Pedro Reyes – Disarm: Make Music, Not War

If John Lennon's song Imagine can be transformed into a visual language, it would be something like this Disarm exhibition at the Lisson gallery. I think Pedro Reyes' weapons-cum-musical instruments really tune into what is probably the closest thing I've ever seen visual arts do to call for peace. In Disarm, Pedro fashions destroyed weapons into mechanical musical instruments and transforms them into objects with a positive message. And it's not bad too that these instruments are also functional and can be played live or automated by a computer. 

There's probably too much to take in here - in fact, I had to deal with a spectrum of emotions when I saw Disarm - as if I was listening to some affecting music. First, as sculptural pieces, they all look beautiful - they are a re-imagining of how musical instruments Read More »

Spinning Yarn: Pae White: Too Much Night, Again at the South London Gallery

Whether it be smoke image tapestry or works that defy the lines between applied and fine art  multi-media artist Pae White never fails to craft temporal artworks into monumental pieces.

In her new exhibition 'Too Much Night, Again' at the South London Gallery, the American artist has transformed the main exhibition space into large-scale site-specific installation with massive amounts of colourful yarn criss-crossing all over the room while spelling words 'Tiger Time' and 'Unmattering' on two opposite walls. With more than 48000 yarn to play with, Pae White has spun the South London gallery space into a live string sculpture.

Read More »

27 of my Favourite Artworks from the @Art13 London Fair

Art 13 - the new contemporary art fair that graced London this week was a success: Artinfo reports the positive sales incurred during the show and it signals a bright future for this art newcomer. For me, despite not seeing the presence of major London galleries here, what I really enjoyed most was discovering foreign galleries and seeing Oriental artists take centre stage (if they haven't been basking in the Art limelight already).

The great thing about these (South east) Asian artists is their new found confidence and their boldness in merging both tradition and Western ideals in their artwork. It's not anything new of course - a lot of artists explore their history to create a new language in their work. Read More »

Top Five Art Sites for the Armchair Art Aficionado

I think we can all agree that this cold weather is just hanging about too long and we all really need to do some flash mob sun salutation to lure back the sun god Ra. If someone please ask Olafur Eliasson to bring back The Weather Project this week at the Tate, then I'd be more than pleased to go out and see a good art exhibition - artificial sunlight and all. But laziness plagues a dampened spirit and my best friend these days is none other than my armchair.

Manet, Lichtenstein and Man Ray can all wait (great exhibitions around the city)- but here are some sites that you need to see when it's just too cold to go out. At least, you don't need to shell £15 to see some great masterpieces (and in your pyjamas!) Read More »

25 Must-See Light Installations at Hayward Gallery’s Light Show

Let there be light! Last Tuesday, I attended the press preview of Hayward Gallery's new Light show and was left bedazzled by the possibilities of light-based art. With more than 25 illuminated installations and sculptures by major international artists,  it can literally be light-changing especially if you see Olafur Eliasson's Model for a timeless garden (2011) - my favourite among the entire show. I suggest that you see this piece last if you want to have the best enlightened experience.

The whole show is dazzling in so many ways: It is truly a homage to light and its power to change our perception. The artists who have participated in the show have long been purveyors of light even as early as the sixties. But here they do not only explore light as a spatial and environmental experience, Read More »

Meeting Antony Gormley Plus his New Exhibit Model: Body Through Architecture

Antony Gormley has a special place in my heart. When I first moved here to the UK two and a half years ago, I set out for his workshop in North London in the hopes of meeting the man. Of course, that was impossible given the circumstances then but what propelled that experience was for me to start this art blog with the intent of meeting Antony.

Over time, that manifesto evolved as I continued to see more art and British sculpture and I found that I was excited about discovering other artists (and discovering myself through art in the process). In the back of my mind however, I still wanted to meet him. (Read my new personal manifesto in the About Me section). Read More »

On-going at the Saatchi: Gaiety is the most outstanding feature of the Soviet Union

From photographs of heavily-tattooed Russian criminals to prostitutes hanging about balconies and windows, 'Gaiety' is not a gleeful comeback in Soviet art bur rather an assumption that dark Soviet humour still pervades. It's no wonder that the curator entitled the new Saatchi show 'Gaiety is the most outstanding feature of the Soviet Union,' a quote from Stalin - the irony here is that it's all done in jest. I guess when reality is so grim, you have no choice but to find the humour in it. The stars of the show are outcasts, delinquents and comical caricatures -  all playing a part in the circus of the damned.  Read More »