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Charlotte Cory

Charlotte Cory

Airbrushing

I recently viewed an article in the Evening Standard regarding the banning of the heavily airbrushed image of Twiggy in the Oil of Olay advertising campaign.  I am not a fan of celebrity culture and the drivel that it produces, I never buy those glossy magazines that idolises these often talentless puppets.  However I just can't help myself from staring at the glossy covers whenever I pass by any magazine stand.  It is not intrigue in the stories of who is or is not going out with who, but fascination in the obscene amount of airbrushing that has been involved to create this form that nolonger appears to be human.  Although I am very against the use of airbrushing in magazines etc I do have the greatest respect for the people who very skillfully do the airbrushing.

The Daily Mail

an amazing example of airbrushing by Tim Savage

John Baldessari @ Tate Modern

I absolutely loved the John Baldessari exhibition, so much so that I've already visited it twice and definitely plan to make another trip to it.  His work is playful, clever and very engaging and it is brilliant to see his exploration and development of ideas.  I personally think too many of the big artists try to flog the same thing over and over again, Baldessari is a complete exception!!!  It challenges the way that you perceive things and I only wish I could find examples from his 'Alignment Series' to add to the post.

Operation Supermarket by Farhad Moshiri & Shirin Aliabadi

'The project Operation Supermarket consists of a series of commodity advertisements and packages mixing "poetry with detergent" as the artists describe. The emphasis is on the commodification of mainstream media traits of the Middle East, but also on a wry parody of the mythical hopes still pinned on the commodity itself as a capitalist agent for change.' (universe in universe)

Mythical Lyrical @ Sueli Turner Gallery

I have to admit that I been horrendously bad with keeping my blog up to date, and now I'm doing my very best to redeem myself by trying to do a quick catch up. 
Last Month I attended the Mythical Lyrical private view, some great work and the real highlights for me were...

Hedley Roberts

Eric Great-Rex

white rabbit by Erica il Cane

My pet rabbit Bobsicle rather unexpectedly died earlier in the week, I've been feeling far more distraught than I ever imagined I would be.  But for some reason I found myself googling 'white rabbit' and came across this beautiful illustration by Erica il Cane.

Marlo Pascual

Glacier 60000 by Emma Wieslander

'In Glacier 60000, the indexical information versus the computer generated one forms the center of the work. Every time a jpg file is opened and closed it is decompressed and compressed. Hence the compression every time the file is opened and closed it looses some of its original information. Through automation I made the file open repetitiously several thousand times, saving a new copy each time. As an effect the recognizable photograph is transformed into an abstract almost map-like image before it is lost completely. All the images are then animated into a sequence. Here the instability of the digital information communicates a self-reflexive symbolism as it ‘melts’ the glacier into a field of grey tones becoming almost empty of the desired information.' (www.emmawieslander.com)

Juha Arvid Helminen

These powerful and seductive images by Juha Arvid Helminen are absolutely amazing.

Darren Harvey-Regan

Darren Harvey-Regan.

Man Photography Prize @ Royal College of Art

Danny Traecy Them

Simon Ward Signs

Anne Schuhmann Hooded

Tom Leighton Shibuya Umbrellas

Viola Yesiltac

RCA Secret 2009 @ The Royal College of Art

I popped into the RCA Secret 2009 exhibition and I have to say that some people really do take the piss.  Some of the work was great but others showed little thought or effort, although the latter was probably a smokescreen by those widely recognised names!!!

David Farrer @ Rebecca Hossack Gallery

'My favored subject matter is ecological, having a strong interest in 'green' matters. My work reflects this. The recycled head concept came about four years ago while working in South Africa. Over the years I have traveled extensively in this part of the world and never cease to be amazed by its beauty and abundant wildlife. From an outsiders point of view however, there seem to be curious contradictions in the country in more ways than one. There are admirable wildlife protection policies in operation, yet hunting and specifically trophy gathering remains big business too. I decided to bridge the gap by producing a 'recycled trophy,' that would satisfy the urge to hang an animal head on the wall but provoke pro-ecological thought.
Made primarily from old magazines (and as a feature they remain obviously so) they are an alternative - lacking the implications of the 'real thing' and incorporating modern ideals of recycling and conservation, with a touch of humour thrown in too! Individual pieces contain 'recycled extras' for added realism. I am friends with my village farrier who supplies me with horse hair and the occasional equine tooth.

Although the idea was born in Africa I have diversified into European and North American beasts such as deer, bears, moose and bulls, which to some sections of the public have more 'local' familiar appeal'. David Farrer