Tuesday 19 July 2011

One more for the Road! a show at the reading rooms soho tonight


hello one and all
there a show on tonight
at the reading rooms firth street soho
it starts to night below is some text about it
also bill corbetts Colony Room photographs documenting the demise of the Soho drinking establishment.there will be a launch of his new book of these photographs ‘Behind the Green Door’ on thursday eve
so there we have it
bye for now
kiss kiss
robert xx


One more for the Road!
18th July – 12th August



The title of the show, the colloquial exhortation heard at the conclusion of many an evening spent within the environs of Soho, is an apt one; the four artists are all associated with and draw their influences from that social vortex located within the square mile or so bounded by Oxford Street ,Charring Cross Road, Regent Street and Shaftesbury Avenue. Their work reflects the attractions, fascinations (and revulsions ) of this infamous locale as well as the wider concerns of the artist and the city. A city replete with inspiration and dissolution in equal measure.


The exhibition is comprised of four different perspectives, employing photography, painting and sculpture and is mostly of previously unseen work. The show is curated by Carlo Zenone.

The Artists

Mark David Reeve

Mark is better known as an illustrator and cartoonist, a winner of the Gillray Cup from the Political Cartoon Society (2004), as well as designing characters for itv's Spitting Image and 'Headcases' (2008). In recent years he has returned to his earlier preoccupation with painting, inspired by diverse influences from John Singer Sargent, Beardsley, Richard Dadd, the Symbolists and early Freud. In an era where the increasing ubiquity of the digital image threatens to drown the viewer in a deluge of mediocrity, Reeve believes that the painted image and in particular, the painted portrait is now, more than ever, a viable and meaningful mode of expression. Its uiniqueness and value enhanced rather than diminished by the vast turnover of uploaded ephemera.



Sasi Langford

Sasi is a previously un-exhibited photographer, and as such, we are honoured to have her debut exhibition of prints as part of this show. A major influence in Sasi’s photographic work, is in presenting a contemporary social documentation of London life. Reflecting a unique ability to capture emotionally expressive moments in her subjects, be they in the haze of social revelry, or more intimate and private self reflection.

In many cases Sasi turns her camera upon herself using self portraiture as a means of continued photographic exploration. Inspired by artists such as Nan Goldin, Irvin Penn and the Iconic images of 1930’s and 40’s Hollywood film, the initial surface sheen of an image is often peeled away to expose a deeper more meaningful narrative about people’s lives, relationships and experiences. As part of this show Sasi will be exhibiting a series of these self-portraits and related prints.



Bill Corbett

Bill is an established portrait photographer who has worked extensively in the fashion & music industries. In August 2006 his portrait of Bella Freud appeared in Harper's Bazaar. In 2007 he released a book of smokers portraits before the smoking ban came into force called; Gerry-Go-Round.

Bill will be exhibiting a selection of his Album cover shots of the bands Alabama 3 and Zodiac Mind Warp, as well his Colony Room photographs documenting the demise of the Soho drinking establishment. The show will include the launching of his new book of these photographs ‘Behind the Green Door’, It is through Bill’s association with these establishments and his informal relationship with the clientel, that he has been able to develop his enigmatic and perceptive style of portrait photography.


Carlo Zenone

Carlo is a painter and art therapist who is concerned with the process and function of painting, as well as the end result of the finished piece. His work explores figurative, portraiture and architectural city scenes, but is most passionate about St Paul’s Cathedral and the views along the Thames. His work is often semi abstract rendered in a thick impasto style.

‘My art is more than an attempt to capture or document the world around me. I try to create an experience which is like taste or smell, something that lingers with the viewer, informing their experience, not only of my work, but of their lives. Paintings are not only of significance on a gallery wall, but should be carried around in the minds and imaginations of those who they touch. Like children, they have lives of their own beyond that which the artist intends, and that, to me, is where art comes alive’.


