Visiting the Whitechapel Gallery

At the end of last week, after a particularly wet and grey week we decided to break from the norm and make the most of the lighter evening following the clock change. The week hadn’t brought the bright Spring days we were hoping for, and getting out and staying dry was a challenge. However we were not to be fazed, with MOH on the early shift our plan was to head for a museum or gallery - increasing our odds of staying dry - before heading out for dinner.

Some quick online research showed that the Whitechapel Gallery was our best bet. It was open later than most, was relatively easy to get to and neither of us had been there before. It’s set in a beautiful historic building right on Whitechapel High Street with all the hustle and bustle of daily life right on its doorstep, and no doubt an integral part of its community.

We started at the top at one of the free exhibitions - the House of Le Bas (which is on until 31 May) which shares the life and experiences of Delaine Le Bas and her late husband Damian Le Bas and their perspective as English Romani Gypsy Travellers. The room is full of colour with artwork, journals, photographs and embroidery with stories that resist stereotypes and question what it means to be an ‘outsider’.

There was just so much to see, it’s one of those exhibitions that while only in a relatively small space you could visit more than once, and each time see something new or different. I was taken with the amount of work that had clearly gone into each piece, and as you can see from my photos, they’re all incredibly detailed. I appear to be drawn to things with this amount of detail at the moment, and to items that have layers and depth - the whole creation process is fascinating to me, and these pieces were no different.

Thought provoked we made our way back down to the ground floor peeking into the other galleries and spaces, admiring the building as much as the artwork before heading into Zadie Xa’s exhibition titled: House Gods, Animal Guides and Five Ways 2 Forgiveness which closes on 30 April. It’s the largest solo exhibition in London to date for Korean-Canadian artist Zadie Xa and shows a new body of work commissioned by the gallery.

The installation with its sculptures, textiles and paintings along with the immersive lighting and audio are certainly impactful, and once again full of colour and texture. The exhibition’s design, in conjunction with collaborator artist Benito Mayor Vellejo, draws you in and around the space leading you to the large fabric structure inspired by a tranditional Korean home, known as a hanok.

The colours were rich and evocative, transporting you to a different world to the one that was most likely rushing past just a few metres away. And while these were amazing, my favourite piece from our visit was yet to come.

Now isn’t that just amazing?

I believe this piece as Grandmothers (2022) which alongside was the details: hand-sewn and machine-stitched mixed fabrics, bleached and dyed denim, shell buttons and dried flowers. So once again I’ve been drawn to a piece which mixes and matches to great effect and layers textures and materials. I wasn’t surprised that this was the wow piece for me, even though everything I’ve shown in this post was pretty special.

So a late afternoon-early evening well spent, visiting a gallery we’d not been to before and experiencing artists we’d not known about before our visit either. We were also lucky enough not to get rained on and treated ourselves to a steak at the Flat Iron in relatively nearby Spitalfields, which also didn’t disappoint.

All in all a hugely successful impromptu visit, and I’m hoping we’ll have many more of these as the year progresses, wherever we may be!

Sculpture and texture at the Soap Yard

There’s nothing better than a sunny, lazy Sunday and our trip to Parrillan in the newly opened Borough Yards will take quite a bit to beat. Not only was there great food and a relaxing space, but there was also a visit to the nearby Neal’s Yard Dairy, a great unexpected sculpture and of course, time to check out the loos.

It wasn’t until we were through the bricked arch that I turned round and spotted the painted sign to the Soap Yard - the brickwork, and the neon signs pulled me towards them, but I soon backtracked to admire this too. Both are from different times, but both are equally design classics aren’t they?

Once through the arch and after taking a photo of almost every brick, I noticed the globe sculpture titled The World Reimagined - Stolen Legacy: The Rebirth of a Nation, which is by Alison Turner. It’s one of 103 unique globes across the UK which explore the history, legacy and future of the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans.

Alison Turner is a mosaic artist who uses recycled vintage bone china, broken and discarded pottery, glass, ceramic tile and porcelain ornaments to create unique artwork. Her globe at Borough Yards was fantastic, and it’s the sort of piece that not only has deep meaning, but one that every time you look at it you’ll spot something different, and be enchanted again.

