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How Women See How Male Authors See Them

The canon is lousy with authors who yearn to be admired for their sensitivity to the full range of female personhood, be that personhood luscious, pert, or swelling coyly against a sheer camisole. These are writerly men confident that they’ve nailed women’s psyches, all because of how single-mindedly they want to nail women.

Read more on the ridiculousness that ensues when bookish men perform interest in women’s inner lives out of a misbegotten sense of nobility. 

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Damián Ortega: Play Time at White Cube Bermondsey

From time to time, certain art exhibitions get a lot of hype via social media. The reason I knew of this particular exhibition in the first place was because I saw a close up snap on Present and Correct’s delightful curated Instagram feed. When I read that White Cube was also showing another neon piece by Cerith Wyn Evans simultaneously, I decided I had to go before traveling next week.

After a lazy Sunday morning around the house, I set out for Bermondsey at 13h. It was crisp and bright out, but the Tube and the streets were quiet, especially for Guy Fawkes Day. I found myself in front of the gallery in no time, still ticked by the misleading architecture but happy to get in from the chill air. At the front desk, I picked up leaflets for all three of the artist features on view and started off by seeing the Cerith Wyn Evans hanging on its own in White Cube’s 9x9x9 Gallery.

From there, I went to the South Gallery dedicated to Damián Ortega’s collection and thoroughly enjoyed what I saw. The exhibition, taking its title from director Jacques Tati’s 1967 film comedy Play Time, is a mix of sculptures and two-dimensional works that present a ‘visual essay’ through the combination of text and image.

I definitely preferred the sculptures over the flat works, as you can probably guess from the three pieces I’ve selected up top. From left to right, we have Percentual Constellation, Coliseum: Diagram of Time, and Encyclopaedic Geodes. All three works are new from this year. Coliseum is definitely the more “insta-hyped” piece and thus the source of a certain level of silent aggression, I noticed. People weren’t touching each other or saying anything, but they were clearly trying to push each other out of the way in order to get just the right shot. I have no doubt that I’m probably a bit like that too from time to time, but nevertheless it was amusing to watch and be in the middle of whilst trying to get my own perfect snap.

Before leaving, I had a quick look at the works by Ann Veronica Jannsens over in the North Gallery but besides the Magic Mirrors (Blue & Pink #2) that I took a picture of myself in, nothing really appealed to me. All three artists’ works are on display until Sunday, November 12th.

[melinadeboston]

Leonardo Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi

Have you ever stood in front of a painting and had tears well up in your eyes?

We woke up early last Wednesday morning and headed into town for what could potentially be a once in a lifetime opportunity: Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” on public display before heading off to auction at Christie’s in New York next month. I have no idea how Peter heard about this and I didn’t, but he absolutely nailed this surprise for me.

Christie’s on Kings Street was already bustling before 9, with a queue beginning to form around the corner for people just coming to see the painting. Once past the security at the door, there was another queue to go through, security being careful to only let a handful of people in at a time. In a darkened room, Salvator Mundi hanging on the wall by itself (much like the Mona Lisa hangs on a wall by itself in the Louvre), flanked by security guards on both sides and spotlights illuminating it in just the right ways. As we entered the room silence fell, the overwhelming beauty of the painting requiring full attention.

I’m not sure how long we were there. The staff was kind enough to not rush people along; everyone had the time they needed with the masterpiece.

The auction next month is both exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time. Who will be the highest bidder? Will it be a generous patron of an institution, making it available for the public to see? Or will it be a private collector, sweeping it away behind closed doors again?

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens during the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale taking place on November 15th at Christie’s in New York.

[melinadeboston]

3 Lesser Known Paintings in the National Gallery

Last weekend, I brought my boyfriend to see the National Gallery’s newest exhibition: Reflections: Van Eyck and the Pre-Raphaelites. I’ve noticed that the sentiment in regards to the exhibition seems to be rather mixed, but I personally found interesting and will probably return to see it a third time (I attended the members’ preview earlier in the month). I lament that it’s one of those expositions where photography is not allowed, but I don’t really want to talk about that at this time anyway. Instead, I’d like to focus on some of the lesser known paintings that caught my eye during this visit.

