Monday, 25 March 2013

two exhibitions

On Saturday we took our weekend visitors to two local exhibitions.

First up: Drawn at the RWA. The added frisson here was that my talented husband had had a piece of work selected!
Yes that is a red dot! (picture credit Steve Broadway)
It’s a really lovely exhibition showcasing the skill which is the foundation of artistic practice. For me the striking thing about the show is the sheer diversity of artistic expression. I was intrigued by the contrast between artists who employ a few spare lines and those whose pleasure is to render what they see in minute detail. To quote the RWA’s press release: “Far from being a traditional drawing show, works included vary hugely in materials, subject, and style. From iPad life drawings to chalk drawn directly on the RWA gallery floors, from embroidered drawings to flocked screenprints, the works push boundaries, taking drawing to new heights.”  Drawn runs until 2 June and I recommend a visit. 

After a civilised break for coffee, we made our way just down the road to Bristol City Museum where, tucked away on the top floor at the back of the building, is a small but delightful exhibition entitled “Stitching and Thinking”. Starting with samplers of darning and mending from the museum collection, this show then moves on to examine ideas of mending and repair – from the straightforward repair of stitched artefacts to the more costly business of repairing broken hearts.

(Picture credit: Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery)
The discipline of limiting the colour palette to white cloth and red stitching creates a simple and poignant overall effect, which makes it a very appropriate companion to the largely monochrome exhibition of drawing at RWA. There are only a couple more weeks of this lovely exhibition and I’m hoping to get to the final gallery talk on 3 April.
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6 comments:

  1. just Gai25 March 2013 at 23:29

    Thanks for reminding me about the Stitching and Thinking exhibition (I'm in no danger of forgetting the other given the quality of at least one its exhibits).

    I attended the presentation on 9 March which was disappointing. Maybe I misunderstood the nature of the event but the delivery was very poor. I hope for your sake that the gallery talk is more rewarding.

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  2. blue hands26 March 2013 at 14:36

    Shame about the presentation delivery being poor - especially as I thought the text descriptions in the exhibition were well thought-out. Hoping that whoever delivers on 3 April will be more interesting!

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  3. Anna28 March 2013 at 06:56

    I've just found your blog and I love it! My son lives in Bristol and wants to get me to move there from Hastings - a bit of a shlep for visiting - all the things you do and the good theatre/galleries etc. you write about, make me think hmmm. There might be something in making the move after all! AnnaC

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  4. blue hands28 March 2013 at 10:28

    Thank you, Anna. We've lived in Bristol for ten years and we love it. It is an awfully long trek to the south-east corner of the country, isn't it? We've got friends in Wadhurst and my heart always sinks at the prospect of hours spent on the busiest, most hideous motorways in the country! On the other hand once there, there are all sorts of lovely places to visit. (I love the De la Warr Pavilion). There are so many lovely places one could live in Britain!

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  5. Annie Cholewa30 March 2013 at 15:18

    Not the first time I've followed a link to your husbands drawings. You can tell he was an architect I think ... I love his style! And he has a great eye for the interesting angle. You must be really proud of your talented family!

    Have a great Easter Moira :D

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  6. Josie9 March 2014 at 18:37

    Your husband's work is marvellous and thanks also for sharing the stitching and mending mini quilts. They are very thought provoking in their simplicity.

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