Rebecca Horn Exhibition Review
So yesterday, Mum & I went to see the Rebecca Horn Bodylandscapes exhibition at the Hayward Gallery. I had personally never heard of Rebecca Horn and was quite suprised to see the Hayward Gallery completely packed (Although that could of had something to do with the cheap booze and good weather). On entering the exhibition - you are greeted with a video projected on the wall of Rebecca Horn in a gimp mask with pencils contraption, scratching across a piece of paper. I thought they weren't allowed sharp items in a mental hospital. The start of the exhibition just had that feel about it.
Now I think in order for something to be classed as art it must provoke a reaction and/or be aesthetically pleasing. I didn't find a lot of her work aesthetically pleasing but it did provoke a reaction in me. Some of the more interesting pieces were a collection of body extensions - one was a unicorns horn that sat atop her head and another was large circular wings that attached to her arms. A lot of her drawings were too white, too drab to have an impact. The large installations were strange contraptions which featured mechanical parts and water in a lot of cases. One was a bowl of water with a large pole touching the water and creating a big reflection on the wall, another was a spray gun attached to a measure of paint and wine. It had already covered the wall but there was a great sense of anticipation whether it would spray paint when it moved. I think it would have been better if it had, although Im sure there was probably an issue with insurance. Lastly, my favourite piece was a large blue room that almost gave you the feeling of being in a whale. It had a large square area of water and again a long pole that pricked the water to create ripples and reflections on the walls, in addition to this it had lots of projectors displaying large words on the walls and something that sounded like whale songs playing. It felt kinda spooky.
It was an interesting exhibition but not a favourite of mine. It was engaging but not as engaging as Eyes, Lies and Illusions nor as aesthetic as Roy Lichtenstein or Henri Cartier-Bresson. If installations is your thing check it out, otherwise probably give it a miss and head to Frida Khalo at the Tate Modern.
Now I think in order for something to be classed as art it must provoke a reaction and/or be aesthetically pleasing. I didn't find a lot of her work aesthetically pleasing but it did provoke a reaction in me. Some of the more interesting pieces were a collection of body extensions - one was a unicorns horn that sat atop her head and another was large circular wings that attached to her arms. A lot of her drawings were too white, too drab to have an impact. The large installations were strange contraptions which featured mechanical parts and water in a lot of cases. One was a bowl of water with a large pole touching the water and creating a big reflection on the wall, another was a spray gun attached to a measure of paint and wine. It had already covered the wall but there was a great sense of anticipation whether it would spray paint when it moved. I think it would have been better if it had, although Im sure there was probably an issue with insurance. Lastly, my favourite piece was a large blue room that almost gave you the feeling of being in a whale. It had a large square area of water and again a long pole that pricked the water to create ripples and reflections on the walls, in addition to this it had lots of projectors displaying large words on the walls and something that sounded like whale songs playing. It felt kinda spooky.
It was an interesting exhibition but not a favourite of mine. It was engaging but not as engaging as Eyes, Lies and Illusions nor as aesthetic as Roy Lichtenstein or Henri Cartier-Bresson. If installations is your thing check it out, otherwise probably give it a miss and head to Frida Khalo at the Tate Modern.
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