Crash: A Homage to JG Ballard
Gacosian Gallery, London
(11 Feb - 1 April 2010)
The Gacosian gallery space works... the artwork reflected Ballard's investigation of environment, violence, corrosion, destruction and technology. The large spaces allowed the art room to breathe and held an eclectic mix of modern artwork by Francis Bacon, Jenny Saville, Jean Michel Basquiat, Paul McCarthy and more.
Paul McCarthy Mechanical Pig, 2003-05 (Silicone, platinum, fiberglass, metal and electrical components)
Francis Bacon Still Life, Broken Statue and Shadow, 1984 (Oil and pastel on canvas)
Jenny Saville Witness, 2009 (oil on canvas)
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On the otherside of town was the claustrophobic setting and pretension of the Whitechapel Art Gallery's exhibition as they scraped the barrel with:
I shake you by the hand, comrade Bacon: British Art Abroad
In the small room that held the exhibition, a queue formed in front of a handwritten letter by Francis Bacon. I joined the back of the queue and eventually got to have a closer look. Not a sketch, not a piece of art, just a handwritten scrawl on a scrap of paper by Francis Bacon in a room full of very strange people determined to enjoy themselves. In the corner a woman stared at a wooden container on the floor for a long time before declaring, "It's not a work of art at all!". Clarita and I couldn't contain our laughter and decided to leave before we were asked to. We went back to Cinephilia East near Brick Lane to look at more Polish film poster prints to recover.
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