Berlin

So me and my friend Holly went to Berlin. Here is some of what we saw! 

If you've never been to Berlin, you should definitely go! There are so many cool 'stumble upon' shops and little cafes with delicious cakes and hidden allies with secret art works and grafitti. It's so fun!

Z x

Yellena James

Spore, Pen and Ink on Paper, 2009

I first came across Yellena James' work a while back, during an afternoon spent lounging around in my pyjamas, eating anything and everything I came across and typing random words into Pinterest to see what came up. Trust me, Pinterest is dangerous. MANY hours can be spent (wasted) on Pinterest. But I was completely content. Nothing could have touched me in that wonderful little bubble I'd created. 

I'd typed in 'illustration' into the search bar, and so many exciting images were popping up, from cat's wearing birthday hats, to cute little girls with pig-tales riding bikes, it was wonderful! And then I came across Yellena James. I was hooked immediately. Her illustrations are amazingly intricate, delicate and beautiful and I wanted them all! They have a magical almost alien feel to them, as though she is depicting scenes from another world, and the names that she uses are very natural and 'organic' (I hate using that word, but I can't think of a better one right now!).

Synthesis, Acrylic on Wood, 2010

Trove, Pen and Ink on Paper, 2009

Yellena is originally from Sarajevo, though now lives and works in the US where she's had many exhibitions, and created pieces for brands such as Nike and Anthropolgie! 

She uses fine point pens, markers and acrylic paint (from what I can see) to create beautifully intricate pieces of art and the fluidity of the lines and many layers of pattern is mesmerising! They look a little bit like coral don't you think?

Pods, Pen and Ink on Paper, 2009

For my birthday this year, I was given a print called 'Pods' by my lovely housemate who had picked up on a completely unintentional (yet extremely obvious) hint I'd left after gushing about how much I loved these prints! So it was a lovely surprise when I opened the package to find a print all of my own! Yellena had even put a lovely illustrated thank you note to my friend for buying the print and it's little touches like this that make it feel even more special!

VS, Acrylic on Wood, 2010

Watercrest, Pen and Ink on Paper, 2009

What do you think about Yellena James? She's great right?! Check out her website here and here to see more. 

Z x

Pascale Marthine Tayou - 'Boomerang'.

On Sunday afternoon, I decided to take a stroll through Hyde Park and check out what was on at The Serpentine Gallery. Having only moved to London last year, I'm still in the honeymoon phase of exploring the area and parks around me and believe it or not, I had never even properly been to Hyde Park before! So I took advantage of my free afternoon and moseyed through Hyde Park in search of The Serpentine Gallery. There are actually two galleries, both of which I visited - but it was the exhibition by Pascale Marthine Tayou that really had me interested! 

Image via The Serpentine Gallery

Tayou's exhibition 'Boomerang' was on display, some of which had been created especially for the gallery space. It was completely encapsulating and I really felt that each piece was carefully selected and displayed to work beautifully with the space. 

As I entered The Serpentine Sackler gallery, I was greeted by what appeared to be a vast mass of multicoloured intertwined socks. This grand and impressive sculpture was just an introduction to the beautiful, colourful and thought provoking works of Pascale Marthine Tayou, a Belgium based artist who draws inspiration from his native country, Cameroon. 

Using both natural materials and found objects, Tayou tackles ideas of personal and national identity as well as globalisation and consumption which were prominent themes for him, growing up during a time of social and political unrest in Western Cameroon. I was so drawn to these beautiful works, which were not only visually incredible, but also provocative in the message that they were portraying. As seen in the pictures above, Tayou has also written statistics on the walls around the gallery with numbers of people affected by pollution or radiation as a result of global consumption, which also give the works a context with which to view and understand them. 

Studying History of Art at university, Tayou's work really reminded me of two artists I wrote about for my dissertation; Romuald Hazoume and Yinka Shonibare. Both artists deal with notions of globalisation and consumption in today's world and force the viewer to confront these issues head on.

Romuald Hazoume - Chantou, 2013

(Image via October Gallery)

Yinka Shonibare - Flower Power Kid (Suicide), 2013 

(Image via Yinka Shonibare)

All three artists tackle the idea of globalisation and the often damning affects that it has had on the planet. The notion of identity is also a prominent theme for all three artists, who highlight the contrasts between the western world and their respective African countries, but also the way that the two overlap. With such a depth of context in each of their works, it makes for an extremely inspiring and thought provoking experience. 

If you're looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon (or whenever really!) I would definitely recommend going to see 'Boomerang' at the Serpentine Sackler gallery. It's on until 17th May and even if you're not really into art, it really is a cool exhibition; a visual feast if you will... so don't miss it! 

Z x