British Art Show 8

Magali Reus / Nicolas Deshayes

All summer, British Art Show 8 has been based in Norwich. It's being held at the castle which you have to pay for and at the art uni which is free. It leaves on Sunday (4th Sept) and we didn't go until Wednesday because we're goofs. Anyway, we haven't the funds this month for the paid bit but we went to check out the free bit. I've been desperate to see some art so I'm lucky this was happening where I live.

Some of it was really cool and some of it was far too middle class art student and try hard. It's one of those things that I can't put my finger on but something can be absolutely ridiculous 'art' and feel real and be awesome and then something else can just feel lame and like they don't want everyone to be able to enjoy it, pandering to 'art' people that want to be superior to people who don't 'get' it. And that's just dumb.



Two of my favourite pieces were installations by Benedict Drew and Laure Prouvost and are in the video but I don't have photos of. I didn't read the information about either of them, I flit between wanting to read everything and knowing what it is I'm looking at and then not caring at all and just experiencing it for myself. To be honest I think you shouldn't need the info plaques other than to credit the artist/date/materials type info. Art maybe shouldn't need an explanation? I don't know. Nothing like that is going to be true for every case but I definitely enjoyed these ones not knowing anything about them. I just wanna say that the video doesn't exactly make it look like I'm taking any of it seriously but to be honest the fact I was relaxed enough to be silly is due to the fact that I was enjoying the piece more than something that I just look at sternly and move on from. A laugh doesn't always mean derision, it can just mean 'wow, this is good'. And lining your shadow crotch up with the vagina shell is just good sense.
   
Aaron Angell


Charlotte Prodger

Anthea Hamilton / Caroline Achaintre

My other favourite were these wall hangings. I could look at them for ages. It's really cool how you can see the faces from afar but if you're too off to the side or too close they look completely different.


Caroline Achaintre

After the exhibition we went to Tiger to check out the new David Shrigley range. It's really cool, as you can see in the vlog. I'll definitely be getting a few bits from it. I just need to figure out if I really need a tote bag (I have to walk so far all the time I use backpacks to save my back), which socks I like best and what I need an a4 plain paper book for that isn't really good for drawing in because that 'I love lists' book is something I very much need.

The art show is on it's way to Southampton for the last chunk of the year (and some of January) so if you're down that way go get some free art in your eyes or if it's not the 4th yet check it out in Norwich before it leaves (o^▽^o)