Mire Lee - Open Wound at Tate Modern Turbine Hall, London

Mire Lee - Open Wound

 

The current installation in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern is Mire Lee's Open Wound (on until 16 March 2025).  The Turbine Hall is seen as an industrial womb in this installation where various "skins" - fabric sculptures suspended on chains - emerge from a machine coated with a liquid that drips from the machine's tentacles. Then they are moved to racks to harden before being added to the rest of the "skins" populating the Turbine Hall.  The installation is supposed to evoke images from both the textile industry and mining whilst also referencing the Turbine Hall's industrial past.

Mire Lee - Open Wound

The "skins" are drenched in a viscous liquid...

Mire Lee - Open Wound

Detail of a "skin"...

Mire Lee - Open Wound

Not sure whether this was the "skins" drying or being prepared to enter the machine...

Mire Lee - Open Wound

We are told Open Wound is supposed to remind us of a deserted construction site with "an atmosphere of futility and melancholy, where something has started to wither " whilst the "skins" are also supposed to "suggest an eerie solidarity".

Elsewhere in Tate Modern, I liked these by Petrit Halilaj.  These were large winged insects - moths - drawn to the lights.  He made these with his mother, Shkurte, using Kosovar fabrics and carpets. He wears them as costumes during performance pieces and often produces moth themed work. Apparently Halilaj used to chase moths around the house as a child.  His family home was destroyed in the Kosovo War (1998-99).  His work is bound up in memory and nostalgia... 

Petrit Halilaj - Do you realise there is a rainbow even if it's night!?

Petrit Halilaj - Do you realise there is a rainbow even if it's night!?

Petrit Halilaj - Do you realise there is a rainbow even if it's night!?

And the Catbus, which was part of Monster Chetwynd's installation - A Tax Haven Run By Women...

The Catbus is a character in Hayao Miyazaki's film, My Neighbour Totoro.  I wanted to climb aboard but it didn't look like that would be welcomed!

There's always something of interest at Tate Modern and apart from the special exhibitions, it's all free.  

Acaye Kerunen: Neena, Aan Uthii - PACE, London

Acaye Kerunen - Aleng 2 (I am Beautiful)

On a recent trip to London I took some time out to see the Acaye Kerunen exhibition: Neena, Aan Uthii (translated from Alur as - See me, I am here) at PACE (close to Regent St & Liberty's).  I first saw Acaye Kerunen's work at Unravel at Barbican, London - check it out here.  

Acaye Kerunen - Aleng 2 (I am Beautiful) detail

Acaye Kerunen is a Ugandan artist who works with local artisans to source natural materials from her country, which they dye, weave, braid and crochet.  She then turns them into sculptural assemblages.

Acaye Kerunen - Ouganda 2

The works represent the Ugandan environment as they can only be made from what grows.  The traditional work of women, rather than being made into everyday items, is presented as contemporary art.  The sculptures link human labour and the natural world and provide an alternative platform for traditional women's skills.

Acaye Kerunen - Ott Ker 2 (House of Reign) vessel & Yoo Leng (The Path is Clear) on wall

The passing down, through generations, of these artisanal skills suggests a collective memory is at work here.

Acaye Kerunen - The Reckoning

Acaye Kerunen - The Reckoning (detail)

Acaye Kerunen - Yoo Unen (The Path has Revealed Itself)

Made of such materials as bark cloth, raffia, banana fibre, sisal and palm leaves, dyed with natural dyes, they are very colourful and tactile...

Acaye Kerunen - Kaka Lengu (Place of Beauty)

I thought this was a great exhibition. It's on until Saturday 15 February.  It's not very large but well worth a visit.

Cordage & Structures with Alice Fox at West Dean College, Bloomsbury Campus, London

 

Alice Fox's Cordage Structures

I recently went on a short course at West Dean College's Bloomsbury Campus in London which is quite near Kings Cross Station (handy for me).  The workshop was led by textile artist, Alice Fox and we were taught to make cordage from repurposed materials.  Once we had made some cordage, we were also taught how to make some simple structures.  It was great fun although very time consuming.

Here is some of the cordage I made from recycled fabric, a plastic bag and some newspaper....

Cordage from fabric, newspaper and a plastic bag

I also made some cordage from tissue paper which is easier to make than cordage from newspaper...

Tissue paper cordage

These are my newspaper pots...

Coiled and stitched newspaper pot

Looped newspaper pot

And these are my woven structures...

Flat woven fabric cordage

Woven pocket from fabric cordage

We also had a go at some random weaving which I did with some detritus from the beach...

Random weaving with synthetic rope from  the beach

I'm looking forward to making more!