“I think we invent. We make up our own mythology about our past quite often without even realising it, and those moments were not all that fantastic.” So says Morwenna Morrison on the subject of nostalgia, the central theme of her work in a new two-handed exhibition with fellow artist Andrew McIntosh at London’s James Freeman Gallery. In their different ways, both artists merge past and present, giving familiar landscapes an enigmatic twist. Continue reading “Just Putting It Out There – Morwenna Morrison and Andrew McIntosh”
Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar – Oneness Wholeness
There are two things that immediately strike you when viewing Sassan Benham-Bakhtiar’s paintings together in this new exhibition – their large size and the abundance of colour within them.
This young France-based Iranian artist has spent the past seven years on a spiritual journey through meditative and energy-balancing practices to try to achieve a better understanding of himself and others. He has translated these ideas by visually depicting that energy through the vibrancy of colour and through a variety of brush techniques that accentuate it. Continue reading “Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar – Oneness Wholeness”
Humphrey Ocean – I’ve No Idea Either
Though I didn’t know it at the time, I first came across Humphrey Ocean while he was playing bass with Kilburn and the High Roads fronted by Ian Dury. The band was playing second fiddle to The Who at London’s Lyceum ballroom in 1973.
Ocean was then studying, under Dury, at Canterbury Art School and although he says he was a good bass player, he didn’t enjoy the rock business enough to continue with it. Continue reading “Humphrey Ocean – I’ve No Idea Either”
Rachel Howard – Der Kuss
Through her mostly abstract work, Rachel Howard has long reflected the darker side of life. Past series have focused on sin, suffering and suicide. Recently, as with her new exhibition at Blain/Southern, Der Kuss (The Kiss), she has turned her attention to violence, the violence of the mind and the body. Continue reading “Rachel Howard – Der Kuss”
Eve – Amar Gallery
A couple of years ago, Amar Singh approached a group of feminist artists to take part in an exhibition celebrating women at his new gallery in north London. They turned him down. Continue reading “Eve – Amar Gallery”
Renny Tait – Thresholds to Brighter Worlds
Scottish artist Renny Tait, like many of us, admires the shape, design, craftsmanship and inherent sense of wonder that give certain buildings iconic status wherever they stand. What marks him out as an artist is the way in which he reconstructs these edifices, simplifying and minimising them to create an idealised form. Continue reading “Renny Tait – Thresholds to Brighter Worlds”