When visiting the National Gallery, it’s very easy to get all worked up by the presence of some of the most iconic paintings in European history. All of the big names, from Leonardo Da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli to Hans Holbein the Younger and Rembrandt to Edgar Degas and Vincent Van Gogh, are represented somewhere in the collection. But what about all of the other artists? The equally masterful, yet underrepresented? They are all there too. Here are three paintings that drew my attention during this visit, from left to right:

Hendrick Avercamp’s A Winter Scene with Skaters Near a Castle (about 1608) As one of the first landscape painters of the 17th-century Dutch school, Avercamp specialised in painting the Netherlands in winter. His paintings are lively and colourful, with carefully crafted images of the people in the landscape. This particular painting above is one of his early works; the castle in the background is an invention of the artist. He was a mute born in Amsterdam but moved to Kampen in 1608, eventually becoming known as “de Stomme van Kampen” (the mute of Kampen). The unique shape of the frame is what initially lured me over from the other side of the room, but it’s the meticulous detail on such a small surface that truly touched me.

Rogier Van Der Weyden’s The Exhumation of Saint Hubert (about 1435-1439) Also known as Roger de la Pasture, this Early Netherlandish painter’s surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commissioned single and diptych portraits. He was highly successful and internationally famous in his lifetime. By the latter half of the 15th century, he had eclipsed Van Eyck in popularity, however his fame lasted only until the 17th century. Largely due to changing tastes, he was almost entirely forgotten by the mid-18th century. His reputation was slowly rebuilt during the following 200 years and today he is known, with Robert Campin and Van Eyck, as the third of the three great Early Flemish artists (Vlaamse Primitieven, or “Flemish Primitives”), and widely as the most influential Northern painter of the 15th century.

Joseph Mallord William Turner’s Rain, Steam and Speed — The Great Western Railway (1844) JMW Turner is not a lesser known artist by any means, but I was frankly surprised to learn that this atmospheric painting of a train advancing across a bridge in the rain was one of his.

This is an exercise I seem to have unconsciously assigned myself and would love to make a point of exploring further. As winter approaches, perhaps this will become a deliberate series in the future?

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Sculpt at Kew 2017

I’ve been lacking inspiration for writing these past few weeks but that hasn’t stopped me from continuing to see art whenever (and wherever!) I can. Sculpt at Kew ended today and it would be a shame not to at least mark the occasion with my three favourite pieces in the Gardens for the event. From left to right: Paul Vanstone’s Close, Mark Dedrie’s Uprising, and Hamish Mackie’s Cheetah Launch Pad.

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Dan Colen: Sweet Liberty at the Newport Street Gallery

Last week I was around Vauxhall, and I made a point of checking out the latest exhibition at the Newport Street Gallery. Sweet Liberty is aptly named as the Gallery gave the artist full freedom to utilize the space to his heart’s content. He’s carved through the walls — foundation and all — in three spots!

Variously playful and nihilistic, Colen’s work examines notions of identity and individuality, set against a portrait of contemporary America. ‘Sweet Liberty’, which spans the entirety of the artist’s career, is bracketed by two seismic events in US history: 9/11 and the presidency of Donald Trump. He borrows from and reconfigures varied methodologies and movements; the influences of early modern religious painting, Pop, Arte Povera and Abstract Expressionism are felt alongside the use of the ready-made, action paining techniques, photo realism, trompe l’œil, graffiti, and traditional crafts. Continually playing with positive and negative space and the relationship between object, viewer and environment, he invites fundamental questions concerning the hand of the artist, asking: “Where does art happen? Where in the process does something transform or pick up new energies or new possibilities?”

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Frieze Sculpture 2017

Frieze Week is coming to a close tomorrow, and with that also means the end of the Frieze Sculpture exhibition speckled around the English Gardens in Regent’s Park.

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Richard Orlinski Born Wild, presented by The Unit at the Sofitel Saint James

Sofitel London St James announces a unique collaboration with one of France’s most successful contemporary artists, Richard Orlinski. A selection of his famous figurine works, exhibited in collaboration with The UNIT London, are on display in the lobby next to the hotel’s entrance on Waterloo Place until November 10th.

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Edwin Pickstone’s Biblioclasm at the Swiss Church of London

I have a particular fondness for art installations that encourage you to touch and feel and fully interact with it, and this is one that I happened upon by accident the other night online. This piece is a part of Being and Appearing, a programme of contemporary art curated for the Swiss Church in London by Kristy White, and this is what she had to say about the piece:

In Christopher Marlowe’s 16th century play, Doctor Faustus, the title character is a fabled scholar who is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life. He makes a pact with the Devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures.

