London: Tea Time in Wonderland

La ballade commence des les bords de la Tamise. 25 arbres se drapent de rouge a pois blanc… Si des notes au sol indiquent qu’il s’agit la d’oeuvre d’art a respecter, les passants se les sont tout de meme appropries, y laissant des messages, des dessins…

Plus haut la Hayward propose d’explorer l’esprit des artistes. Quel est leur imaginaire? Leur mecanisme de creation? Quels rouages?

10 artistes s’y sont essaye.

Yoshitomo Nara presente les frontieres entre l’artiste et son public avec une adorable maisonnette de bois. Si vous pouvez epier a travers les fenetres, il vous est impossible d’y entrer. Vous etes dans une semi penpmbre mais l’interieur est eclaire, gai, des tiroirs pleins, des badges, des jouets, des dessins au mur, de nombreuses influences manga, bref du kawai. La separation, tres fine, de deux mondes. L’artiste, libre dans son propre monde, nous, coinces au dehors… Qui est vraiment enferme? Quel est finalement, l’espace le plus petit?

Pour Thomas Hirschhorn, l’imaginaire reste caverneux, explorez-donc ces tunnels de scotch marron, presque un labyrinthe… Des idees repetees a l’infini, de la fausse dynamite (l’instinct d’autodetruction? Le genie eclatant?), des piles de cannettes vides, de pierres, de mannequins de cartons… 4 caves symbolisant le cerveau humain, dont on se sent legerement prisonniers…

Bien sur, on se precipite vers l’oeuvre Yayoi Kusama, presqu’hallucinatoire avec ces miroirs, ces immenses formes rouges a pois blanc (son theme prefere), les limites indefinies de l’espace, de l’imagination. Souffrant de troubles mentaux, l’artiste a choisi de transformer son obsession en art mais aussi… de vivre en hopital psychiatrique.

Mon prefere reste la piece decoree par Chiharu Shiota, fascinee par les liens tisses entre souvenir et oubli: trois magnifiques robes blanches comme emprisonnees dans une cocon de laine tres complexe. Tres beau contraste de couleur, mais aussi de formes entre douceur des robes contre le trianguaire des lignes. L’impression d’entrer dans un conte de fee, presqu’une illustration a l’encre de Chine…

Tres gai, tres divers, tres psychedelique, comme de passer d’une hallucination a l’autre, un etat de reve permanant. Si vous aimez l’art moderne, courez-y!

Quantites d’autres oeuvres vous reservent des surprises, passez egalement sur les terrasses.

La Hayward ne recommande pas l’expo aux petits, deux pieces etant assez hardcore.

Hayward Gallery
Walking in my mind
South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road
London
SE1 8XX
Metro / tube: Waterloo or Embankment
Jusqu’a / Until 06 September 2009
Adulte / adult: £9
Enfant / Child 12-18: £4.50
Ouverture jusqu’a 22.00 le jeudi soir
Late opening till 22.00 every Thursday.

The walk actually starts on Southbank, along the Thames. 25 trees have been draped in red with white dots. Although signs indicate that this is art and should be respected, passers-by have made it their own, signing and leaving messages there…

A little higher, the Hayward Gallery explores the artists’ mind. What is their world like? How does their brain create?

10 artists have taken the challenge.

Yoshitomo Nara presents the limits between the artist and his public through a cute wooden house. You can spy through the windows but not get in. The light is dimmed on your side, bright inside with flashy colours, toys, kawau objects, drawing on the walls, manga influence… The separation is so thin between the two worlds. But who is locked, really? Is the artist locked in his imagination? Or are we locked out from it? Which space actually is smaller?

Thomas Hirschhorn sees imagination as some kind of cave and invites tou to come and explore tunnls covered in brown cellotape, almost a maze. The walss are covered with quotes, photocopied papers, empty drink cans, cardboard dummies… Even fake dynamite – the artist’s autodestruction instinct? Or exploding genius? 4 caves symbolysing the human brain, almost closing on you.

Of course, we all rush to Yayoi Kusama’s room, almost an hallucination with those mirrors, those huge red shapes with white dots (her favourite themes), the absence of limits to space and creativity… Have a look here to learn a little more about her. Sufffering from mental problems, the artist decided to transform her obession into art but also.. to live in a psychiatric hospital.

My favourite remains the part decorated by Chiharu Shiota, fascinated by the threads linking rememberance and oblivion: three splendid white dresses emprisonned in a balck wool cocoon. Look at the contrast of colours, the lightness of the construction, the clash of shapes: the softness of the dresses against the triangular lines. You feel you have walked straight into a book, almost an ink illustration.

Very diversified exhibition, psychedelic for sure, as if walking forn an hallucination to another, dreaming awake. if you like modern art, run and see it!

Many more suprises await – don’t forget to have a look at the terrasses.

The Hayward doe not recommend it for small children, understandable as a couple of rooms are a little hardcore.