August 31, 2011
The lights are on in the foyer, as the plain white light bulbs are switched on behind Venetian blinds but nobody is at home, for the domestic blinds are mounted flush against the gallery wall. The blinds are ironically closed to try and keep the light out. There is a mountain of empty cardboard boxes which the light bulbs originally are shipped in.
This first glimpse of the exhibition in the gallery entrance offers a good introduction to the work of Haegue Yang that follows on upstairs. Like the pieces of a jigsaw this Teacher Of Dance exhibition slots together irregularly but in a bright, multi coloured and homely way. Each item shown is made from materials used often in a domestic setting.
The work that is most transformed by the gallery setting is the installation, Escaping Transparency. This is a recent work by Haegue Yang and is full of light, movement and dancing spirituality. It is made up of a collection of Venetian blinds that are slotted into a construction system that hangs from the gantry of the John Piper Gallery. Almost like a familiar children’s construction kit, the large tubes that the blinds swing from are a work of art. They network into connecting units to make pentagons and octagons for the coloured blinds to hang from. The blinds are largely left open so light flows through and around the slats picking out the muted primary colours of the devices that would otherwise be hung on a kitchen window to stop light from flowing in. To create the art the artist breaks the natural functionality of the medium.
The installation from a distance shows planes of light in colour blocks intersecting which is reminiscent of Patrick Heron’s work, in particular his use of stained glass to create abstract work. Escaping Transparency feels like a painting hung high up in the air and in this respect lives up to its title. Depending on where you view the work from, the different coloured units intersect and will look different so there is no definitive composition on offer. To this effect the piece is dynamic and reminds the viewer of the direct and energising movement of a whirling dervish that is always in motion but still remains one with the ground.
The multitude of pieces curated in the Upper Gallery are connected by the theme of folding. Paper has been folded to create the shapes of child-like toys. Metal frames look like they may hold wet laundry but have been covered by fabric or have knitting executed around them. The large gallery room feels all the more cosy and domestic for these additions yet nothing is as it seems or is remotely functional and this feels eerie.
Leaving the exhibition through the foyer there is chance to once again observe the light bulbs that greet visitors on their arrival. The bulbs still illuminate the domestic blinds showing the colour of the blind. This foyer installation is called Light House and now on a second viewing feels like a paint pot that has exploded and the quirky work seems clearer.
This first glimpse of the exhibition in the gallery entrance offers a good introduction to the work of Haegue Yang that follows on upstairs. Like the pieces of a jigsaw this Teacher Of Dance exhibition slots together irregularly but in a bright, multi coloured and homely way. Each item shown is made from materials used often in a domestic setting.
The work that is most transformed by the gallery setting is the installation, Escaping Transparency. This is a recent work by Haegue Yang and is full of light, movement and dancing spirituality. It is made up of a collection of Venetian blinds that are slotted into a construction system that hangs from the gantry of the John Piper Gallery. Almost like a familiar children’s construction kit, the large tubes that the blinds swing from are a work of art. They network into connecting units to make pentagons and octagons for the coloured blinds to hang from. The blinds are largely left open so light flows through and around the slats picking out the muted primary colours of the devices that would otherwise be hung on a kitchen window to stop light from flowing in. To create the art the artist breaks the natural functionality of the medium.
The installation from a distance shows planes of light in colour blocks intersecting which is reminiscent of Patrick Heron’s work, in particular his use of stained glass to create abstract work. Escaping Transparency feels like a painting hung high up in the air and in this respect lives up to its title. Depending on where you view the work from, the different coloured units intersect and will look different so there is no definitive composition on offer. To this effect the piece is dynamic and reminds the viewer of the direct and energising movement of a whirling dervish that is always in motion but still remains one with the ground.
The multitude of pieces curated in the Upper Gallery are connected by the theme of folding. Paper has been folded to create the shapes of child-like toys. Metal frames look like they may hold wet laundry but have been covered by fabric or have knitting executed around them. The large gallery room feels all the more cosy and domestic for these additions yet nothing is as it seems or is remotely functional and this feels eerie.
Leaving the exhibition through the foyer there is chance to once again observe the light bulbs that greet visitors on their arrival. The bulbs still illuminate the domestic blinds showing the colour of the blind. This foyer installation is called Light House and now on a second viewing feels like a paint pot that has exploded and the quirky work seems clearer.