For his exhibition at the Swiss Church in London, Glasgow-based typographer Edwin Pickstone has taken Marlowe’s play as his subject; deconstructing the text so that each of its 12,247 words is isolated and printed on its own page. Carpeting the floor of the main hall, these pages transform what is a weighty text in both content and historical significance to ephemera. The installation thus explores the value of print — how the choice of printing method, surface, and print run effects how an object is read, appreciated, and valued.

Mirroring the narrative of the play, the text has been processed through a custom written software that progressively distorts the shape of the words. Pickstone likens this to making a ‘pact’ with the program, as he forsakes his control over the end product to pre-set parameters. (In a similar way Faustus surrendered his soul to the Devil with little idea of the consequences.) In essence, Pickstone points out, this is our relationship with modern communication technologies — we readily use smart phones, tablets and laptops without knowing their longterm affect on human relationships, behaviors and bodies.

Biblioclasm crossed over the London Design Festival and Art Licks Weekend, coming to a close yesterday.

[melinadeboston]

Michael Segilola’s Rustic at the Willesden Green Library Gallery

Nigerian born, Michael Segilola has been living and working in the Willesden area for over twenty five years, and owns a hair salon with his wife, Funkycolour, in Kensal Green. Four years ago he had a stroke leaving him temporarily paralysed down the left side. After regaining his movement he felt he’d been given a second chance. He started to use his creativity to help him move forward in his life.

Inspired by items left out on the pavements in the area, he decided to use and recycle whatever he found to create new artwork. Hence the name Rustic for his exhibition. His work consists of a variety of materials and objects found; from textured pieces using fabric, bottle tops, cans and plastic to sculpturing polystyrene, painting faces and using a lot of colours wherever he can.

My favourites in the show, from left to right, are: Burqa, Mamma, and Luck. This is his first exhibition and I sincerely wish that it won’t be his last! Rustic is open to the public and free to see at the Willesden Gallery until Saturday, September 23rd.

[melinadeboston]

Alexander James’ Death of the Dream at the Herrick Gallery

The art scene in London can be overwhelming at times. There’s constantly something new to see with shows coming in and others closing out every week! Mid-September is shaping up to be one of the busiest yet, with Open House weekend and the London Design Festival overlapping. That’s why I got a head start organising my calendar for the month, and in doing so, stumbled upon the event listing of the Curator Tour for Alexander James’ solo exhibition at the Herrick Gallery last week.

Thursday evening at 18h, I was trying to wade through the flux of office workers rushing down Piccadilly in the direction of Green Park Station whilst I was trying to go in the opposite direction to the Hedrick Gallery. I was running a few minutes late already and gradually becoming more anxious at the thought of walking in after the tour had started. Instead, I was one of the first people to arrive and ended up waiting half an hour by myself as the space gradually filled up. People seemed to be somewhat familiar, some very enthusiastically embracing and chatting while others merely showing acknowledgement. At that time, I felt like maybe I had made a mistake in thinking this was open to the public. What was I, an amateur (a newly blogging one at that!), doing at a professional event?

There was a moment where I thought perhaps I should just slide out when no one is looking.

But what if that lead me to missing out on a necessary experience, be it a good or bad one?

I eventually talked myself up a bit in my head and stayed. And I’m really glad that I did because the event was both incredibly insightful but also a lot more fun than I initially thought it could be. I’d been to a few private viewings before but this was my first curator tour, and I left wondering why my entire life isn’t just a series of curator-led events instead. This was essentially the next level in private viewing because the curator took us around each piece, explaining to us the process behind the works and the motivations of the artists — all things I frankly would not have been able to deduce by myself just looking at.

The exhibition was actually presented by Dellasposa Fine Arts, essentially doing a “pop-up” in the Herrick Gallery. The director of Dellasposa, Jessica McBride, took us around each piece giving us an intimate look into the works. She explained to us that all of Alexander James’ works are created using an antique analogue camera, using single 8x10in. plates that he superimposes to give more depth to the image rather than manipulating the result in post-production. His primary medium is water, in which he submerges his subjects before photographing. By using these techniques, the water fractures the light in such a way that the ability to distinguish between a photograph or a painting is almost diminished.

I loved learning that the butterflies used in his Swarm and Transparency of a Dream Illuminated series’ were all alive and unharmed in the making of each work. He took so much care to raise these butterflies himself and take care of them and incorporate them in his art without actually hurting them. My favorite piece in the selection was, of course, Death of the Dream of Democracy. Capturing two thousand rose and tulip petals depicting the American flag disrupted by a wave of 24-carat gold, it is a direct reaction to the current political climate.

