My first task on my course was back in September 2013, when I was asked to look at three exhibitions in the city of Newcastle and write a report on each one.
LAZARIDES
"The Lazarides gallery was re-launched as 'The Outsiders' in 2010. On speaking to staff I discovered that the gallery features one artist at a time for around a month. At the time of my visit an artist known as Saber was being featured. The Outsiders showcases work from new and emerging talents and provides exposure for there artists in their gallery on the Newcastle Quayside. The gallery itself consists of a small ground level space with white walls and a wooden floor, and stairs led down to a basement where the work is displayed around the walls and leads through a small passage to a third room. Saber is an experienced graffiti artist having 22 years of experience behind him. For this exhibition he flew in from LA two months before the show to create the entire body of work in the gallery. It was his debut European solo exhibition and he worked seven days a week on the paintings.
The paintings are created using ordinary household paints, as I could see from the empty pots which he incorporated into the display in the basement. Alongside those were paint-splattered clothes and shoes which he had worn when creating his work.
The pictures themselves were very textured with lots of layers of paint, paper and marks made through these layers. There were also a lot of stars and stripes and a lot of dark shades of paint used. Most of his work was black, grey, white, dark purples and reds. On looking at the paintings closely I could also see newspaper print. I really liked the textured effect and how each painting was created by the same medium but looked completely different to one another. The paintings themselves are very abstract, with a lot of layered, sweeping brush strokes.
Saber says that these works are a reference to excess and foul nature that some people believe Americans possess. He wanted to expose the cracks in the self-centered and self-preserved culture of modern America. Although there are no particular objects in the paintings I could appreciate the meaning of them and enjoyed viewing this artist's work."
The paintings are created using ordinary household paints, as I could see from the empty pots which he incorporated into the display in the basement. Alongside those were paint-splattered clothes and shoes which he had worn when creating his work.
The pictures themselves were very textured with lots of layers of paint, paper and marks made through these layers. There were also a lot of stars and stripes and a lot of dark shades of paint used. Most of his work was black, grey, white, dark purples and reds. On looking at the paintings closely I could also see newspaper print. I really liked the textured effect and how each painting was created by the same medium but looked completely different to one another. The paintings themselves are very abstract, with a lot of layered, sweeping brush strokes.
Saber says that these works are a reference to excess and foul nature that some people believe Americans possess. He wanted to expose the cracks in the self-centered and self-preserved culture of modern America. Although there are no particular objects in the paintings I could appreciate the meaning of them and enjoyed viewing this artist's work."
THE BALTIC
The Baltic is a centre for contemporary art, housed in a large industrial building on the south bank of the river Tyne in Gateshead. There are no permanent collections at the Baltic, the exhibitions change across four gallery spaces. I find that the diversity makes each visit feel like the first time and I've discovered a lot of artists and work that I admire over the years that I've been visiting.
THOMAS SCHEIBITZ
"Between the 26th July and 3rd November 2013 there are two floors displaying the work of Thomas Scheibitz. The gallery spaces are vast at the Baltic, perfect for Scheibitz' work as he produces large sculptures and installations as well as paintings. One of the first things I noticed about his art is the use of shapes. He uses regular objects and interprets the shapes found in them into his work. There is also a sense of movement in the way these shapes are arranged.
One painting in particular really caught my eye and this was the one entitled 'Portal' made in 2012. It took up one huge wall and when I looked at it it seemed to change. At first it would look as though there was depth in the image and you could walk right into it, and then it seemed as though the shapes were sticking out right in front of you.
Thomas Scheibitz is one of the leading German artists of his generation and the presentation at the Baltic was bringing together over 200 works from the past 5 years. I very much enjoyed being able to see the finished pieces as well as his idea sketches, and the everyday objects which were his inspiration. Seeing how he developed his ideas made me understand and appreciate the work even more."
One painting in particular really caught my eye and this was the one entitled 'Portal' made in 2012. It took up one huge wall and when I looked at it it seemed to change. At first it would look as though there was depth in the image and you could walk right into it, and then it seemed as though the shapes were sticking out right in front of you.
Thomas Scheibitz is one of the leading German artists of his generation and the presentation at the Baltic was bringing together over 200 works from the past 5 years. I very much enjoyed being able to see the finished pieces as well as his idea sketches, and the everyday objects which were his inspiration. Seeing how he developed his ideas made me understand and appreciate the work even more."
HEATHER PHILLIPSON
"Heather Phillipson is a London born artist and poet, and her exhibition at the Baltic ran from the 21st June until the 22nd September 2013. The exhibition was titled 'Yes, surprising is existence in the post-vegetal cosmorama' and consisted of three videos in custom made environments within the ground floor gallery.
When I first enterred the exhibition I found it exciting because I was taken around a dimly lit tunnel with a glowing floor, into a snug type area, painted red with cushions on the floor. Playing on a large tv screen above was Heather's first video of the exhibition entitled 'Immediately and for a short time balloons weapons too - tight clothing worries of all kinds', and as you can imagine it was quite confusing and surreal. There were lots of clips quickly flashing up and changing, and lots of sounds over them. Part of the video made the viewer feel as though you were being pampered, having cucumber placed over your eyes while Heather's voice was a soothing commentary.
