Category Archives: PREVIEW

CONTEMPORARY ART, PREVIEW

Rene Magritte at Tate Liverpool

Last time a major show about Rene Magritte happened was in 1992 at the Hayward gallery, London. This time, Tate Liverpool is having a go at presenting us a character known to be a sexual obsessive with a twisted mind – the perfect definition of a surrealist painter, some would say, which Rene Magritte was.

Reading about his biography and it does not take long to get to the bottom of his deviance. Rene Magritte saw his mum getting pulled out of the river she threw herself in, she only had her nightdress wrapped around her head, the rest was naked. Rene Magritte was 14.

A direct link to this traumatic event can definitely be seen in The Lovers, painting he made in 1928 and on display at the Tate Liverpool for this show.

Commercial works have also taken a large place in Rene Magritte’s life and this show dedicates a large section to them – Rene Magritte did not get rich until late in his career and resorted some freelance graphic design work. One of his main clients was the Belgian couture house Norine.

What – René Magritte: The Pleasure Principle
Where – Tate (Liverpool)
When – 24 June – 16 October 2011

Related links
René Magritte: The artist who turned the world on its head (The Telegraph)
René Magritte: The Pleasure Principle – exhibition (The Guardian)

PREVIEW

MEGGS “Inner Demons” Exhibition at Red Bull Studios

Australian artist MEGGS’s first show outside his native country is opening tomorrow, 23rd June 2010 at the Red Bull Studios and is called “Inner Demons.”

The show will have two main aspects: MEGGS’s exploration of “fears fears, desires, and obstacles each person faces within themselves” but also an insight into his process when making art through a series of photographs and references to what he does and use in that very process.

Expect screenprints, canvases, paintings and collages. Take a look below at one of his pieces as well as the documentary made as a preview for the show

When – 23 till 27/6/2011
Where – Red Bull Studios | 155-171 Tooley St | City of London | SE1 2JP

 

PREVIEW

RETNA at The Old Dairy

The Hallelujah World Tour is RETNA’s first solo exhibition in the UK. This show will present new works by Los Angeles based artist RETNA and will be hosted at the Old Dairy, London.

RETNA mixed inspirations from Asian calligraphy, Incan and Egyptian hieroglyphics, Hebrew and Arabic script to traditional UK gang style graffiti writings seen since the 1970’s in Los Angeles .

Where – The Old Dairy | 7 Wakefield St | London |WC1N 1PB

When – 9/6 till 27/6/2011 | Tuesday to Saturday | 11am to 6pm

PREVIEW

WOW NOW at Shoreditch underground

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As I was reading the press release, I got excited about WOW NOW. The venue looks awesome – shoreditch underground, the line up international and eclectic and the theme very interesting: ‘An International exhibition articulating the friction between Outside, Street & Fine Art via subversive portraiture’

Featured artists
ALEX DAW (UK) | ZTY 82 (Germany) | BEN WELLER (UK) | STEPHEN TOMPKINS (USA) | PERFEKT WORLD (Austria) | SID ONE (UK) | PAUL BUSK (Austria) | GETS (Germany) | NOMAD (Germany) | TED RIEDERER (USA) | JAMES JESSOP (UK)

When
June 2nd till 9/06/11

Where
Shoreditch underground | E1 EW5

PREVIEW

Bruce French at Scream gallery

Scream is proud to present the third solo exhibition with fine artist Bruce French. “Absence of Light” is a sequel to his 2008 solo show and will feature his signature fine line drawings, translated into painting, sculpture and limited edition screen prints. The exhibition will be launched on 26 May with an exclusive performance piece at Scream, choreographed and performed by Vanessa Fenton of the Royal Ballet, and sung by Lynne Jackman of rock band St. Jude. Titled ‘And I always will’, this will be the first collaboration between the artist, dancer and chanteuse, and will be performed in ‘First Drafts’ on 26th April at the Royal Opera House.

With the new body of work, French embraces modern technologies, and although each image is drawn from life and inspired by the people and events he observes, he uses his iPhone and iPad to maintain the visual diaries that form the basis of his oeuvre. His observations are translated into faceless figurative drawings, emotionally charged yet androgynous and anonymous. Bruce begins by creating an image in layers on his iPad. By drawing directly onto the pad with his fingers he is able to experiment with line, form and colour, before printing on Perspex or translating the image to the more traditional medium of oil on canvas. Although Bruce’s paintings are essentially figurative, they possess a bold, linear aesthetic. He is passionate about using the latest technology as a tool for artistic purposes, extending to a sculpture created on the iPad and realized using the latest electroluminescent light technology. The images do not necessarily represent a specific individual, but act as an emotional journal of characters who cross his path from day to day. By stripping away distinguishing features, Bruce creates powerful linear images.

Words by Scream gallery

Read the full press release on the Scream gallery website

When – 27 May – 25 June 2011 | Invite only preview on the 26th, contact Lee Sharrock

Where – Scream gallery | 34 Bruton Street | London W1J 6QX