Feeling a bit better about things after this weekend. I went to the opening of the Creekside Open in Deptford on Saturday afternoon, which was a really positive experience. The exhibition, which was selected by Phyllida Barlow, was probably the best that I’ve been luckily involved in and I was overwhelmed with the quality of work. It was also very well curated. I’ve never been to an opening where so many people have turned up….lots of the work disappeared under a mass of bodies at one point. I’m not sure if it’s always like this but the gallery was mentioned on the Culture Show a couple of weeks ago. I really wanted to speak to Phyllida but there were too many other people wanting to do the same.
When I came down to drop the work off the week before I’d gone to see Tracey Emin at the Hayward which I thought was emphatically curated and instead of this loud, screwed up Tracey who has featured in the media, she came across as sensitive and vulnerable. There were lots of works that I’d not seen before and some of the sculptural work she’s done was fantastic. In the large room upstairs the mix of whites, neon and natural materials was really impressive. It was probably the best curating that I’d seen for a while. I’m not that keen on paying for exhibitions but I was in there for a ages and definitely got value for money.
I also went to see Fred Sandback at the Whitechapel, which I was excited about because I’d been a fan for a long time, but it was actually quite disappointing. I was in and out of the exhibition in about 5 mins. They had only given over one room and filled it was a massive work, which really needed to be in a bigger space. This insensitivity really spoiled it and it made me realise how important the space is around the work. There were some little sculptures that were made directly onto the exposed brickwork of the gallery, which were lovely and almost invisible. A stark contrast to the black threaded triangle that dominated the room.
