Yoko Ono in Serpentine Gallery and meetings with artists in London

This week, I went to London for a show by Yoko Ono in Serpentine Gallery and first meetings with the artists for my exhibition. The show by Yoko Ono is called To The Light and it showcases almost five decades of her works from inside to outside of the gallery. The visitors can actually interact with the artworks such as the works AMAZE and Wish Trees.
As Serpentine Gallery stated:
A number of works in TO THE LIGHT position both artist and viewer as agents of change. For example, a series of instruction pieces written especially for the Serpentine Gallery can be completed physically or mentally by the viewer, while the large-scale installation AMAZE transforms the viewer from the observer to the observed. 

                                  ©Serpentine Gallery

After the show, I went to meet with two artists who are going to exhibit in my exhibition. Both of them are from Slade School of Fine Art. One mainly works on videos and one works on paintings. They are really guys.The lists of artists and the details of the exhibition are soon going to be uploaded here.  

BIAD Graduate Show 2012

Yesterday, I went to the Graduate Show of School of Art and School of Jewelry to look for some potential artists to exhibit in my exhibition. What made me feel was the quality of works are quite differentiated. But in whole, the exhibitions are still worth visiting if you want some inspiration and want to look for some emerging artists.
Here are several works that I liked:

My picks in Manchester and Liverpool

Last weekend, I visited Manchester and Liverpool and and hung around some of the galleries and museums. Here are the two places that I recommend some art lovers to go.

Nexus Art Cafe in Manchester:

I just came across this cafe after I visited a bookshop near Market Street. The cafe is located in the basement. Walking down the staircase, you could see an installation in the window. There was also an exhibition space in front of the cafe. They have a cosy environment surrounded by some paintings and installations. There is also a garden in the corner where you can treat it as your secret garden. It's good to just pick up a book from the shelf and relax yourself in this lovely space.

The Bluecoat in Liverpool:

The Bluecoat is a creative hub located in a historical building. I enjoyed their currant exhibition very much.It called Galapagos. It's about "Twelve international artists visited Galapagos. Their surprising perspectives on the environmental and cultural reality of these distant islands question our relationship with a changing natural world". The artists were inspired by the natural environment in Galapagos, so they created artworks in response to the recent environmental challenges caused by the growth of tourism. You can gain quite a lot from this exhibition. Before then, I didn't even know there is a place called Galapagos. The exhibition will also be toured to Edinburgh and Lisbon later.

Nottingham art scene

Yesterday, I traveled with Liz to Nottingham as part of the ESP programme. We first visited Nottingham Contemporary for their latest show-Mika Rottenberg and James Gillray. Mika Rottenberg is a New York-based artist famous for her fictional and humorous films. She mainly focuses on discussing women's situation in society and Marx's theory of labor and value. You can find some weird, absurd, surreal and story-telling elements in her works. She always places her works in a complex installation to create a sense of immersion for the viewers. Another exhibition next door is a collection from V&A, London by British caricaturist James Gillray (1756-1815). James Gillray is famous for his comic art depicting political and social issues. They are usually some surreal images with ironic sentences. Putting alongside these two exhibitions, we can see the two artists using different medium to discuss current issues in twp different period, one in a traditional way and one in a modern way.

                                          Photos: Wikimedia Commons  

In the afternoon, we headed to Primary, a space offering artist studios and engaging public with a programme of events and activities. They are located in a Victorian building which previously was a primary school. There are more than 20 rooms, a canteen and a playground. We visited four to five artists' studios. They enjoyed a lovely space. Going around the building, you will see they decorate the place with plants and some broken ceramic pieces. Maybe the ceramic pieces were left there after the demolition of the school.

After dinner, we went to Trade Gallery for a screening event of ESP members. Located in the same building, there are also some artists' studios. We took a look at some of them. One of them is quite fabulous. Seven artists share a attic and they transformed the place into a part-working, part-relaxing space. They have a band room and study room inside. It was great that we could see some interesting studios in this trip.   

The Voyage

Since London Olympics is coming, there are lots of events going across the country. As part of the program of London 2012 Festival, Birmingham is going to hold a free outdoor event in front of Town Hall  from 21st-24th June. Dancers and performers will perform on an enormous ship.There was an open rehearsal in NEC yesterday. The artistic directors and creator of the show introduced the concept and explained the scene to us. At this moment,the ship is still being constructed. Then it gonna be moved to Victoria Square. At that point, people can watch the stunning performance surrounding by different sound and visual effects.

More stories, see:
http://www.thevoyage.org.uk/