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My dears where to begin? I couldn’t
find the wine at Bournemouth! Apart from that small obstacle to negotiate
at cocktail hour, I believe it is safe to say both shows have a licky,
sticky, touchy, feely, 1980’s with a splash of Kath Kidston ambiance.
Now as you all know I don’t like beating about the bush so I shall
cut strait to the nitty gritty. Winchester does have some truly appalling
work, I’m not going to name names, but by golly it’s been
a talking point. On the other hand there are a few gems, for example,
Joel Papps installation is thoughtful, quiet, intricate, but the moment
the penny drops, my goodness. Also at Winchester and for all you budding
painters out there, the Moomin Landscape/Fiona Rea paintings blew my frock
up, not in an embarrassingly flamboyant way, but in a slight thrill around
my knees, unfortunately I can’t remember the artists’ name.
My Zeitgeist piece’s of work were by James Crawford at Winchester
and Luke Slater at Bournemouth, both dear boys have been working with
found audio equipment & sound, Crawford certainly had the edge on
sophistication and impact, where as Slater’s work had a whimsical
Heath Robinson feel.
In my expert opinion both the shows are well curated, Bournemouth has
less space, but has produced a tight, vibrant exhibition accompanied by
a rather snappy catalogue. Winchester on the other hand has all the potential,
but I’m afraid it didn’t cut the mustard, in fact I am tempted
to say lack lustre, also there is a huge discrepancy in the quality of
the work at Winchester, but to be fair this does provide excellent topics
for conversation, which I am always thankful for when entertaining the
art world glitter arty, and on that note I must dash and rescue my cup
cakes from the Aga, before Nigella and Charles arrive to discuss the kitsch
irony of Dorset biscuit tin decoration.
Finally dears my top tip is keep an eye on Erika Nordqvist’s, delightful
drawings – and now for the moment you have all been waiting for
….The Lansbury Digital Score, has awarded Winchester a low 6 and
Bournemouth a very high 7.5 – what a thrill.
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