Fortnum & Mason has continued their annual artistic collaboration Fortnum’s X Frank 2018 (FXF18), with eminent art collector, Frank Cohen, presenting a rich body of work by British landscape artist, John Virtue. Running from now until 20th October, Fortnum’s X Frank 2018 (FXF18) will see over 60 large-scale monochromatic works by Virtue placed across the floors of the luxury London store, in the heart of Piccadilly. Having trained at the Slade School of Fine Art and now residing in North Norfolk, Virtue’s practice is continually informed by natural environments and his geographical moving from Lancashire to Devon, to London, and now to Norfolk. The artist’s idiosyncratic black and white canvases, created using a mix of white acrylic paint, black ink and shellac, will provide a provocative juxtaposition among the iconic Fortnum’s colours and gilt. The works chosen include abstract landscapes that challenge the viewer to see beyond the paint to make out landmark sites, such as London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, London Eye and The Gherkin. Fortnum’s X Frank 2018 (FXF18) is curated by Robert Upstone, former Director at the Fine Art Society, which he joined in 2010 from Tate Britain where he was Head of Modern British Art. This month-long collaboration takes place as the global art world descends on London for the prestigious Frieze Art Fair. Fortnum’s has a long-standing commitment to the arts, supporting generations of artists and designers through its connections with the Royal Academy, the Royal College of Art, the Slade School of Fine Art and the Bloomsbury Group, alongside Fortnum’s own distinguished collection.
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London Design Festival celebrates and promotes London as the design capital of the world. Now in its 15th year, the Festival will be returning to venues and institutions across the city from now until the 24 September 2017. A major feature of the Festival is an ambitious programme of over 450 projects and events, offering Londoners and visitors to the city an opportunity to experience world-class, innovative, and challenging design across the capital.
Key exhibitions to see at The London Design Festival... Set in Stone The Design Museum, which opened the doors to its new home in Kensington in November 2016, presents an exciting project during this year’s London Design Festival. Set in Stone presents a selection of works by eight designers invited to explore the potential of marble and limestone. These works, displayed in various locations both inside and outside the museum, include objects intended for public use, such as seating by Eduardo Souto de Moura; a slide by Elemental; graphic pieces by Sagmeister & Walsh; and a series of domestic objects by Michael Anastassiades and Jasper Morrison. The project is an investigation of the qualities of stone, and the technical means through which it is cut and shaped. The natural formation of stone over millions of years produces patterns and textures that are unique and unrepeatable. The designers’ responses represent small moments of monumentality that reflect the solidity and permanence of an elemental material. Drop in the Ocean Designer, Brodie Neill, presents ‘Drop in the Ocean’ at ME London, a mesmerising site specific nature-driven installation, located in The Atrium of the iconic Foster + Partners designed hotel, the Official Hotel Partner for the Festival. ME London, is the flagship property for the ME by Melia brand, located in the cultural heart of Covent Garden. Neill’s presentation premieres his work Flotsam, produced using his self-created material Ocean Terrazzo which Neill developed for the Australian Pavilion for the 2016 London Design Biennale, and confronts the problem of the world’s plastic waste within our oceans. Cast completely as singular pieces, the Flotsam collection is created from a combination of all-white Ocean Terrazzo to reflect water and multicoloured ocean plastic fragments to reference the floating nature of the plastic waste which travels across oceans and break down into small fragments from the force of the currents, meanwhile the single drop seen in the melodic installation symbolises the smallest essence of nature resulting in momentous consequences. Magnus Plessen's 'The Skin of Volume' exhibition was my first visit to the White Cube Gallery, Mason's Yard. One of four White Cube sites across London, this petite gallery tucked behind The Ritz was an old electricity station in its former life. Today, it features an expanding programme of exhibitions, hosting a wide range of art from international artists.
In this exhibition, Magnus Plessen presents a series of provocative images exploring the impact of war on the human form. Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, the artwork has a playful, child-like quality and his use of vivid colours is striking against the back drop of the black walls. There are two main rooms in the Mason’s Yard White Cube. In the first, Plessen’s work is presented in a dimly lit room with black painted walls, which add an air of drama. In the larger space down stairs, the walls are white, which created a lighter atmosphere. In addition to the larger works of art displayed in the two main rooms, I loved Plessen’s smaller ink on paper works in the lobby, which showed a completely different side to the artist. I was also thrilled to have caught a glimpse of the founder of the White Cube dynasty, Jay Joplin, and his new beau! While I tend to prefer my galleries on the larger side, allowing me to get lost within the space, I absolutely loved this exhibition and was immediately transported into Plessen’s world. It's definitely worth a visit for anyone who's a fan of vivid, modern art. Magnus Plessen ‘The Skin of Volume’ White Cube Mason’s Yard Dates: Now until 14th January 2017 http://whitecube.com/ Elinor Seath A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in the heart of Soho, supping champagne while appreciating some fascinating and unusual pieces of art. The show entitled 'Solv' (silver in Danish) showcased the work of eight international artists, some established and others freshly plucked from the cream of the Goldsmiths crop. Artists who contributed to the exhibiton included Tom Price, Akiko Hoshina, Matthew Chambers, Hilda Hellström, Maria Bang, Stine Jespersen, Louise Madsen and Manuel Canú. The dimly lit, bare brick walled two story space gave an eerie back drop to art that played with the idea of surfaces and the unexpected. On show was ceramic knitted pants, a wall piece made of salt and sugar that changed according to its environment and a stunning selection of lit resin blocks filled with what looked like delicate butterfly wings or pieces of coral but was actually the result of mixing different materials artist Tom Price. There was a fantastic site-specific piece with carefully placed ceramic pieces made to look like rope, tree roots spuing out of a fire place. This must have taken ages to assemble along with the installation of the other pieces of work and for just four days? Such a lot of work, so little time to view. I couldn’t even get this piece written and published before the show was over! It is great to see such a creative use of space in the heart of London. Incidently, Gallery 49 will eventually be an extension of the fantastic members bar The Union. If this has wet your appetite for a bit of art, here’s some other pop up galleries I’ve found that are worth having a look at:
http://www.popup-gallery.co.uk/ www.thelondonpopupgallery.co.uk www.artlyst.com Elinor Seath |
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