Open to the public: Monday to Friday – 9.00am – 6.00pm

Monday 18 July 2011

Hackney Hoard Exhibition / 21 July – 28 August 2011 GALERIE8


LE GUN Artists, Study of a Briefcase Found at L.H Browns Show Shop of Curiosities, Hackney, 2011
Hello all
artists from le gun are part
of this show at galerie8 hackney
this thursday
bye for now
xxx
“How and why was your attention drawn to the object?”
Coroner, Inner North Borough of London to the Finder

On the 12th of July 2007, four residents of Hackney came forward with the discovery of eighty gold American coins whilst digging up their garden for a pond ‘to attract wildlife’. Archeologists, ‘normally dealing with ancient stuff’, believed that someone from our time may be able to reveal their provenance, given that the coins were minted during end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century – and deposited after 1932.

After several years of unsucessful investigation, containment and exhibition at the British Museum, much speculation, and a whole lot of story telling, the coins were also the subject of an inquest opened to find the owner. After hearing the evidence on 18 April 2011, the Coroner’s Court of the Inner North Borough of London concluded the case by deeming the find ‘Not Treasure’.

With the gold returned to its rightful owner and the case closed, questions remain surrounding aspects of its value and whether its legend as a rare contemporary find outweighs its rate on the open market. In art and popular contemporary culture, value is not dependent on precious materials, as treasure may be. There is no precedence and no Magistrate to rule. There is only the curious triangulation of value we assign between the viewer, the object and the market. Often notoriety equates to monetary value. So does the narrative form outweigh the material? Can the value we construct truly be translated into monetary terms? Let the excavation begin.

GALERIE8 presents a project initiated by celebrated artist and amateur London historian Adam Dant, which takes the discovery and narrative surrounding the “Hackney Hoard” as a starting point. What follows is an enquiry of the value and status placed on the contemporary art object led by invited artists, illustrators, writers and story tellers. Including an introduction by Terry Castle and artworks by Adam Dant, LE GUN artists, Matthew Killick & Last Tuesday Society, Annabel Tilley and Gavin Turk.
www.galerie8.co.uk
LE GUN Artists, Study of a Briefcase Found at L.H Browns Show Shop of Curiosities, Hackney, 2011

“How and why was your attention drawn to the object?”
Coroner, Inner North Borough of London to the Finder

On the 12th of July 2007, four residents of Hackney came forward with the discovery of eighty gold American coins whilst digging up their garden for a pond ‘to attract wildlife’. Archeologists, ‘normally dealing with ancient stuff’, believed that someone from our time may be able to reveal their provenance, given that the coins were minted during end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century – and deposited after 1932.

After several years of unsucessful investigation, containment and exhibition at the British Museum, much speculation, and a whole lot of story telling, the coins were also the subject of an inquest opened to find the owner. After hearing the evidence on 18 April 2011, the Coroner’s Court of the Inner North Borough of London concluded the case by deeming the find ‘Not Treasure’.

With the gold returned to its rightful owner and the case closed, questions remain surrounding aspects of its value and whether its legend as a rare contemporary find outweighs its rate on the open market. In art and popular contemporary culture, value is not dependent on precious materials, as treasure may be. There is no precedence and no Magistrate to rule. There is only the curious triangulation of value we assign between the viewer, the object and the market. Often notoriety equates to monetary value. So does the narrative form outweigh the material? Can the value we construct truly be translated into monetary terms? Let the excavation begin.

GALERIE8 presents a project initiated by celebrated artist and amateur London historian Adam Dant, which takes the discovery and narrative surrounding the “Hackney Hoard” as a starting point. What follows is an enquiry of the value and status placed on the contemporary art object led by invited artists, illustrators, writers and story tellers. Including an introduction by Terry Castle and artworks by Adam Dant, LE GUN artists, Matthew Killick & Last Tuesday Society, Annabel Tilley and Gavin Turk.

Saturday 16 July 2011

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