We need a throw back to summer! 

Following on from our sporadic series of art & sculpture in the park! (or from far flung (ish)! places, like Matoshinhos beach). We got to view the artworks curated for the Frieze Sculpture exhibition, in Regent’s Park in August. Diverse, varied, interesting  and a vivid snapshot into the artist/s minds, and mixed media materials that they used, to convey a narrative.

 

The exhibition bought together 25 artists from 5 continents and it was such a joy to walk around the art, in a free exhibition, in the open air.  (And a gorgeous day to boot)! My favourites are the installations that seemed ‘just right’, in the open space and came alive in the park surroundings.

 

Richard Woods, ‘Holiday Home’, 2018, *see the lovely canary yellow house images. Enamel paint on birch plywood, from Alan Cristea Gallery. Impossible to live in, with no windows or doors; plays upon the idea of sought after locations and the booming market for second homes, amid a crisis of housing supply. I loved the vibrant yellow within the green grass park interior, dappled by summer sunshine. The yellow childish shape, that we all recognise and drew, growing up and the way ‘holiday home’ literally housed itself within the landscape. Inviting you in, like a Hansel and Gretel modern day house in the woods, but without the bread crumbs! A home from home.

 

A solid form with a sloping roof and a chimney, that suggested associations of safety and comfort.

 

Another installation, Sean Scully’s ‘Shadow Stack’, was a favourite too. The rusty patinered colour, (made from corten steel), against the backdrop of green, blue sky, grass and age old fir trees, again worked perfectly within the landscape. The contrast of a heavy, solid form and the openness of tree branches, was great juxtaposition. With the imperfect jutting stacked edge, reiterating the alternating stripe motif found in Scully’s Landline series of paintings. (From which the sculpture belongs to).

 

The colours, a huge variation of rusty dulled oranges are gorgeous, authentic, with the material being a great canvas for the changing weathered tones.

 

It was after reading a quote from Scully, “its about stacking, putting things in order,” that I realised that this was in part, why I liked it. ‘The stacking’, the imperfect jutting out balanced order calmed the mind and made sense to me. ‘Shadow Stack’ had a simple perfection to it.

 

If you missed Frieze Sculpture Park this summer, there’s more installations featured on our facebook page.

For one, we can’t wait for summer 2019 and more art in the park!