The next part of the exhibition was equally surreal as I found as I moved from the snug that I had walked through a curtain between a pair of giant women's legs taking over the whole room! Looking back I realised there were lots of brightly coloured flowers all around the door, and a windy red path on the floor led the way. In the same room there was a real speed boat painted yellow, positioned on many bottles of water. Inside the boat was another video, this time about teeth and dental hygiene. Again very surreal with flashing images and Heather's voice again narrating the scenes.
The 'Wizard of Oz' style path led to the last installation, a car with another tv inside on the windscreen, so that you had to sit inside the car to watch it.
All of the installations in Heather Phillipson's exhibiton relate to travel, hygiene and the mouth. There were also several chiquita bananas I noticed encorporated into the installations although I'm not sure why! All in all I found the whole thing quite psychedelic, intriguing, interactive and fun. It's an exhibition I won't soon forget and am glad to have experienced. "
When I first enterred the exhibition I found it exciting because I was taken around a dimly lit tunnel with a glowing floor, into a snug type area, painted red with cushions on the floor. Playing on a large tv screen above was Heather's first video of the exhibition entitled 'Immediately and for a short time balloons weapons too - tight clothing worries of all kinds', and as you can imagine it was quite confusing and surreal. There were lots of clips quickly flashing up and changing, and lots of sounds over them. Part of the video made the viewer feel as though you were being pampered, having cucumber placed over your eyes while Heather's voice was a soothing commentary.
The next part of the exhibition was equally surreal as I found as I moved from the snug that I had walked through a curtain between a pair of giant women's legs taking over the whole room! Looking back I realised there were lots of brightly coloured flowers all around the door, and a windy red path on the floor led the way. In the same room there was a real speed boat painted yellow, positioned on many bottles of water. Inside the boat was another video, this time about teeth and dental hygiene. Again very surreal with flashing images and Heather's voice again narrating the scenes.
The 'Wizard of Oz' style path led to the last installation, a car with another tv inside on the windscreen, so that you had to sit inside the car to watch it.
All of the installations in Heather Phillipson's exhibiton relate to travel, hygiene and the mouth. There were also several chiquita bananas I noticed encorporated into the installations although I'm not sure why! All in all I found the whole thing quite psychedelic, intriguing, interactive and fun. It's an exhibition I won't soon forget and am glad to have experienced. "
THE LAING - DAISY DE VILLENEUVE
"The Laing art gallery is situated on New Bridge Street in the centre of Newcastle and has been open since 1904. It has a programme of regularly rotating exhibitions and a variety of artwork is on show, ranging from 18th and 19th century paintings to contemporary works by emerging UK artists.
The exhibition that caught my eye in particular was by an artist called Daisy de Villeneuve entitled 'Run Colour Run'. The title reflects the work perfectly as it is a collection of extremely colourful portraits, which Daisy created from photographs she took behind the scenes of the Great North Run 2012. The collection was put together for Great North Run Culture 2013.
Daisy looked behind the scenes of the run for a variety of people to draw. They not only included athletes and participants but also hospitality staff, security, the red arrows pilots, kids cheering on the sidelines and people in costumes.
The outcome of the finished images are simplistic, bright, quite naive in the drawing style and use of colour blocking with felt tip markers, but also very personal portraits of all of the people. I particularly liked one portrait of a young girl with a proud expression, wearing a t-shirt that said 'Run Dad!' on the front.
Daisy de Veilleneuve refers to artists like David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein as her inspiration and that is clear to see in her work. I enjoyed the simplistic nature of her images with the deeper personal meaning behind them and I think they are fun to look at. You can really imagine the individuals and get a feel of the atmosphere at the event."
The exhibition that caught my eye in particular was by an artist called Daisy de Villeneuve entitled 'Run Colour Run'. The title reflects the work perfectly as it is a collection of extremely colourful portraits, which Daisy created from photographs she took behind the scenes of the Great North Run 2012. The collection was put together for Great North Run Culture 2013.
Daisy looked behind the scenes of the run for a variety of people to draw. They not only included athletes and participants but also hospitality staff, security, the red arrows pilots, kids cheering on the sidelines and people in costumes.
The outcome of the finished images are simplistic, bright, quite naive in the drawing style and use of colour blocking with felt tip markers, but also very personal portraits of all of the people. I particularly liked one portrait of a young girl with a proud expression, wearing a t-shirt that said 'Run Dad!' on the front.
Daisy de Veilleneuve refers to artists like David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein as her inspiration and that is clear to see in her work. I enjoyed the simplistic nature of her images with the deeper personal meaning behind them and I think they are fun to look at. You can really imagine the individuals and get a feel of the atmosphere at the event."
Laura Olivia xx
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