Our resident Culture Vulture has just returned from a whistle stop tour of the North..not somewhere one would normally run to on a jaunt in January...'he needs his head testing' was muttered by some of our colleagues...but it seems to have been a worthwhile tour. Nottingham is not a city one associates with the height of contemporary art and culture. It certainly doesn't roll off the tongue with MoMa, Tate Modern, The Guggenheim etc but last year Nottingham Contemporary opened to much praise and with two highly acclaimed shows.
The first is a major exhibition of David Hockney's early works from the 60's, 70's and 80's. During the times at which he was at the Royal College of Art and then discovered the promise of America and the glamorous New York on the East Coast and Los Angeles on the West Coast. Many an important work is included in this show and its a rarity to see them together in such fantastic surroundings.
Another show, by the LA-based artist Frances Stark is equally as brilliant. A very different exhibition, it complements the Hockney show perfectly. With her kooky collages and text works we fell in love with the pieces. The word play and objects and creatures used within her practice had us swooning over the limited edition to accompany the show.
Both shows end on the 24th January so make a last minute dash to the North!
www.nottinghamcontemporary.org
No comments:
Post a Comment