Death of the Dream ends on Sunday, September 17th.

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Dreamers Awake at White Cube Bermondsey

Call me naive, but I was earnestly expecting a gallery named White Cube to be an enormous white, cubic building. Maybe one of the other White Cube galleries is, but this one isn’t and that was not a good start going in. When I first heard of Dreamers Awake, it was one of those shows that just didn’t really draw me in but it’s been consistently applauded and praised in its running so I figured I should probably check it out. Once having gone through the enormous gallery entrance doors, on the wall immediately to the left as you look down this big, concrete hallway with jagged neon lights all the way down, there is a written introduction detailing what Dreamers Awake aims to capture. 

Woman has a powerful presence in Surrealism. She is the object of masculine desire and fantasy; a harpy, goddess or sphinx; a mystery or threat. Often, she appears decapitated, distorted, trussed up. Fearsome or fetishized, she is always the ‘other’. From today’s perspective, gender politics can seem the unlikely blind spot of a movement that declared war on patriarchal society, convention and conformity. Nonetheless, from its earliest days female artists have been drawn to Surrealism’s emphasis on personal and artistic freedoms and to the creative potential that the exploration of the unconscious offered. By focusing on the work of women artists, ‘Dreamers Awake’ shows how, through art foregrounding bodily experience, the symbolic women of Surrealism is refigured as a creative, sentient, thinking being. 

I strongly recommend reading through the review in The Guardian because that really expanded on that concept from artist to artist. Like I said before, feedback for this exhibition has been predominantly positive. I, however, personally did not like it and not for any particular reason either. I understand the movement, I definitely support it. But what I saw simply wasn’t for me. It didn’t move me like I want art to tug on my chords. 

There were a few pieces within the show that I did like, but this is one of those galleries that doesn’t tag any of the pieces on display. Instead, you pick up a pamphlet containing maps of each room with each piece illustrated as a number and then find the corresponding artist and title of the work in a list. Sometimes I appreciate that practice because then I can come to my own conclusion without guidance, but in this case, being a group exhibition on top of that, I really would have preferred labels to better differentiate one artist’s work to the next and that’s why I have absolutely no idea what the pair on the right are called or who they’re by. The painting on the left is Shannon Bool’s The Five Wives of Lajos Bi’ro and the canvas in the middle is Eileen Agar’s Points of View.

Need To Know Before You Go:  If you’re using Google Maps or CityMapper to find your way to the gallery, make sure you specifically pick the White Cube in Bermondsey as there is another one in Mason’s Yard. White Cube is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10h to 18h except for Sunday where it opens at noon. It’s free to visit and in the middle of a very trendy part of Bermondsey surrounded by hip cafes, cute little shoppes, and other galleries. Dreamers Awake is closing on Sunday, September 17th.

Would You Like Some More? Surrealism is a movement that is clearly alive and well here in London. If you’d like to see for yourself, why not hop over to my post about Patrick Hourihan’s exhibition here? 

[melinadeboston]

Grayson Perry: The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! at the Serpentine Gallery

Since moving to London, I’ve been overwhelmed by how many different art spaces there are to visit. Galleries, museums, parks. There is always something new to see with exhibitions going in and out every week. With all that in mind, I make a point of sitting down with my calendar and allocating time to go to specific galleries or museums on set days with intent on seeing particular shows. As it’s wrapping up next week, I decided to set some time aside on Saturday afternoon to check out the Serpentine Galleries for the Grayson Perry exhibition. I had a few things to do earlier during the day so I planned to be there around 17h, giving myself an entire hour before closing. 

As it usually goes, life got in the way of my plans and I fell into this really bizarre situation on my way there. I was en route in a bus and for whatever reason, became a target for this group of teenage boys to pick on. They were sitting at the back of the bus on the top floor (because when in London, you make a point of riding on the top floor of double decker buses obviously) and I was on my own in the middle and they thought it would be funny to throw things at random strangers’ heads starting with mine. They got me right in the head with some rubbish or whatever, and I turned around furious and mostly perplexed but I took the higher road and immediately went downstairs to get away from them and tell the driver. I stayed on the bottom deck, and clearly those miscreants upstairs continued throwing things at other people because more and more passengers had to move down to avoid them. The driver could only deal with the situation about them once we reached a major station so as to get assistance from Transport Police, which caused a big delay for my schedule. 

