Art For Thought

A multitude of Georg Baselitz’s large-scale works and some works on paper fill the walls of the extensive White Cube gallery in Bermondsey, for his show open till mid June ‘A Confession of My Sins.’

Back at the gallery after more than eight years with this solo, Baselitz presents his new body of work as a sort of ‘recap’ and homage to his own career and characteristic figures with upside-down motifs, while also unearthing childhood memories with representations of animals too, rather that just his typical bodies. ‘I’ve got my early childhood drawings of eagles, stags, deer, dogs and so on in folders, […] Every now and then I look at them, and I think was it a good time, was it a bad time?’ (White Cube)

The typical large-scale of these particularly colourful paintings filling the massive white walls of the industrial setting of the gallery, truly make the visitors immerse themselves in the paintings and their surrounding space. Despite being painted upside-down, - therefore in an uncomfortable position to be viewed from by the viewer as it highlights the difference between the standing person in front of the painting and the subject - the paintings are hung so that the heads of the characters end up being almost at eye-level with the viewer, regifting a connection between who is watching and the painting being looked at.

I always get a sense of unease - which I like - when looking at Baselitz’s painting exactly for this reason, as if I were the odd one out as an extension of the painting and I am the one who is upside-down. Or perhaps the characters are, and it keeps on reiterating the narrative of unsettlement.

I strongly suggest going to see the exhibition during the week, as I did, where I was the only person in the gallery, and it took the visit to a whole other level.

Bobbye Fermie’s work now on show at Wilder Gallery in Kensal Rise is incredibly original. Inspired by Victorian toy theatres, the pieces are both painting and collage, with cut-ups (of canvas) of certain subjects then glued back again onto the canvas creating a sense of depth through layers, highlighting the different levels and perspectives at which her characters are standing.

The works often show domestic setting with mostly female-looking silhouettes, that are then framed at the edge of the canvas with drapery, circling back to the notion of the artist taking inspiration from theatre settings. 

“Each “one act play” tells a complex yet mysterious narrative, in which motivations and backstories are tantalisingly obscure. Frayed canvas threads suggest an unravelling of relations, replete with social anxieties and internalised conversations. In some pieces, figures appear to fade or to stand unwittingly beside their own ghostly echoes, hinting at a sense of uncertainty around personal boundaries.” (Press release)

The second solo of the artist at Cedric Bardawil’s shows a new body of work of the artist which delves into his interest for music, sound and frequency.

Ruscha’s waves and choice of colour make the exhibition almost psychedelic, as while walking through the space, I have myself noticed some of the paintings create an optical illusion of movement when distractingly moving away or closer to them. All is highlighted by the background LP chosen and made ad hoc for the show, produced by Ruscha himself to go perfectly with the nature of his paintings.

As written on the exhibition essay by Matthew Holman, Ruscha’s new works, even more so apparent when remembering his LA-base, offer a new reading and understanding of the Californian aesthetic - also after David Hockney’s Californian waves in his recognisable swimming pools.