London At Its Best - Marclay And Delaunay

 

It happens so often in London, that you say, 'I must see this show, don't worry I'll get to it next week' and before you realise it, the show has opened and closed before you even got a chance to put it in your diary! So with the multitude of incredible shows on at the moment, I made some time to take a few days out of work and enjoy all that the city has to offer. What better way to enjoy the summery days then with a walk around the galleries, intermixed with lunch and drinks with friends and family.

Christian Marclay's exhibition 9 x 9 x 9  at White Cube's Bermondsey space closed last Sunday, so I was determined to make sure that I didn't miss it. I am a huge fan of Marclay and to say I was not disappointed is an understatement; excitement, intrigue and amazement would be a few words to describe my feelings towards his video installations, audio performances and new works within the white walls. 

The exhibition was a triumph visually as well as conceptually. To sit inside a darken room, surrounded with four walls of projected Comic Collaged text, swirling around, up and down created this extraordinary sensory experience that was felt deep into your pit of your stomach. At times it was if your had drunk to much absinthe and been left to interrupt your dreams, as the room spun around, a group of black figures at the centre, holding tightly on. Then into the other rooms; refined silkscreen prints and large scale canvases, a nod to the Pop Art movement as well as wonderful collaborations with the London Sinfonietta and the Vinyl Factory, where performance and production where intertwined. It was truly spell binding.

 

Yesterday saw a wonderful family trip with my baby nephew to see the newly opened Sonia Delaunay exhibition at the Tate Modern. This exhibition was to our delight very quiet, we could take our time, slowly meandering through the huge exhibition, admiring the sensational colours, expressively painted in the stunning works that earned Delaunay such respect in the early 1900's. The works on paper were beautiful, the curvature of the gouache, the fluid movements created by the forms she drew, a tactility of materiality as well as a sensual, intimate touch to the figure she painted in the Tango series, we were all captivated! 

What was wonderful to see was how her natural style could so easily be translated into graphic patterns, textiles, Fashion as well as Theatre costumes. To see her design illustrations, the print and fabrics as well as clothing was intriguing. The craftsmanship of these works, the woven designs made in Russia to her costume designs for the Hungarian Dadaists, her Delaunay style, artistic vision was always so prominent, an extraordinary women of her time whose vision today seems still so contemporary, a true inspiration. I shall be sure to return again to experience this must see exhibition.

http://whitecube.com/exhibitions/christian_marclay_bermondsey_2015/

http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/ey-exhibition-sonia-delaunay