Intimations of Hope
The idealistic Konstantin, humiliated by his famous mother, the actress Irina Arkidina, his play publicly dismissed as ridiculous, tries to shoot himself but instead shoots a seagull and presents the corpse to Nina, the daughter of a neighbouring landowner, whom he adores. Nina is disturbed and disgusted, but shows it to the sinister Trigorin, a famous writer and house guest, who notes down the metaphor for future use. Nina is in thrall to Trigorin. She sees in him an opportunity to escape the cage of the family estate and take... Read more »
In the Mind’s Eye
At the age of 14, Rene witnessed his mother, being pulled out of the river; her lower body was exposed and her nightdress was over her head concealing her face. Was it her, and if it wasn’t where had she gone, what had happened? But Rene never talked about it;... Read more »
Gabrile Orozco; meaning out of chaos.
Gabriel Orozco is like his ball of plasticine, Yielding Stone 1992, rolling along, always on the move, always picking up new ideas, things from the streets, imprints, objects, impressions. He installs whatever he thinks is interesting, often distorting them to remove their utility, change their function, so that they engage... Read more »
Je t’aime.
In one video, the artist stopped people in the street and asked them to look into the camera and say ‘Je t’aime’ (I love you). Her subjects found it so difficult. Their body language was so defensive. They laughed, looked away, crossed their arms, shuffled their feet, lit a cigarette.... Read more »
Origins, space and time in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
David Nash has a real fascination with wood. He knows his material intimately. He knows how it weathers, dries out, splits along the grain. He understands how it chars and how it becomes waterlogged and rots. Wood expresses the fundamental elements of life; earth, fire, air and water. Nash is... Read more »
War without end; Amen.
Armies pursued each other around Europe; soldiers, little better than animals laid waste the countryside, taking what they wanted, burning, raping, killing, no longer knowing, if they ever did, the reason why. It had been a good war for Mother Courage, for a time. She became a camp follower, trailing... Read more »
