Exhibition Review: White Cube, Damien Ortega:Spirit and Matter and Doris Salcedo:Neither Gabrielle Dakers

 

 From a distance Doris Salcedo’s work appeared as a hypnotic painting, with its geometric and intricate pattern only broken up by the white paint. I stood there entranced for quite sometime. It confused me. Once closer it had reminiscence of war, trenches and camps. The room had an empty and intimidating atmosphere except for the plain section of wall on the entranceway, which broke up the two moods.

 

It was simplistic, made from sheets of wire fencing, which were pressed into plasterboard. This had caused the wire to become flush against the wall and form a linear design. Two pieces of the wire fencing were separate, one hung near the ceiling and another against the wall, perhaps suggestive of paintings. This broke up the military sense of atmosphere.

 

I enjoyed walking through Damian Ortega’s maze like structures, which reminded me again of trenches. They were claustrophobic and intriguing in one sense and in another free and playful. The rust and shabbiness of the structures brought through a sense of History; humour with graffiti, such as ‘the cat is loose in here’ and ‘what have you done to the pigeon Jeff?’  Although it was run down it was picturesque too. Damian’s six enclosures in Hoxton Square were made from cast – off planks, corrugated iron and old doors, which were titled ‘Spirit and Matter’. They spelt out ‘Spirit’ when viewed from the upstairs gallery. This gave an abstract element to the work and enabled my mind to wander. I left Hoxton Square smiling. His work was entertaining and I could imagine people of all ages enjoying it.

 

Both these works provoked a lot of thought and interest in my mind. By far the most out of all the exhibitions I have seen recently. I think this is because they came through as personal pieces, which I also like to produce. Culture interests me too; Doris Salcedo is from Columbia and Damian Ortega from Mexico. I think that cultural elements can be seen through the Historical aspects and materials.

 

When looking at the cellar and air raid shelter these works enabled me to think about how to suggest claustrophobia and History and how to create a rough edged look; yet also have an attractive element. It made me consider experimenting with texture and detail, which I did through several media. I continued to be inspired and looked at industrial materials later on in Design to produce a sculpture. I am sure I will continue to be, by thoughts and ideas that are not always immediately obvious. It has made me realise more than ever that you need to delve into works of Art to understand and create more complex ideas.

Exhibition Review: Dali Universe, County Hall, South Bank, Salvador Dali 1904-1989 Gabrielle Dakers

Entering this extensive universe, was it going to be a walk through a room of cliches? An exhibition in which the works of Art are all now mass produced and no longer exciting? Would it cater too much for a popular audience? Would the curator have based the work on popular themes rather than more original material? Would it be possible to enter Dali's mind? He is thought of as a great master of Surrealism. One of the genius's of the twentieth century.

Wandering through the space itself is entering into Dali's world, the rooms all of varying sizes. 3D work is placed discreetly so as not to distract from the illustrations and paintings. A corridor shows photographs of Salvador Dali and quirky quotes from the artist himself. The amount of work is impressive. Five hundred works of Art in total, housing the largest Dali sculpture collection in the world.

Familiar and mass - produced sculptures such as the melting clocks, snails and lobster telephone are present. After all you can buy a print or a plate in the gallery shop. However others are of a surprising nature such as works in crystal. Most noteworthy are the golden cutlery, mirror and jewl like objects with their regal air and furniture with the most smooth and simplistically pleasing appearance, for instance the 'Mae West Lips Sofa' that has a more feminine edge. Great rarities are the incredibly enticing graphics, which cover the walls.

There are great contrasts throughout his work with the richness of varying media and techniques. The most delicately created watercolours, ordered according to theme, etchings and illustrations with use of fine inks, pens and pencils. Vast is the detail with fluid lines and swirls, creating texture and attraction through use of strong blues, oranges and yellows with flashes of gold. Flatness is contrasted with detailed objects. Often monochrome areas appear through the mass of colour bringing the pieces to life. Perspective is a strength with a sense of emptiness in the backgrounds. Scale is used unusually, often representing humans as being incredibly small with other images towering above and great open skies. Perhaps Dali saw us as tiny specks in the universe. Experimentation on varying materials can be seen with the use of boxes and cardboard for some more structural drawings. A monumental oil painting from Hitchcock's psycological movie 'Spellbound' stands out as does the mystical collage of 'Tarot Cards'.

Recurring themes are highly present throughout his work. Religious connotations highly associated with titles such as 'Dream of Moses' and 'Protect her from her fortunes'. There are connections with birth and death with the prsence of eggs and bones in both Dali's 3D and 2D work. Unusual animals such as flying horses and elephants represent mythology. Revealed are elements of dreams, literature, fantasy and erotica. Maybe these themes can aid in reading into the world of Salvador Dali. The work may appear quite child like and theatrical at times, yet there appears to be an incredible amount of underlying depth. His own sculptures often materialize in his 2D pieces, for instance 'The Space Elephant'. There are hints of violence and hardship, sexual confusion, and a need for escapism from the world possibly.

 

Dali Universe is well worth a visit with its surprising and mostly unusual package of work. The sculptures and illustrations are separate; yet blend enough through repetition making it a well-linked and flowing exhibition. It is a memorable experience, which opens your mind to new realms.