ArtSpam Favourites 2021 Round Up!
This year has been a pretty damn good year in art, if I don’t say so myself. Now normally I would round up my favourite pieces that I have seen in the month, unfortunately some of the exhibitions I’ve been to wouldn’t allow photographs. Which is a shame, but I must respect that. I also don’t want to be thrown out and or banned from some of my favourite museums… so. But anyways, I have seen some interesting stuff this year. I have travelled from the Peruvian hills to the luxurious rococo paintings before journeying to the days before the fall of Imperial Russia. It’s been quite a ride and it’s made the year of 2021 all the better. So instead of doing my usually top 10 favourite pieces, I’ll first examine my favourite exhibitions of the year, and then we’ll look at the pieces of art from those exhibitions (if I have photos... that is)
Top 5 exhibitions of the year:
‘Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser’ at the V&A.
This one stands out super clearly in my mind. I think it was just after lockdown was coming to a close that I went to see this marvellous exhibition. What I liked about it was that it was for everyone, young and old. Alice in Wonderland is a timeless classic, it harkens back the days of one’s childhood a time when everything was so much simpler. It was utterly charming and well worth the visit. What was so great was the addition of some of the first photographs ever taken, we hear more of the story behind Alice and Wonderland, the popularity it generated and why it is considered a timeless classic. The artefacts included were stunning, the curator of this exhibition really covered all their bases and more, they looked at everything from early merchandise, original illustrations to VR. Truly one to remember!
‘Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything’ at The British Museum
I am a big fan of Hokusai, huge. I love Japanese prints and own a fair few myself, so when I heard in the news that the British Museum has recently acquired so new prints by the legendary artist Hokusai, I was very excited to see them. This exhibition was to be the landmark event of this acquisition. My only issue with this exhibition was that it was a little tricky to find. For those familiar with The British Museum then you’ll know that it is a maze. However, the layout of the exhibition was simple, yet elegantly done. There were exerts of how to make a Japanese print, the tools that’re needed, the colours used, the traditional techniques as well as details about ‘The Great Picture Book of Everything’ the drawings detail everything from animals to legendary Buddhist figures. The detail inlaid in the prints are intricate, delicate, and dramatic. Although the exhibition was small and not as large and as not much flair as some of the other exhibitions on this list, Hokusai’s work pretty much speaks for itself. He doesn’t need all the bells and whistles, that can accompany some of the larger exhibitions, to pack a punch. And that’s why it’s great.
‘Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution’ at the V&A
So, this was the most recent exhibition I went to. It was a massive shame that you couldn’t take photographs, but as the lady at the front desk said ‘You’ll se why’. And you did see why. Some of the artefacts on show were too beautiful, sparkling, dazzling to behold. A lot of them are owned privately so I can only image the hoops that the V&A had to jump through, a lot of these artefacts are owned by royalty, Russia or from private collections. It’s all about security. In the exhibition you travel through time, from the earliest conception of Fabergé to the hights of its fame and its wealthy clientele. Fabergé enjoyed much royal patronage over the years, right up to the First World War and the Revolution. Some of their creations, from natty cigarette cases to delicate flowers to their world-famous Easter Eggs. The Eggs, of course, are the main event. When people hear Fabergé, everyone immediately thinks about the famous Romanov Easter Eggs that were commissioned every year by Tsar Nicholas II. They were right at the end and well worth the wait, they’re intricate and full of surprises, they’re a delight. They delighted those in the past and they delight audiences even now. The exhibition is still on at time of writing, and if you can go, do! It’s well worth it. but wear sunglasses because it might just dazzle you!
‘Sophie Taebeur-Arp’ at the Tate Modern
So, this one is more like ‘art’ art. This is a female lead exhibition and a great one at that. From all the people I’ve spoken to about this, they’ve seen, and we all loved the same bits. This is contemporary art at its finest, I have already written about this exhibition, so I won’t go on and on about how epic it was. But this was soothing to my soul, I find patterns and geometry soothing. So, her artwork spoke to my soul. However, highlights from this exhibition were the menagerie of marionettes Sophie created. They are charming. I realise I have said that a few times about exhibitions, but the design, execution, little character intricacies all sing in perfect harmony. Everyone I’ve spoken to cannot find any fault with those marionettes, they are simply too fantastic and too brilliant to criticize. Although the exhibition is over, and Sophie died too soon. The work that she left behind
‘Jean Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty’ at The Barbican Gallery
This was an unusual exhibition. This one challenged you. It took what you think you know to be true and subverts it into something unknown and alien. Brutal beauty was the title of this exhibition, I think it was more accurate to ask ‘but, what is beauty?’ because that was the point of this exhibition. Beauty is that elusive ideal that we chase, like perfection or dreams that slip through our fingers like sand. It is the most philosophical of exhibitions on the list, its subtle and unyielding in its efforts. It is also the most feminist of exhibitions, yes, even more feminist that Sophie Taebeur-Arp’s exhibition can you believe it?! There’s an exhibition on a woman artist and then there’s and exhibition about how we perceive women and beauty. That’s what makes it feminist and that’s why it’s on the list. It takes you completely by surprise and that’s why it was great.
On to some great art for 2022, I’m excited for what to come! Are you?