Otaku Shoreditch Culture

Written by Nathan Gotlib

LONDON, September 2012 - Nothing beats a nice walk around East London and visiting your favourite gallery spaces. One of them is the ICN Gallery right off Great Eastern Street, and they have a pretty interesting show going on there at the moment. Besides enjoying amazing rice tea and eating rice-bun burgers and chicken teriyaki wraps, the space usually boasts an interesting display of upcoming Japanese artwork.

Their current gallery is divided in a few sub-sections. They have a permanent display of the 20>20 J-pop illustration prints, a collection of work by upcoming young Japanese artists. All of the prints displayed there are also for sale.

METAMORPHOSIS: CONTEMPORARY CONVERSATIONS AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY

Written by Nathan Gotlib

London, 24th July - So I had read about this exhibition in the newspapers and I happened to be in town to go and see the BP Portrait Awards 2012 (the show I try and go to every year, exquisite display of skill and draughtsmanship with an ever-increasing lack of content and concept). As the National Gallery is literally just around the corner, I thought I might as well have a look.

The exhibition features work by three contemporary artists: Mark Wallinger, Chris Ofili and Conrad Shawcross. All the work has been inspired by three paintings by Titian. The pinnacle of the work was the ballet performance at the Royal Opera House, a project all the artists worked on together with the Royal Ballet in response to Titan’s work.

WANDERLUST showcase by Jane Ward and Reginald S. Aloysius

Written by Barbara Mal

Fresh from the success of their work in Brave New World at London Art Fair 2012, artists Jane Ward and Reginald S. Aloysius have joined forces for the sake of creating a wonderful showcase (called Wanderlust) at Bearspace to a swarm of avid spectators.

Capturing, thought-provoking objects d’art of both Jane Ward and Reginald S. Aloysius made me realize the hidden meaning behind the exhibition’s title, which actually is a strong desire for voyage. Indeed, I felt like I was wandering, with a desire to find out more about artifacts stored in that confined space... Scattered bits and pieces, abstract lines and blurred images through which one could have possibly discovered silhouettes and patterns enchanted mind into the state of trance.

YOKO ONO "TO THE LIGHT" AT SERPENTINE GALLERY

Wish Trees 2012, photograph by Rosemary Marchant

Written by Rosemary Marchant

Until recently I had always thought of Yoko Ono as John Lennon’s wife who happened to be an artist, rather than as an interesting and influential artist in her own right. Her relationship with Lennon undoubtedly fuels people’s interest in her work and walking into the Serpentine to hear Lennon’s Imagine being played in the background emphasises this. Of course the tragedy of Lennon’s death influenced Ono’s work. But hearing the song made me begin to wonder if Yoko Ono really has been able to escape Lennon’s shadow, and if she even wants to.