ARTS & EXHIBITIONS

Arnolfini welcomes you to explore the alchemical practice of internationally renowned artist Bharti Kher, in a major solo exhibition of drawing, sculpture, and the spaces that lie between. Including new and previously unseen works created during a residencies in Somerset in 2017 and 2019, The Body is a Place also features Kher’s monumental bindi drawings, the playful and political drawing-based installation Links in a Chain, sculptures made from found objects and plaster casts, and a new encounter with her site-specific bindi work Virus; part of a 30-year project begun by the artist in 2010. The Body is a Place is accompanied by a programme of film, music, talks and workshops for all ages, as well as a new publication available through Arnolfini Bookshop.

• arnolfini.org.uk; 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA

Image: Body Incantatory 21, 2019. © Bharti Kher. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo Dominic Brown Photography

Throughout midwinter the gallery will be filled with an inspiring variety of original paintings, printwork and sculpture, fine ceramics and handcrafted jewellery. The mixed show will encompass 100 million-year-old stone carved into new life, timeless limited edition bronzes, cutting edge digital prints, deeply atmospheric landscapes, light filled still life compositions, elegantly simple porcelain bowls and vases, silver, gold and semi-precious stones, crafted and combined with freshness and ingenuity. For winter, the galley is celebrating creative individuality and its ability to move and surprise you.

• cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk; 25 Portland Street, Clifton, BS8 4JB

The winter exhibition at Rainmaker Gallery showcases Pacific Northwest Coast ‘formline’ serigraphs from Tlingit artist Preston Singletary and Coast Salish print makers Peter and Araquin Boome. Also featured is a glorious formline wolf painting by Alaskan artist Crystal Worl (Tlingit and Athabascan), minimalist serigraphs by Jordan Ann Craig (Northern Cheyenne) and fine art photographic portraiture from the amazing Cara Romero (Chemehuevi). Each work of art has been selected for a seasonal palette of red, black and white.

• rainmakerart.co.uk; 140 Whiteladies Road, BS8 2RS

The world of craft is full of fun, something that is particularly well represented at The Stradling Collection. In this spirit, the gallery is delighted to announce its selling exhibition Crafts for Christmas, an exhibition of twelve Bristol artists and makers, featuring ceramics, drawings, jewellery, glass, prints, cards and photographs. Pick up a truly unique Christmas present for someone special, a treat for yourself, or just go in and have a look.

• stradlingcollection.org; 48 Park Row, Bristol BS1 5LH

Image courtesy of The Stradling Collection

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is back at M Shed with a brand new set of images capturing the breathtaking diversity of the natural world. From fascinating animal behaviour to remarkable species, 100 powerful photographs illustrate the precious beauty of our planet.

The images shine a light on stories from all over the world and convey the impact of human activity in ways that words cannot. Now in its 58th year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world. Launching in 1965, today the competition receives entries from over 90 countries all over the world.

Winning images are selected for their creativity, originality and technical excellence by a panel of international experts.

• bristolmuseums.org.uk; Princes Wharf, Wapping Road, BS1 4RN

The RWA’s renowned Annual Open Exhibition is back for its 169th year with a stunning variety of work from emerging and established artists. Most notably, two water colours painted by His Majesty The King (when he was The Prince of Wales) have been installed in the main gallery at the RWA, and included as part of its Open Exhibition. The RWA is now the first art gallery in the UK ever to exhibit the art of a reigning British monarch as part of an Open Exhibition. The dynamic and varied exhibition includes painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation and mixed media and is a showcase of some of the most exciting artists from across the country. All work will be for sale making the Annual Open a perfect opportunity to discover new artists or invest in well-known names. Located in a spectacular Grade II* listed building in the heart of the city, the RWA is the UK’s only Royal Academy of Art housed in its own, original, purpose-built gallery. The building has recently completed a £4.5m transformation –opening up access for all. It provides opportunities for everybody to get creative and feel inspired. Through its extensive programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, talks and lectures, the RWA is committed to providing great art for everybody, and to promoting the understanding and enjoyment of art for the widest possible audience.

• rwa.org.uk; Queens Road, Clifton, BS8 1PX

Pictured: Kilphedir Pool on The River Helmsdale, Sutherland (HRH 2015.06) and Brecon Beacons from Llwynywermod (HRH 2016.05)

From Chris Yeo, Valuer at Clevedon Salerooms and regular expert on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow

Christmas - or rather how we celebrate it – is something else we can add to the long list of things for which we have the Victorians to thank.

Much of what we think of as a merrie old English Christmas has more to do with the writings of Charles Dickens than our actual medieval ancestors. For the Georgians, Christmas was an antiquated curiosity but, with their love of all things hearth and home, the Victorians saw it as a golden opportunity to really stamp their mark on the Christian festival. By 1850 there were Christmas decorations, crackers and the sense that Christmas was a time for family and friends. As Tiny Tim observed: “God bless us, every one.”

