ART TALK: give kline a break

“Anyone can do that!” - A loathsome cry from yet another art hater. Franz Kline’s Meryon sits in it’s frame, defenceless. I sigh as more people read the description baffled as to why this monochrome painting is displayed in front of them. Admittedly it doesn't immediately strike as world class art; a plain white canvas with industrial black paint slapped across it doesn't exactly emit ‘masterpiece’, but it’s not meant to be.

The painting does not convey an image, but an expression of the image. How he felt on seeing something visual, the painting is not meant to be seen but to be felt. Kline was an abstract expressionist, his intention is not to display a visual masterpiece.

“Wouldn’t have that in my living room” well I wouldn't worry, Ikea don’t plan to be stocking any Franz Kline wall pieces any time soon. 

© ARS, NY and DACS, London 2002

Meryon. Franz Kline, 1960-1. Oil on canvas.

Shoes Glorious shoes!

What a waste it is to have your shoes hiding away in the wardrobe or tucked into a shoe rack. I make a bit of a display out of mine.. Stacking the shoe boxes high and placing the shoes on top as though they were little trophies. Sad to some, but for anyone that loves shoes they will understand. Two pairs of shoes I'd like to add to my display are the 'Haiku' and 'Abstract' shoes From United Nude. These futuristic designs could and should be passed off as art themselves. 

pictures from united nude website


The designer - Rem D Koolhaas, started a career as an architect before moving on to create this brand. His architectural structures are still clearly echoed throughout his interesting footwear designs. I started searching the United Nude website after reading about the opening of their new store in Covent Garden. Koolhaas explains in Wallpaper that the reason for the darkness is to emphasize on the 'show' - I guess a way of appreciating the shoes without the distraction of elaborate surroundings.  

picture from wallpaper magazine

If only my shoe display was a little grander and looked a bit more like this! I look forward to visiting the new shop when I'm back in London. 

eco fashion festival

firstly theres a massive misinterpretation about ethical fashion, and i know that because i massively misinterpreted it myself. just because it's eco doesn't mean its frumpy, made of hemp or designed by hippies..

i bumbled along to the v&a's museum of childhood this week to see an eco-fashion mini festival. i learnt more than i'd imagined. listening to discussions by lucy siegle and amisha ghadiali - members of the EFF and associates of eco-queen livia firth - who showed an interesting view on where you draw the line between what is and what isn't sustainable clothing, 'knowledge is power' they professed to helping to minimise the impacts on the environment. i never even think where my clothes are from originally, many of us don't even question who made our clothes and the fact is many can't afford to ask, designers and brands that aim to ethically source manufacturers sell at a higher price.

 the price does seem less relevant however when you talk to the young ethical designers showcasing their work. i spoke to a mia jafari, a graduate from goldsmiths and central st martins. her excitement for the fabric and commitment to detail was more than inspiring. everything is made by hand. unlike a lot of large brands, these designers focus on the product over the consumer. it becomes an ethical collaboration between the designer, the manufacture and the materials used. definitely refreshing to know there's an up & coming breed of people who not only care about the world, but believe in making fashion more personal.

pictures of mia jafari's ladybirds Love strawberry cosmos collection
pictures from mia jafari's website.

'J'aime mon Carré!' [i love my scarf] the Hermès pop-up in London

the forgotten

figures from ‘Climate Rush’ show that fewer than 1 in 5 mps are women, less than 1% of the world’s money is controlled by women and yet you can pick up a newspaper, look on the news or listen to the radio, and it's still unlikely that you've heard about black friday. 


on 18/11/2010 women marched outside parliament carrying candles in remembrance of 'black friday' to show their support for 100 years since the mistreatment of the women that protested against the dismissal of a bill that would allow women the vote.

The same day 100 years ago, 300 women marched to Parliament. This was after the then Prime Minister, announced that the Conciliation bill was considered unworthy of parliamentary time. The Conciliation Bill being a promise from the liberal government that women may be able to get closer to equality, and the vote would be given to some women.

 The 1910 demonstration proved less than successful with the suffragettes receiving around 100 arrests, 200 assaults reported and the death of two women. Modern day feminists revisited the same spot outside parliament on 18th, to celebrate 100 years in the progression of equality, and to show there's still people that will fight for it now. the irony being, the lack of media support and publicity goes to show that feminism is still considered taboo. a belief either ignored or mocked. people who fought for egalitarianism should be celebrated, how is it in modern times we're allowing real heroes to be forgotten? we're in danger of letting momentous parts in history pass us by, in 200 years will anyone be stood outside parliament with a candle? 

modern society still shows us gender inequality, our government has liberal influences - an ideology that claims to have equality at the heart of it, but equality of opportunity is still suffocated by the glass ceiling.

feminism for me is the fight for women's freedom. if you want to be a house wife, a judge, a landscape gardener, a surgeon...   then that is your prerogative and you should be considered for that job as a person over a woman. 

this is my tribute to the women who fought for our future, and to the people who are still fighting.

clive head at the national gallery

its not hard to see why this hyperrealist's exhibition has drawn in over 16000 people to the national gallery in the space of 2 mere weeks. ive always found all work surrounding hyperrealism intriguing, a kind of discreet 'fuck you' to technology, able to replicate the same visual allurements of photography with a paintbrush.
the exhibition was far too small for clive head's work. photorealism is one of THE most undermined art movements, i only hope this artist manages to reach the same recognition as avid perfectionist, and fellow photorealist chuck close (pictures below)

'we've removed the ceiling above our dreams, there are no more impossible dreams'