Contemporary Art London For Newbies
Vyner Avenue is in Bethnal Green, East London and is the hotbed of cutting edge contemporary art in London. You’ll find other art galleries showing interesting art throughout London, centrally and in West London.
In East London, you’ll come across a small enclave of art galleries. Arriving at Bethnal Green Tube and after strolling for about ten minutes along Cambridge Heath Road is Vyner Avenue. Upon arriving, there exists nothing to suggest you will discover art galleries here.
Upon entering Vyner Avenue there can be a garage on the proper hand side specialising in repairing black cabs plus the overall feeling is 1 of neglect. Slowly you begin to get the picture. The galleries here are all hidden in unmemorable buildings with iron bars over the windows and it truly is only the door buzzer displaying the gallery name that gives the game away. Walking past them; Madder 139, Kate Macgarry and Nettie Horn to mention but three strolling further along it even becomes a bit creepy.
Arriving at the end of Vyner Avenue you see Wilkinson. The perception that all East London contemporary art galleries have corroding brick work and barred windows is shattered. This magnificent gallery is like no other building in the area. It appears surreal to come across such a structure in these surroundings; the ultra modern facade of Wilkinson is something to behold.Contemporary Art in London is really growing.
Pressing the buzzer plus the immense black door swings open. The inside can be a shell made up of customary “white space.” On the upper level there exists an exhibition of the work of Renzo Martens. You’ll find various sofas and a projector, the exhibition isn’t of paintings but can be a film plus the theme is “enjoy poverty.” It’s a magnificent film.
Martens trys to bring across an notion, namely the western world trying to turn African poverty into a commodity; photographers taking pictures of malnutrition and despair and selling them to the media; UNICEF giving rain covers to use as roofs on shelters, yet somehow the covers all have the UNICEF logo on them, like some type of corporate sponsor. It’s a very clever, well thought out and excellent exhibition. Hopefully Vyner Avenue will remain a vibrant hotbed of art for years to come with many a fine contemporary art gallery London.
Post a comment