The World Reimagined - Stolen Legacy: The Rebirth of a Nation – Artist: Alison Turner

We were early for our lunch reservation so took some time to wander around the space admiring yet more brickwork, and the structures they formed. I couldn’t help but notice and admire the curved reception desk at Parrillan which I’m sure was chosen to echo its surroundings.

It soon became clear though, that texture had been given a lot of thought. Even the lemon meringue pie - which was as tasty as it looks - adopted the brief.

And in the loos it was once again evident, with the panelled metal sheet on the ceiling, the smooth sink surrounds and the curves and symmetry of the mirrors and wall lights, demonstrating again that you can be adventurous with texture in a relatively small space.

Back outside we moved from our table to a less formal space to end our meal. There were a few discoveries there, not least the heated seat pads (not pictured). Who knew, what an invention though sadly we had no need for them on our visit, but definitely something to try on a future, slightly chillier visit!

The modern wooden bench also caught my eye for its simple elegance, and the texture it too brought to the space. Alongside it the planting introduced more, the needles of the pine and the underplanting of soft mossy mounds. That’s how you do texture.

But also, succulents and small frothy ferns. What a combination.

Rebel, Rebel - beautiful and timely

Last Friday while MOH went into the office for the first time ever in his current role, I decided to take in a new exhibition at the Barbican. That exhibition was Soheila Sokhanvari’s Rebel Rebel, in The Curve until 26 February if you fancy popping along, and explores the ‘contradictions of Iranian women’s lives between 1925 and the 1979 revolution - an explosive period of both liberation and commodification that proved short lived.’

The space - which is named well - contains miniature portraits of glamorous cultural figures from Iran and shares their stories of creative careers in a culture full of Western style, but not its freedoms. Entering the space it was clear it was going to be pretty special.

MONOLITH, 2022, Wood, metal, perspex mirrors and glitter

The portraits are small but the impact is large, especially against the hand-painted geometric pattern, based on traditional Islamic design, which covers the floor and walls of the space. The space is calming and a space for reflection.

There are so many inspirational stories contained within the exhibition and the exhibition guide shares so much more than the short summary I’m sharing here.

Googoosh (1950- )

Known as Googoosh, Faegheh Atashin is possibly the biggest star of 20th century Iran, who began performing at 3, becoming a child star at just 7. She’s known for her prolific music-making releasing more than 200 songs in the 60s and 70s. She was imprisoned for a short time and released on the condition of no more singing in public, though she relaunched her career in 2000 when she was allowed to leave the country again.

Her short hair cut was known as the ‘Googooshy’ - and there aren’t many people that get one of those named after them - I can think of two others, though I’m sure there’s more. The Purdey - yes I’m showing my age, and the Rachel - still old, but not quite so much!

If you’re none the wiser, the Purdey was from The Avengers and was Joanna Lumley’s character, and Rachel was from Friends.

GOOGOOSH 1950- The Love Addict (Portraits of Googoosh), 2019

Forouzan (1937-2016)

Filmfarsi superstar Forouzan’s breakthough role come in 1965 and made her reputation as one of Iran’s most alluring and bankable actors. She made more than 60 films and was the best paid female performer in the industry and remained in Iran after the Islamic revolution in 1979. She was released from prison after signing a letter of repentance, but her money and property were seized by the courts and she died in obscurity, never giving interviews again.

FOROUZAN 1937-2016 - Hey Baby I’m a Star (Portrait of Forouzan), 2019

It’s clear that each of the portraits are a labour of love using the ancient technique of egg tempera - painted onto calf vellum with a squirrel-hair brush. The exhibition title borrowed from David Bowie’s song pays tribute to the courage of these female stars as the 1979 revolution left them with a stark choice: renounce any role in public life or be forced into exile. Given the demonstrations currently taking place in Iran, this exhibition is timely though I’m sure it was already in the Barbican’s programme, but it really does give plenty of food for thought on history, and how things really haven’t changed in the intervening years.

But despite all of that, the courage of these women is remarkable, and for me that was summed up in one of the posters in the shop.