Benet Spencer. Lepanto 2006
Really good to hear Benet Spencer discuss his work and methodology.
I was very interested in his earlier diagrammatical, almost map like paintings. They put me in mind of Philip Allen works from a similar period.
His new paintings are much looser and retain the sense of collage which he uses Photoshop and also handmade methods to produce.
His current exhibition at Wimbledon Space is a joint show with Steven Rendall. Both artists are concerned with the relationship between painting and collage.
China's Van Goghs
China's Van Goghs tells the story of the mass industry surrounding Chinese factory painting and in particular the production of thousands of van Goghs each year. It follows one man Zhao Xiaoyong who takes orders from a client in Amsterdam to produce vast quantities of Van Goghs.
He decides that he wants to visit Amsterdam to see the actual Van Goghs. Eventually he does and is amazed at them having only seen photographs. He also tracks down his buyer of fake Van Goghs but is disappointed to learn they are sold as souvenirs for tourists and not in a large gallery.
He goes back to China and decides he wants to paint his own work which he begins to do. Not surprisingly they look very like the Van Goghs he has always painted only they are using his own images.
I would be interested to see if his own paintings are now selling for lots of money after the publicity of the film.
Seminar on Curation
This talk was about different ways artists and curators could look at spaces and think how they could be curated in sometimes more unconventional ways.
El Lissitzkys cabinet was aimed at integrating his researches in abstract art with three-dimensional environments.
Aligheiro Boetti’s airplane jigsaws was a way to create a constantly moving artwork and exhibition.
Whistlers Peacock Room
After our show at The Nunnery I think we could have been more challenging in our hanging of the show.
Carousel. The Koppel Project Central
The Koppler Project in Soho is a large warehouse style building on several floors. The Current show features 38 artists all working in the field of abstraction and the materiality of painting itself.
I thought the curation of the show was in keeping with the randomness of the building and its industrial past. It is good to visit exhibitions that are not housed in immaculate white walled temples. It can challenge the curation and push ideas in different ways that may not be possible in more clinical environments.