Paper: Saatchi Gallery

The Summer show at Cambridge Contemporary Art opened yesterday, and I was interested in seeing this show at the Saatchi Gallery about other artists who also work with paper, so jumped on my bike and cycled over to the King's Road. The Saatchi Gallery is a really nice exhibition space and the show, was I think, a mixed bag with some pieces which were really weak, or had a tenuous link with the paper theme, and others that really inspired me. I feel the curator could have created a stronger show by including internationally known paper artists like Peter Callesen, perhaps. Amongst my favourites in the show however were:-

Eric Manigaud who creates these amazing drawings from old photographs which are enlarged to larger than life scale. Manigaud shows masterly control in his use of shade, tone, and concentration when working on such a huge scale.

Jodie Carey takes copies of the Daily Mail and recycles them to make these fantastic flower arrangements below, which she then stains with tea, coffee and blood etc. to create something sculptural and stunning, but also slightly sinister.

Jose Lerma & Hector Madera made an impact with this massive bust of the former boxer Emmanuel Augustus which I thought was playful and fun. It looks as if he has gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson with the crumpled finish of the paper and those wonky lips.

Marcelo Jacome created what was probably my favourite piece in the exhibition shown below. Planos-pipas is an assemblage of paper kites which adds a flight of fancy, and some colour to the show. It uses the gallery space really well, and reminds me of a dragon or serpent snaking its way through the gallery. I would like to see it animated or given movement in some way.

Paper at The Saatchi Gallery continues until September 29th.