Headed to Wolverhampton

Yesterday, I went to Wolverhampton Art Gallery to see their new exhibitions. One is Antony Donaldson: Take Five, another is Gary Hume: Flashback. Antony Donaldson is a British pop artist arising in 1960s. According to Oxford University Press, the term of Pop Art "originated in the mid-1950s at the ICA, London, in the discussions held by the Independent group concerning the artefacts of popular culture..." There is also slightly difference between British Pop Art and American Pop Art, "American Pop art insisted on a direct relationship between its use of the imagery of mass production and its adoption of modern technological procedures. Whereas British Pop art often celebrated or satirized consumer culture, American Pop artists tended to have a more ambiguous attitude towards their subject-matter." No matter how it says, I still think you can quickly recognize pop art paintings or artworks and for me, they all have the same characteristics and reflect the similarities in mass culture.

Photo: Courtesy Antony Donaldson/ Take her T-Birds away, 1965

Gary Hume was one of the Young British Artists graduated from Goldsmiths College, others included Liam Gillick, Damien Hirst, Gillian Wearing and so on. The exhibition features Hume's recent paintings and sculptures as well as the famous door paintings. I can image that the works were quite bold in the eyes of people at that period. Now, you will still love the color matching and irony of the works, but the impact of the works are definitely lesser (from my point of view).

Coincidentally, I also came across with Museums at Night where a talk was being held in the gallery and the gallery would open its door at night. I grabbed a glass of juice and enjoyed the event with my friend.