ING Discerning Eye - exhibitions by Nicole Farhi and Larry Lamb. |
...and got to meet Larry Lamb, one of this year's selectors and Tony Humphreys, the CEO of The Discerning Eye charity who were both chatting to a well known lady who I very much suspect will become one of next year's selectors - but I'm not saying who! :)
However as this review is coming late in the day I'm going to very much focus on highlighting the work I liked and anything that might be useful for those submitting in future years
What I liked about the mini-exhibitions
The ING Discerning Eye is interesting because it's six mini exhibitions making up one large exhibition.I loved the sparse and beautifully hung exhibition of the 42 pieces chosen by Stephen Doherty (Director of Visitor Communications for Somerset House). My eye kept being drawn back to it.
Stephen Doherty seems to be a ladnscape fan. |
I also loved a lot of the landscapes that he had chosen
Nicole Fahri has an awful lot in her exhibition (109 pieces) - but it worked as she wove themes and artworks together. It also demonstrated very clearly how you can mix very diverse works together - and it works - if you have a very discerning eye!
Nicole Fahri's selection and exhibition - lots of sculpture for somebody who has become a sculptor |
The left hand side of Larry Lamb's exhibition I loved the ceramics and sculpture at either end of this photo |
This is her website and her Facebook Page
(from top left clockwise) African Grey Parrot, Cockerel, Green-winged Macaw and Chicken mixed media by Caroline Convey |
Nevertheless the work hung on the grey feature wall carried extremely well across the room. She has 81 pieces in her exhibition.
Feature Wall in Emma Bridgewater's exhibition |
Small oil paintings by Daphne Todd |
However I did like some of the artwork he chose - and the selection below is the part of the exhibition I liked the best. There are 75 pieces in the exhibition.
This was the wall I liked best in Stephen Snoddy's exhibition It includes one of the prizewinners and four of the works on this wall had sold. |
I particularly liked the works on this wall by (left to right) Melanie Goemans (you MUST look at her website!), Therese Oulton and Beth Roberston Fiddes
I had no idea they were all women painters until I came to write this post as I tend to ignore the catalogue as I'm walking round and just judge paintings on the basis of the painting and not on who painted it.
A new look at landscape painting and trees by three woman artists |
Things that surprised me
Things that surprised me included:
- Despite this being an exhibition of small works, I was actually surprised just how small some of the artworks were that won prizes.
- More and more I'm noticing that members of the FBA art societies which exhibit at the Mall Galleries are being invited to exhibit their work in competitions such as this or are entering via the open entry. I think more should give it serious consideration. It's good to pitch your work against that of emerging artists!
Things that didn't surprise me
- As always, if you create a theme for your work and several are hung together they inevitably create a much better impression than 'various works' by the same artist which happen to fit the criteria on size. I'd very much recommend people submitting more than one work to think long and hard about whether multiple works 'work' as a whole as it's more than likely this will influence what gets chosen.
- Lots and lots of work with white, black and neutral wood or neutral colour frames can hang together - and very close together - really easily. However what does look really odd - to my eyes - in this company is the metallic looking or shiny frame.
Worth noting
If you want your artwork to stand out try submitting something that's a bit different. Here's my choice of 'the ones that looked different'.I absolutely adored the ceramic pots by the Japanese-born artist Hitomi Hosono with botanical features on the outside and gold lustre inside. This was the artwork I most wanted to take home with me. Oddly enough I also saw her work this month at the re-opening of the refurbished and refreshed Japanese Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum and was very struck by it there as well. If you want to be bowled over by it just put her name into Google and click the images page
She graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2009 with an MA in Ceramics and Glass. In 2014 she won the Jerwood Makers Open 2014. In 2013 she won the 2013 Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon Prize 2013
- This is her website and
- this is her Facebook Page and
- this is the Telegraph article Hitomi Hosono's botanical beauty
- she is represented by Adrian Sassoon
Banana Leaves Bowl (2015) by Hitomi Hosono ceramic £3,900 |
Somebody liked the idea because it sold at the preview. Larry Lamb was also kind and stood next to it so I could send her photo of who got her into the ING!
Larry Lamb and the sketchbook in a box exhibited by Sarah Wimperis On the Road (completed this summer in France) SOLD |
Works by Kitty Stirling. |
Note to the Board: Maybe not so many Stephens next year? It's confusing!
Related Links - 2015 and previous years
2015
- ING Discerning Eye 2015 - Call for Entries
- ING Discerning Eye 2015 - Selected Artists
- Prizewinners - ING Discerning Eye 2015
- All past exhibitions are archived here.
- Since 2008, the archive has included images of all works.
- The archive is indexed by both artist and selector and there is a full site indexavailable too.
2014
2013
- Jeremy Gardiner wins ING Discerning Eye Prize 2013
- ING Discerning Eye Exhibition 2013 - a review18 Nov 2013
- ING Discerning Eye 2012 - Selected Artists 01 Oct 2012
- Owen Bullet wins £5000 ING Discerning Eye Prize 21 Nov 2012
- ING Discerning Eye 2011 - Selected Artists 12 Sep 2011
- ING Discerning Eye - selected artists archive published 11 Aug 2011
- ING Discerning Eye 2010 - selected artists 25 Sep 2010
- REVIEW: The ING Discerning Eye exhibition 18 Nov 2010
- Exhibition Review - ING Discerning Eye 2009 16 Nov 2009
- Who's been selected for the ING Discerning Eye 2008? 10 Sep 2008
- ING Discerning Eye 2008 - Prizewinners 15 Nov 2008
- ING Discerning Eye 2008 - a review 13 Nov 2008
- ING Discerning Eye at the Mall Galleries 24 Nov 2007
Hi Katherine
ReplyDeleteThank you for featuring my work in your review and for the great photograph. I didn't get to the exhibition so I am glad to see my work in context and that you picked it out.
Melanie
My pleasure Melanie! Your artwork looked great.
ReplyDelete