.

We also enjoyed the CCCU exhibition The Presence of Absence on at the Pie Factory until 26^th May. It was showcasing the work of second year photography students. The work seemed to fit the location it was being shown in well. I particularly enjoyed Hayley Lindridge-Morgan’s Lucky which was part of her “Reconciliation” series. It had was a series of portraits of people with their treasures and was accompanied by a sound commentary of the subjects talking about their items.

Lisa Beer’s A which was shots of women at work in male dominated occupations fitted well with the worn industrial setting. The blurb outlined how her work has looked at sexism, feminism and equality. The images were striking and empowering and I would be interested in seeing more of her work in due course. Alicia Mellon’s Degeneration was cleverly framed within a disguarded old door and she is another emerging artist I would be interested in seeing more of in the future.

Both gallery’s are part of the emerging Margate which MaryPortas sought to help regenerate as is The Greedy Cow where we a really tasty lunch. I am not sure how much the regeneration will work as at the moment it seems to be a gentrification occurring working out from one small corner of town but it was good to visit. The place which seemed most to exemplify the old and the new Margate was the Pilgrim Hospice bookshop located in the old Lloyds Bank building. The charity shops are a fixture in Thanet’s seaside towns but this had a bit more class than your average. Karl was thrilled it provided both ties and books whilst I was more than happy to have picked up a signed copy of Portas’ Shop Girl a Memoir for a bargain price.

The Margate Museum outlined what might be holding back part of the regeneration though. This building was very much located in a past age. Run by some hardworking and clearly enthusiastic volunteers it was clear that this was based around the island mentality of why change the way we always do things. It would be great if this museum could somehow hook up with the gallery which is a stones-throw away and become invigorated with new life.

So is Margate the place for a mini-break? Well, to be honest probably not…..but it is worth a visit. If you wanted to go for the mini-break option I would recommend you stay in Canterbury and take a day trip out to explore what Margate, Broadstairs and maybe Herne Bay and Whitstable have to offer whilst you’re there. If in Canterbury I’d recommend Boho on the High Street as a place to eat….absolutely wonderful café with a lovely garden area.

If anybody is interested in knowing more about the workbook which sort of prompted the adventure please see the Leonie Dawson You Tube Clip below:

 

Two Tate Exhibitions and Two:23

One of the locations which I find to act like a thin place for me is the Tate Modern. As I wander round the space I find myself encountering the spiritual in a way I don't in many other places. When life is tough and I really need to encounter the divine I find myself heading in that direction. I also find it useful that it is within a stones throw of where Two:23 meets and so I am able to combine the different forms of worship and reflection every so often individually refilling before I go and join in corporate worship. This spiritual aspect is one reason I find maintaining Tatemembership so important......it enables me to go and fully enjoy what the gallery has to offer whilst I encounter the divine through art and space.

Recently I headed to the gallery to reflect and refill. I knew the Marlene Dumas exhibition The Image as Burden had started (it's on until May 10th) but I didn't know the Conflict Time Photography exhibition was on the same floor. Both are worth a visit.

The Conflict Time Photography exhibition is on until 15th March. It covers 12 rooms and contains work from Don McCullin, Simon Norfolk, Jo Racliffe, Pierre Antony-Thouret, Michael Schmidt, Harry Shrunk and Janos Kender, Stephen Shore and Chloe Dewe Matthews amongst others. It takes as it's theme Kurt Vonnegut Jr's Slaughterhouse-Five which is a book which seeks to look forward after war rather than looking back.

As you move around the exhibition which starts by looking at "Moments Later" you are taken around the world from the Crimea to Libya, America to Bosnia and France to Congo amongst other conflicts.

I was found the pictures of America after the American Civil War particularly interesting and the pictures from Congo most moving. The former reflected location and the latter people and this mix of geographical and physical is reflected throughout the exhibition.

One of the most striking elements of this exhibition is the Archive of Modern Conflict installation A Guide For The Protection Of The Public In Peace Time. This takes you into what essentially feels like a 1940's living room but is a space containing collages and objects from or reflecting conflicts around the world. It is thought provoking and striking.

The images show reflect horror, hope, rebuilding and resignation amongst them. They are striking and I would challenge anybody to wander round unmoved by what the exhibition shows and that is the point.

From this I moved across the third floor on to the Dumas exhibition which focuses on the body primarily. There are 14 rooms to move around, some of which are explicit and shocking. There are glimmers of hope as with the collages of black faces which are seeking to focus on the humanity of people whose bodies were the focus of the pictures which were the base for this piece. However, much of the exhibition feels dark and disturbing with it's roots in pornography. There is a tension which she acknowledges in her work between to show or not to show.

There were two paintings which were amongst the most striking to me which did not fit in with much of the rest of the exhibition and these were Solo which is based upon the crucifixion but according to the accompanying blurb moves beyond this to reflect the feelings of isolation which is felt by those who are sent by their fathers to war and death. It is a moving crucifixion which reflects the isolation which Jesus experienced on the cross. The second picture which struck me was The Wall which shows Orthodox Jews near the partition wall. It depicts them in a similar way as to if they were at the wailing wall which I found interesting.

The article accompanying this exhibition in this spring's Tate Etc magazine explains this is the most significant exhibition of her work to be held in Europe and moves from her early paintings to her most recent work on paper.

Again this an exhibition I would challenge anybody to go round without reacting to as it is striking and is one of those shows which demands some response.

After these experiences I moved up to the members room and sat reflecting with a pot of Earl Grey looking out over the river Thames and on to St. Pauls which dominates the view. I find it to be a relaxed but busy space where you can sit and meditate even though you are surrounded by a constant buzz.

From the gallery I moved on to Two:23 which continues to grow. After a vibrant and refreshing time of musical worship I listened to Greenbelt favourite and vicar of St. Luke's Holloway Dave Tomlinson talk, (now available online) of the way in which we make a mistake of trying to find God because he is everywhere around us and we are always in his presence. We have not lost the divine and (s)he has certainly not lost us according to Tomlinson whose talk was primarily based around reading extracts from his latest book The Bad Christian's Manifesto. As I listened to this I smiled and wondered. Whilst it may be true we do not have to search for God and neither we or (s)he is lost yet it is also true there are places where we are more aware of being in the presence of the divine. For me, as I've indicated, the Tate Modern is one of those spaces, somewhere where even when I am really struggling I can connect with that which is beyond me. God may not actually be any nearer to me there than elsewhere but I am certainly more aware of the presence of the divine there.

As a final aside on that occassion I took a different route to the gallery, and wandered up from Borough tube station. I found a cafe at the back of the gallery in Great Guildford Street called RoseTate where I was able to get a really tasty ham and cheese roll, a slice of cake and can of coke for under £4. As somebody who prefers plain food and so struggles in with the posh dishes that the Tate tends to offer this was a real find. Physical and soul food are both needed to replenish us and I was so pleased to benefit from both today.