ShowStudio - In Your Face

I travelled to London with some friends and we came across a gallery called ShowStudio (1 - 9 Bruton Place, London, W1J 6LT) and by came across i mean searched for hours. I really wanted to see the exhibition that was being held called In Your Face, named because the work being shown is very bold and defiant. The exhibition show work ranging from fine art, sculpture, film, fashion and photography, yet they all shared the same idea of being 'in your face'. Coming from a BTEC Art & Design course I always find myself drawn toward all types of mediums in art not only photography, i look at the work displayed and get inspiration to add to my own practice.

I went because i heard that one of Nick Knight's photographic prints was on display but while there i found myself also very interested in the work shown elsewhere around the exhibition. All the work dealed with different ideas of portrait and I found this very interesting. I found the gallery very easy to move around in the and staff very willing to name and explain what the peices were about as none of the work came with text, perhaps to leave the veiwer to make you their own ideas of the work.

The work of Nick Knight that i went to see was 'Devon' (1997). It is a photograph of Japanese/American model/actress Devon Aoki dressed Alexander McQueen shot for the cover of the style magazine Visionaire in 1997. The photo is a combination of two visionaires in the fashion, a world famous fashion photographer and a world famous designer. The work is meant to be confrontational and thought-provoking, and captures Aoki with a dark, futuristic style. The colours are muted and cold, along with Aoki serious expression makes a powerful emotion come from the photo. As i stood in front of the image I felt as if she was also looking back at me, i feel this is very important in portrature.



Another display of work I found interesting was 'Sauna Faces' by Stephen Doherty, 2011. The pieces are created using crayon, coloured-pencil and watercolour on coloured paper. Sauna Faces is a series of illustrated characters of a mixture of regulars, one offs, or first timers at a gay sauna. Some are people he has met, others are constructs of what Doherty imagines must be commonly shared feelings among sauna-goers.

"Lonely, lovelorn, unlucky, messed-up, his drawings trace the lines of psychological tragedy and desire that overspread the faces of men who are constantly looking, and being looked at, on the prowl, yet unmistakably vulnerable and lost."

Though I didn’t know of the meaning behind the work while I was there, I could still understand the ideas of emotion he was trying to show in his use of colours and drawing style. I find it interesting that he is dealing with the emotions of people doing an act that I can imagine much of society look down upon, making them equal human beings.

Out Of Focus: Photography Exhibition By Saatchi Gallery London

I went to the Saatchi Gallery to see the group exhibition Out Of Focus: Photography. Designed to give students, both British and international, a chance of exposure and a opportunity to display their work in an established gallery. The Saatchi Gallery is known for displaying innovative and contemporary art and this exhibition was not a let down. However the exhibition lacked structure and flow, yet it matched perfectly to my own personally way of liking to view book. Allowing you to wander the gallery rooms and become excited to what you might find in them.

One of the most captivating of artist works were the beautiful landscapes of the American west by young photographer David Benjamin Sherry that can be found in gallery space two. His photographs are dramatic mountainscapes with otherworldly light.The dreamy and surreal colours were cast at exposure or later during printing, and the kind of colour cast that he created depended completely on his mood at that time.

Mat Collishaw's work can be found toward the back of the Saatchi in gallery space 10. His large 'photographes' are made from hundreds of tiny ceramic tile, places together to make the illusion of a large scale pixelated photograph. The tiles make a high gloss finish, as well as the placement of tiny mirrors mixed within the lightest patches to add to the effect. My favourite piece of out of the three being showcased was Madonna. The face of Madonna is a cropped photographed of an Indian women taken after her village was destroyed by a flood, a timeless and tragic face. Mat Collishaw uses mosaic to immortalise his subjects the same way images of saints where in early churches, while the pixelated effect refers to the Internet culture of today.

The work Hannah Starkey's women in everyday scene can be found in gallery space 12. I found it strange to come across her work within the exhibition, especially as i was lead to believe the work was for upcoming artist. Not already established photographers, yet it was still a pleasant surprise. She explores the everyday experiences and observations of inner city life from a female perspective. She see herself as a street photographer, however her style of shooting is not the average candid approach of many street photographs. First finding an location then waiting till finding a person who she finds interesting to appear. She asks for permission from the sitter and tell them what she wants, creating structured and controlled photographs.

On the lower ground floor space of gallery 15 can be found the work of Richard Wilson, the only permanent installation at the saatchi gallery and has been on display since 1991. Viewed from above from a platform the viewer is shown a infinite pool of black, making the illusion of a highly polished floor. The installation fills the space to transformed gallery 15 into a expansive and epic visual space that mirrors the saatchi's architecture. The pool is made from used sump oil which has flooded the room, a thick and pitch black liquid. A beautiful and absording piece, but be perpared for the slight smell of engine oil up your nose!