One Place - Chiharu Shiota 塩田千春
19.02-27.03.2010
One Place (2010)
This is Chiharu Shiota's first solo show in the UK. The masterpiece of the show is definitely the title piece of the show, One Place (as shown above). Made from over 400 found windows from East Berlin where the artist lives and works, the fenestrations are collected over the years from deserted and dismantled buildings, construction sites, disused psychiatric hospitals and uninhabited apartments.
One Place (2010)
One Place (2010)
One Place does not have her usual signature 'spider-web' element physically like the other pieces in the show. But instead the windows themselves are woven into each other like a web and form the spiral spaces within them horizontally, as well as progressively climbing up towards the skylight to introduce a sense of motion/break-through amid its stationary nature.
Trauma / Alltag (Dress) (behind - 2009)
Her monochromatic palette of black and white is a powerful twist to the supposingly tender gesture of threads wrapping around objects. This could be an influence of living in a relatively brutal city (Berlin) during her career compared to her home town (Osaka). This eclectic mix of poetry (within the softness of individual strings and floating objects) and tension (the pulling threads as well as the fragility of the works) is what makes the audience fascinated.
Full photo set here
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The Astronomy of the Subway by Jitish Kallat
Haunch of Venison
15.02-27.03.2010
Anger at the Speed of Fright (2010)
On the other side of the gallery shows the works of Indian artist Jitish Kallat. As the introduction in the gallery website, Jitish's pieces on display show "his interest in the bustling metropolis lies the experience of the individual within the crowd. " The works are varied in media as well, ranging from video, sculptural installation to photography and his well-known large format paintings.
The Cry of the Gland (2009)
Untitled (2009)
Jitish's works are also currently on display in Saatchi Gallery's exhibition - "The Empire Strikes Back - India Art Today". Below is a clip from the Economist's Youtube channel of the artist speaking about his perspective on modern Indian Art -
Youtube link
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Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2010
12.02-17.04.2010
Donovan Wylie at the introduction video for each shortlisted photographers
Every year, the Photographers' Gallery would shortlist 4 photographers for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. This year, Anna Fox (british), Zoe Leonard (american), Sophie Ristelhueber (french) & Donovan Wylie (british) are selected with their respective exhibition series.
Donovan Wylie
The favourite from @londonart would be Donovan Wylie's documentary-style works of the Maze Prison in Belfast, which was symbol for the conflict between loyalists and nationalists. Donovan managed to capture its architecture in the absence of any inhabitants before its demolition. The emptiness of these images invoke deep thoughts about the life of those who had lived inside before.
Donovan Wylie's work of the prison in Belfast, Northern Ireland
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Further Readings -
Official website of Chiharu Shiota
Walking in my Mind - Group show in the Hayward Gallery featuring Chiharu Shiota
Artist of the week 76: Chiharu Shiota by Skye Sherwin for the Guardian, 24.02.2010
Chiharu Shiota - One Place by lookintomyowl.com, 14.02.2010
Entry of Jitish Kallat in wikipedia
Official page for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2010 at the Photographers' Gallery website
BBC's online album for the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2010