Henry Cole was a man of his time, the sort of versatile Victorian who could achieve just about anything he set his mind to. He helped invent the modern postal system, designed tea sets, organised the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace and still found time to establish the Victoria and Albert Museum. He moved in elite social circles and had lots of friends. But at Christmas 1843 those friends were causing him much worry. The problem was their letters. The custom of sending a long letter to a friend or loved one at Christmas was enjoying renewed popularity. Everybody was sending Christmas letters and it was considered bad manners not to reply to them. For a busy man like Cole, this was a problem. As the pile of unanswered letters grew, he fretted over what he should do.

Cole hit on an ingenious idea. He approached an artist friend, J.C. Horsley, and asked him to create an illustration of a family enjoying their Christmas lunch. He then had copies made by a London printer on stiff card. Each card was printed with the greeting “A Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year To You.” It was the first Christmas card. A thousand cards were printed but very few have survived. Not so long ago, a card signed and sent by Henry Cole himself sold for a record £22,500 at auction. Merry Christmas! ■ • clevedonsalerooms.com; @chrisyeo_antiques (Instagram)

The First Christmas Card. Sir Henry Cole. commons.wikimedia

Art collector and dealer Saira Kalimuddin shares her tips on how to appreciate Modernist art...

As a collector and dealer of Mid-Century Modern (MCM) art, I am surrounded by an ever- growing collection of unique, distinctive and often very charming array of paintings and prints. The term ‘Modern’ in art refers to a massively wide genre that encompasses a myriad of different styles or movements –think Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism, Minimalism, Expressionism, Abstract Expressionism, the list could go on and on. If you are familiar with these movements, you’ll be able to identify them in ‘Modern’ paintings quite quickly. But I think it is also worth knowing a different approach to appreciating art, one that is less about understanding historical contexts or agendas, and more about trusting your gut, letting your eyes wander, and allowing yourself to feel.

To give you some context, Modernism is an art movement that rejects the old way of realistically depicting people or objects, and moves towards experimentation with form (the shapes, colours and lines that make up the work), and an emphasis on materials, techniques and processes.

Artists working under a Modernist ethos don’t want to represent things simply as we see them. They want to incorporate their own emotions and bring attention to the things we normally overlook. By not depicting what they see around them in a realistic way, they can really embrace their imagination and their unconscious, and unleash their creativity. They don’t have to work within the rules of the natural world, and are set free to play with new inventions, and transport themselves (and the viewer) to different worlds.

For example, if you look at a realistic painting of a view out of a window, you’ll notice the view. But a Modernist painting might try to make you notice the actual paint on the canvas, the shape of that window and how it plays with the shapes of things within the view. The artist might also change up the colours completely, so that you get an idea of the artist’s mood and emotions in the process of painting.

So, here are my top three key points in learning how to look, and hopefully appreciate, modern art:

There is a famous art book by John Berger first published in 1972 called Ways of Seeing. Berger began with the assertion that a baby learns to see before it learns to talk, read or compute things in the world. A child reacts to its surroundings with electrons and neurons firing off in the brain to form new connections and knowledge centres. This act of visual perception inevitably leads to thoughts and verbal reactions, much in the same way that art stimulates first the eye, then the brain.

So, relieve yourself of the idea that you need to ‘understand’ an artwork. Although it can be interesting and useful to know what the artist was thinking, or how different factors (political, social or physical conditions) affected his or her hand, your personal relationship with a work of art, however superficial, is just as (if not more) important to your own understanding or appreciation of the work than any prescribed meaning the artist was striving for.

If Modernist artists were working under the ethos of freedom, then freedom should be your guiding light to looking!

Lead with your eyes and notice the physical qualities of the artwork. Let your eyes scan the artwork from left to right, up and down, background to foreground, and then all around. Pick out shapes and forms, notice if they repeat throughout the picture. Pay attention to the texture of the paint: is it thick or thin; does it have any other material added to it; do you see areas of impasto (where the paint is applied so thickly it stands proud of the surface)? If you’re looking at a sculpture or a relief work, see if you can spot any shadows cast by its form. If it is a painting, pay attention to whether the artist has let the canvas show through. If they have, more often than not that is a conscious attempt to remind you that this is paint on a surface, and not an imitation of reality.

If a painting is framed, it can be quite enjoyable to look at the frame as a work of art in itself. Often a wide-profile frame can draw your focus inwards towards the painting and encourage you to focus in on details. Colours on the frame can play with colours within the picture, highlighting certain shades or tones that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Whenever I speak to people who are new to collecting or buying art, I always encourage them to start with a piece that reminds them of a place they’ve been to, someone they know, or a piece of music they’ve listened to.

Even if an artwork doesn’t resemble anything recognisable, its texture, colour or tactility could make you feel a certain way. Perhaps you want to reach out and touch it, or perhaps it gives you the ‘heebie-jeebies’ (and don’t forget a negative response still means it had an impact!). The same way listening to music can make you feel a certain way, art is much the same, if you let it.

In a nutshell, remember that enjoying art doesn’t have to be about names, dates, and historical context. One of the main reasons why I buy and collect Modern Art is that it reminds me that I don’t always have to make sense of things; sometimes it is important to let go. As Pablo Picasso said, “The world doesn’t make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?” n • Saira Kalimuddin is co-founder of The Discerning Palette, a Bristol-based online art gallery and educational resource for MidCentury Modernist art. Follow @discerningpalette on Instagram, and view the collection at discerningpalette.com