I have to say, the experience definitely brought me back to my middle school years where I was picked on and bullied for a short time. Now as an adult, the feeling was still just as awful as it was all that time ago but just like then, it was not very difficult to brush off because I realize that bullies are usually people of lesser intelligence and the only thing you can do for them is pity them. I was intent on making my exhibition as planned because I wasn’t about to let a group of bored teens ruin my day by missing it. So I hopped on the Tube and rushed as fast as I could to Kensington Gardens making it to the galleries with 20 minutes before closing. The security guard at the door was a little hesitant to let me in telling me I didn’t have very long but I was politely insistent that I would make do with the time that I had. The gallery was packed with people, being a gorgeous Saturday afternoon and this indeed being a most popular exhibition, but I was so happy to be there in that moment. I normally love galleries that are a little quieter but seeing all of those people there admiring the works and discussing the different pieces amongst themselves was so comforting. Pablo Picasso is quoted as once having said “art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life” and I could not agree with that statement more. 

A well-known English artist, Grayson Perry is mainly known for his ceramic vases and cross-dressing. The exhibition features a good variety of pieces showcasing all of his different mediums of choice, but my favourites were definitely the vases and the tapestries. Both mediums have classical forms and are decorated in bright colours, covered in scenes depicting many of the eccentricities and peculiarities associated with modern-day life in the UK. From left to right: one of the two vases making up Matching Pair, Battle of Britain, and Shadow Boxing with Death of a Working Hero in the background. The Guardian wrote an excellent piece about Matching Pair’s conception, that I highly recommend reading. 

Need To Know Before You Go: Aptly named, this is indeed a very popular exhibition and now in its last week. The capacity for this exhibition is limited so there may be a queuing system in place if the gallery is full. It’s free admission, open Tuesday through Sunday from 10h to 18h. The Most Popular Art Exhibition Ever! closes on Sunday, September 10th. If you’d like more Grayson Perry, he will be a featured artist in the upcoming exhibition, Age of Terror: Art Since 9/11, opening at the Imperial War Museum on October 26th. 

[melinadeboston]

Sculpture in the City

Art doesn’t always have to be viewed in the confines of a museum or gallery, city streets and urban architecture can be an excellent backdrop too. Last Sunday, Peter and I took advantage of it being the middle of the Bank Holiday weekend and the weather actually being nice to set out and go see Sculpture in the City. This is the seventh edition of the project, featuring eighteen contemporary works by world-renowned artists. I had been wanting to go for a while but I really wanted to go on a quieter day and Sunday afternoon was the perfect choice. The Square Mile is the centre of London’s financial district and you can probably guess that its buzzing with office workers during the week.

Following the trial is a bit like being on a scavenger hunt? If you set out on seeing all eighteen sculptures in order, you have to duck in and out of streets and go around iconic buildings to follow the sequence. I won’t name them, but there were a couple works that I frankly did not care for especially when I was getting lost around buildings in search of them. The three that I’ve chosen to highlight up top were my favourite to see but also admittedly from the more well-known creators among the list. From left to right: Damien Hirst’s Temple, Paul McCarthy’s Apple Tree Boy Apple Tree Girl, and Gary Webb’s Dreamy Bathroom. Overall, I think it’s a great way to spend a few hours outside in the City. Even if the sculptures don’t appeal to everyone, it’s an excellent way to explore some lesser known nooks of the Square Mile while also still hitting some key places (Leadenhall Market, the Gherkin, among others). 

Need To Know Before You Go: I strongly recommend that you download the map before you head over, so that you can have a general idea of where to start. Once you find your first one, there’s a plaque with a much more detailed street view making it so much easier to get from one to the next. 

It’s worth noting that you probably won’t find anything to eat on the trial if you go on the weekend, so do think about that. Otherwise, the spectacular Leadenhall Market is across the road from the Damien Hirst piece, and that has a ton of eateries that are undoubtedly bustling on weekdays. 

This year’s selection will be on view all the way until next May; presumably when they’ll be replaced by the 2018 selection? I don’t really know. In any event, I do look forward to going back to do the trial again during the week perhaps? I’m curious to see how the City workers interact with the pieces.  

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The 2017 Prize for Illustration: Sounds of the City at the London Transport Museum

In the event that you saw my post about the World Illustration Awards Exhibition over at the Somerset House, for you today I have another AOI-organized collection to share. The AOI (Association for Illustrators) is a U.K. non-profit trade organisation responsible for promoting contemporary illustration and maintaining industry standards. Each year, the Association partners with the London Transport Museum to host an open contest inviting professional illustrators and students from around the world to submit an entry in response to the chosen theme. For 2017, the entrants were asked to submit “an illustrated interpretation of urban sound”.

