May has been an inspiring and eye-opening month having attending previews of both Photo London and Art 16 last week, Katherine has uncovered a vibrant and diverse selection of prints, painting and photographs at the country’s leading art fairs.
From the 19-22 May, Somerset House played host to a to a compelling international edit of images showcasing the talents of photographers and curators from around the world. Among the diverse collections of work, Katherine was instantly taken by a stunning print of Rudolf Koppitz’s Bewegungsstudie from 1925. Extremely rare in its original form, this gorgeous vintage print could be a unique find and would have been the result of specialist technique as gaslight prints require a long exposure with a darkroom illuminated just enough to see, but not enough to risk the over-exposure of the paper. One of the leading representatives of art photography in Vienna between the wars, it is clear that the technical process behind Rudolf’s artwork has contributed enormously to its resonance.
Katherine also attended the preview of Art 16 at Olympia London, which featured the work of renowned artists and talent from every continent. She was particularly drawn to Hisashi Indo’s abstract minimal oil on canvas paintings. He sometimes applied up to 16 layers of paint to achieve a form of complex simplicity with every meticulous layer. More show-stealing artwork came from painter Kyung-Ja Rhee whose paintings in Indian ink on Korean paper are a study and contemplation of marshy fields that transform the lonely and desolate scene of life in the marshes into a meditation on the flow of desolation and quietness.
Find out more about the contemporary art represented by Katherine Maginnis here. Follow Katherine Maginnis on Twitter and Instagram for regular updates and news.