Back in February, my roommate/ fellow art student Debbie Fitch and I ventured out in the attempt to convince myself that I can enjoy art galleries. Over the past years I've developed this stigma around galleries as somewhere that's very strict and tense. I could never get excited about visiting new artworks because the dread of walking around white walls while being watched myself turned me off. However, Debbie had her heart set on changing my mind so that day I was her happy student as she led me around galleries of London.
Our first Gallery was Somerset House, which held several different galleries featuring a range of artists. The Gallery that I enjoyed going through was 'Mushrooms: The Art, Design and future of Fungi' which featured a large variety of different artist's work with mushrooms. It was incredibly fascinating, not only because of the range of information I learnt about mushrooms, but the amazing range of which different artists can show them. There were detailed paintings next to videos of actors performing as mushrooms. The way the work was packed in to such a small space made me excited, like it was a little mushroom shrine. Yet everything was unique and made me value these little fungi a lot more, which I wasn't expecting.
The next gallery we visited was Rowdy SS' 'Is this the end?', This gallery was only the size of a small bedroom, but it was very intense. The whole room was red, so red it would distort your eyes when you would exit. As well as this, there was loud sound of London coming from speakers around the room. There were even humidifiers letting out smells that weren't the nicest but added to the atmosphere of the room to make it a lot to take it.
For myself I viewed it as an interpretation of purgatory, it was quite uncomfortable but not exactly like being in hell. I really appreciate Galleries that immerse people in experience like Rowdy SS has done here. It creates a whole new experience that puts you in the artwork and affects you physically rather than just looking. In this room I was breathing the art.
The third and final gallery that interested me that day was at the White Cube Gallery, showing an exhibition of Cerith Wyn Evan's artwork. At first I wasn't really excited to walk around a space that was just a 'white cube', but the artwork inside changed my mind. Evan's work was incredible to witness, he had used lights in his work which added so much energy to each sculpture. Some pieces showed trees being slowly rotated, everything seemed to appear to be in motion, even the paintings. Being in this gallery made me realise how much a white background can improve a piece. Artworks like Evan's seems to excel when placed in front of a white wall, it's what it needs to appreciate the artwork as it is and the qualities it has.
Although I would like galleries to be less intimidating overall, I can still appreciate what they do for the atmosphere of an artwork. Sometimes a piece of art needs an empty space so that nothing will distract from it.
Though I would love to experience a gallery in the future that isn't just white walls, but a place where I can experience something different, even if this experience is overwhelming.
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