When I first saw David Shrigley, I was taken aback by his calm aura and semblance of complete normalcy. A man known for his searing dead-pan humour, I half-expected to see a crazed post-punk artist living on the fringes of society. But here was a charming, clean-cut gentleman, tranquilly tattooing ink drawings onto willing participants in the middle of London’s most extravagant art fair. Calm,[…..]

    There is a specific joy that flares when a familiar space is reanimated by art—whether it’s public sculpture appearing at a junction travelled through often, like the new fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, or something as quiet as a different postcard image on an office bulletin board—it’s a little visual jolt for a view that’s become tired. When I first arrived at the[…..]

‘We all know that art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realise the truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know how to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies.’ – Pablo Picasso Saskia Olde Wolbers’ works are full of lies, half-truths and fabrications. What may at first glance appear to be a[…..]

From the very beginning, Damien Hirst: The Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011, was always going to be the target of much contempt. An embodiment of savvy self-promotion, Damien Hirst has become the world’s richest living artist, and with that, a scapegoat for the pompous market and inflated celebrity status representing all that is wrong with contemporary art today. This latest publicity stunt – a gargantuan worldwide[…..]

I must admit I am often plagued by skepticism walking into ‘best of’ exhibitions – the ones, like  the recent Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2011: In the Presence, that promise to clairvoyantly open up a window onto the future of contemporary art. Often, these group exhibitions seem plagued by too many artists, who are represented by a single work, thrust together in a curatorial jumble that[…..]

Krzysztof Wodiczko’s work is powerful, politically charged and bears great momentum. Best-known for transforming architectural structures and monuments through loaded public projections, Wodiczko’s projects fight for the change he wants seen in the world – a global society free from the destructions of war. When the artist and professor was recently in London for the occasion of his exhibition The Abolition of War at WORK[…..]

The dark, dreary weather at this time of year casts a shadow over even the most upbeat of Londoners. The shortest day of the year is upon us, with Winter Solstice bringing less than 8 hours of daylight. And with the characteristic haze of grey clouds and drizzle for which England is notoriously known, it is quite difficult to resist the urge to lazily sleep[…..]