Doggie do's

 Cruel or cute?

Venice Biennale 2013

Room after room of great work...The Encyclopedic Palace curated by Massimiliano Gioni was such a treat! Samples above include: Berlinde De Bruyckere; Sarah Sze; Morten Bartlett; Fischli & Weiss; Harry Smith...

Indie Game - The movie

Yes, I know it came out last year...
I really enjoyed a glimpse into the world of these indie game developers, especially the 'Super Meat Boy' team. Obviously the process was stage managed to create a film, but none-the-less, you get an insight into the motivations, willpower and drive behind making these independent games: Braid, Fez, Super Meat Boy. All the games have a personal, quirky quality that reflect aspects of their creators.

Jockum Nordstrom - Camden Arts Centre

 Jockum Nordstrom's exhibition at Camden Arts Centre was humorous, bewitching and curious...
All his work is very 'handmade' - the drawings, collages and constructions - and evokes a naivety that is both charming and disarming. Not sure it's possible to make work like this if the naivety is studied, and it seems the childlike quality achieved is straightforward. The works communicated something very human and real: I do like art that communicates something discernible! Well worth a visit, finishes 29th September.

Souzou - Exhibition at Wellcome Collection, London

Souzou refers to the practice of 46 self-taught artists living and working within social welfare facilities across Japan. 
The images speak for themselves... This exhibition of Japanese 'Outsider Art' was refreshing, surprising, intimate and communicative. The term ‘Outsider Art’ is an imperfect approximation of another term that does not translate comfortably into English. Coined by British academic Roger Cardinal in 1972, ‘Outsider Art’ follows French artist Jean Dubuffet’s theory of art brut, formulated in the mid-1940s, meaning a ‘raw art’, ‘uncooked’ or uncontaminated by culture. ‘Outsider Art’ has since become an internationally recognised term, commonly used to describe work made by artists who have received little or no tuition but produce work for the sake of creation alone, without an audience in mind, and who are perceived to inhabit the margins of mainstream society. A great show! Kim

Frederik Peeters - Pachyderme

Pachyderme by Frederik Peeters is a mysterious tale, not particularly linear - although there is a story line to follow. It's in full colour, and visually very interesting, with comical characters and strange happenings. The passages work best for me when there is little or no dialogue: pure brilliant storytelling in pictures. Don't look for a straight-forward story here - it's the unexpected aspects that slip between the panels that make this an unusual and surprising read. And it challenges what to expect from a graphic novel: always a good thing!

Sandcastle - Graphic Novel

Sandcastle by Frederik Peeters, story by Pierre Oscar Levy, is a creepy and compelling story, which leaves you wanting more...

Set on a secluded beach, a young woman is found dead, seemingly drowned. Strange things begin to happen to the families that arrive to enjoy the sun and swimming, as this sci-fi story unfolds.
Beautifully drawn and atmospheric, the book can be enjoyed for the story in itself, as well as an allegory for how we spend our lives.