I went to the viewing of Wentworth’s show last night. He doesn’t want to call it a retrospective but it is really. The Daily Post’s Philip Key has already written a lengthy review and interview so I won’t repeat it all.
I particularly like the ‘False Ceiling’ which is a room with hundreds of books suspended from the ceiling to just above (my) head height. I think it works best when there aren’t many people in the room and you have a clear view of the whole thing and can see the shadows cast on the walls. I also like the series of photgraphs of strange accidental artworks that you can see on the streets (if you’re observant enough) called ‘Making Do and Getting By’.
I’m looking for an explanation of ‘Roland Barthes Desk’ which is a desk with a lot of different nails stuck in it. Don’t know much about Barthes so I searched and found some links..
‘Roland Barthes presented the postmodernist tradition with many useful specie of nomenclature by which to describe what is occuring semioticly within discourse’
Oh, I see.
I’m always surprised to see so many hundreds of people packing into the Tate previews, other galleries are lucky to attract more than 20 people – mostly the same die-hards like me. Especially as there’s no free drinks and the weather was foul, I got thoroughly soaked walking there, I have an irrational fear of handing my possessions over to a cloakroom so my dripping coat left a trail all round the gallery.
I believe the artist was there and I spotted Sarah Lucas, a former student of his who has her own show coming up at this venue later in the year.
Its a good exhibition but I’m sure the £4(3) entrance fee for non-members will put a lot of people off, shame.