Out of all the submissions, the top 100 entries were selected for exhibition at the London Transport Museum by a panel of independent judges. Much like the World Illustration Awards Exhibition, the works presented were absolutely incredible and I could easily spend an afternoon dissecting each one with my eyes. Each piece was so imaginative and sensual, and it was really something to see how differently individuals take in and process essentially the same experience. After a fair amount of swiping back and forth through my photos, I decided to share with you the three above. From left to right: first prize winner, Chiara Ghigliazza’s Solo, Cinyee Chiu’s City Player, and Kate Morgan’s The Sound of Kew Gardens. 

Need To Know Before You Go: The London Transport Museum is great fun! Tickets are 15£ which sounds like a lot, but these are the kinds of tickets that get you unlimited entrance for the next year. It’s open every day of the week from 10h to 18h, except for Friday where it opens at 11h. The Museum Shop is so good, especially if you’re looking for more thoughtful gifts that are still mementos of London. Be warned that this Museum is pretty high up on the list of kid-friendly destinations. There is a café, but I’ve never had anything there because it’s always full of hungry kids. The Sounds of the City exhibition is included in the regular price of museum tickets and is on display until Sunday, September 3rd.

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Patrick Hourihan’s The Beguiling Messenger at the Willesden Gallery

I’m spending a fair amount of time wandering around the Greater London Library Network lately, and the Library at Willesden Green is the one that I gravitate to the most frequently. I’m a fan of how the library itself was designed, but more importantly they have a gallery space on the ground floor. I’ve done a feature for one of the previous exhibitions that was on view there earlier this month, which you can check out here. 

Currently on view is a selection of works by a London-based surrealist named Patrick Hourihan. The exhibition is made up of a variety of paintings, drawings, and boxed found objects arranged into 3-D images. Based on the three works I’ve chosen to highlight up top, you can safely assume that I was a big fan of the paintings. From left to right: Child’s Secret Garden, Romantic Mannequin, and Unexpected Sitter. 

What I really took away from this show is the concept that surrealism is still active today. If you Google the term, there will be countless explanations of the movement in the past tense. Names like Dali, Breton, Picasso are synonymous with surrealism and a lot of the written material detailing what it was pretty much insinuate that the movement kind of dwindled off in the 60s; the high point of the movement being the 1920s to 1930s. From the exhibition leaflet: 

He has used automatic drawing and other channels of accidental discovery as a way to unlock the poetic potential and sense of the Marvellous that awaits in seemingly mundane and unexpected situations of everyday life. 

Hourihan’s work is clear evidence that surrealism is still alive, and quite well. In fact, there is not one, but two active surrealist groups here in London. Which makes perfect sense because the museum dedicated to Sigmund Freud, who was profoundly influential to the original surrealists, is here in London (at least, that makes sense to me). 

The Beguiling Messenger is on view at the Willesden Gallery until Tuesday, September 5th. 

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The 2017 World Illustration Awards Exhibition at the Somerset House

Last Wednesday, I had a sort of marathon day. By happy accident, it turned into an illustration-themed day starting off with this year's World Illustration Awards Exhibition on view at the Somerset House. Run by the Association of Illustrators (AOI), this competition is actually the only jury-selected international illustration competition celebrating the work of new graduates and professional illustrators. The AOI, a U.K. non-profit trade organisation responsible for promoting contemporary illustration and maintaining industry standards, is actually headquartered inside the Somerset House and I must say that they are utilising the space wonderfully well.

I absolutely adored the selection of works on view, ranging from digital manipulations to traditional sketches to 3-D découpages arrangements. The categories ranged from different mediums and uses to professional or freelance, with one submission also taking Best Overall. Up top are the three artists that I enjoyed the most in the exhibition, moving from left to right: two of Manuja Waldia's Penguin Classics Shakespeare in the Professional Books category, one of Neil Webb's Agatha Christie Stamps in the Professional Design category, and Peter Greenwood's Great Western Rail in the Professional Advertising category.

Having enjoyed this exhibition so much, I immediately went to see another AOI-organized show currently on view over at the London Transport Museum, but that deserves an entire post of its own. The World Illustration Awards Exhibition is open to the public and free to view until Monday, August 28th.