Duane Hanson: Serpentine Sackler Gallery - London

Time in our capital is a funny thing - such a precious commodity that we never feel we have enough of it and constantly terrified someone or something will take what we do have away from us. With so much emphasis on rushing it’s all too easy for the world, in all its glorious detail to fly by in the blink of an eye. We don’t sweat the small stuff because we don’t see it. Who did you sit next to on the train this morning? What trousers were they wearing? Did they seem happy?

http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/duane-hanson

Most of us have only a hazy recollection of the people we encounter throughout our days, and as for those in the background – they may as well not exist.  

http://www.artnews.com/top200/yassmin-and-sasan-ghandehari/

The antidote to our modern lifestyle, if you can make time, is visit Duane Hanson’s show at the Sackler Gallery.  It’s a celebration of the ordinary – in exquisite detail.  A cowboy stands nonchalantly near the entrance, waiting for you to greet him as you go past, lost in his own thoughts and possibly down on his luck. A lady we assume to be a cleaner in her uniform pushes her trolley,  also trance-like and lost in her own thoughts. Does she have anyone to go home to? Where is home? Does she love or hate her job?  Elsewhere a lady sits among a pile of objects for sale, absorbed in her book yet also desperately hoping to do business.

http://www.tate.org.uk/download/file/fid/51351

It’s almost impossible not to become absorbed with the figures in Hanson’s exhibition. Hyperreal in their form, Hanson intended that his meticulously detailed figures would transfix the viewer, drawing them in to be captivated by the detail of the sculptures. His subjects, modelled on real people, tend to exist on the fringes of society, easily ignored and frequently passed over in real life. It’s bittersweet testament to his talent that Hanson has succeeded in making the mundane fascinating and the everyday detail of lives extraordinary.

More surprising still is the age of some of the sculptures. Hanson’s ‘Homeless Person’ created 24 years ago in 1991 is as relevant today as it was then.  Hanson’s work has always been intended to reveal the brutal truths about Western society. Spurred on by the criticism he received for Trash, his figures have become the mouthpiece for Hanson’s own social and political views, featuring scenes of social misery and violence. It was only later on that Hanson focused his attention on everyday people, an entire class of ‘typical’ people who he believed ‘did not stand out’.

Serpentine Sackler Gallery, Hyde Park

Tuesday August 11th 2015 - Sunday September 13th 2015

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/visualarts/article4499559.ece

Footnote:

The Sackler is one of the many London galleries that benefit from the support of generous patrons who happily give their time and resources to ensure the arts continue to thrive in the capital.  Figures such as Ian Taylor, Yassmin Ghandehari, Sasan Ghandehari, Lance Uggla, Viktor Vekelsberg, Sir David Verey, CBE and Anita Zabludowicz.

http://www.arts.ac.uk/alumni-and-friends/support-and-donate/ual-development-council/

The Imaginative World of Joseph Cornell

“Logic will get you from A-B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” Albert Enstein

“The man who has no imagination has no wings.” Muhammad Ali

If you have ever taken a glance at some of the works by the great 20^th century artist and sculptor Joseph Cornell, you might have imagined you were looking through the eyes of someone who has travelled the world and experienced all it has to offer. 

After all, as one of the most celebrated exponents of assemblage there is, his ability to transform everyday objects into spellbinding treasures is a wonder to behold.

But, when you step into this magical world of adventure and discovery, you might be surprised to learn that it comes solely from the imaginative mind of an artist who suffered with shyness bordering on the reclusive – so much so that he rarely even left his home in New York City.

Cornell loved exploring the streets of his home town, absorbing the museums, culture, ballet and opera that was so abundant in Manhattan. As an habitual hoarder, he also spent hours trawling the junk shops and book stores of the city searching for the ephemera that no one else wanted, including feathers, marbles, pebbles, stamps, toys, photographs, maps and prints.

His imagination was vast and unhindered by his lack of worldly experience, and despite never crossing an ocean, he was fascinated by fragments of once beautiful objects, which depicted far flung destinations around the world.

When he put together the bits he found in his glass fronted shadow boxes, they portrayed a taste of the artist’s varied interests that included cinema, Romantic ballet, ornithology, European culture, the past, world travel and even space exploration.

The Wanderlust exhibition, currently being shown at The Royal Academy of Arts, is a truly wonderful spectacle which features 80 of Joseph Cornell’s most remarkable shadow boxes, collages and films.  It really is something special to see as the pieces of art, like the artist, have rarely left their home in the USA. Filled with delicate bits and moving parts, it is incredibly rare to find so many of his shadow boxes together in one exhibition.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/visualarts/article4499559.ece

The intricate, intriguing and diverse contents display the artist’s sense of adventure and wonder of the world around him – possibly why Wanderlust has won such deserved acclaim from visitors and critics alike.

The art of Joseph Cornell is often hailed as a one-off style, so unique that it doesn’t fit into any movements of his day. His aim was to provide pieces that everyone could relate to and this is so magically presented in the miniature worlds on display.

This the first London survey of this outstanding artist in 35 years. Given the playful and intriguing nature of the exhibition, it’s easy to see why The Guardian described it as a “first rate exhibition of one of the 20^th century’s most inspiring artists”, with the Telegraph simply describing it as “spellbinding”.

The exhibition is yet another example of how London supports and promotes the global arts scene, with so many collectors and patrons taking a keen interest on promoting the capital as a center of artistic excellence.  The invaluable support of patrons such as Yassmin Ghandehari and Sasan Ghandehari continues to ensure London’s place at the top of the artistic world.

 http://www.arts.ac.uk/alumni-and-friends/support-and-donate/ual-development-council/

http://www.sothebys.com/en/news-video/blogs/all-blogs/Cultural-Crossroads/2012/11/abu-dhabi-art-kicking-off.html

·       If you would like to see this magnificent work by Joseph Cornell, Wanderlust at The Royal Academy of Arts is now showing until 27 September, 2015.