Liliane Lijn at Tate St Ives June 2025

 Liliane Lijn ‘Arise Alive’ Tate St Ives, 2025 May 23rd to November 2nd.

Liliane Lijn’s work fills the new gallery at Tate St.Ives, making a dramatic expression of her long life as an artist and she was there at the private view.
How great indeed to see a woman artist celebrated whilst still alive.

In the 60’s she began using technology to make kinetic work using acrylic and light and her  ‘Liquid Reflections’ which is viewed in a dark room is fascinating to watch as pairs of  spheres move about on circular platforms, occasionally bumping into each other or the rim with a soft sound and casting ever changing shadows and reflections.
This was made in 1968 and as a student I saw it in Nottingham. I even made my own circular platform with moving spheres afterwards. Mine was  plywood, mounted on bed springs so that it hovered if touched, and my many spheres were polystyrene coloured pink blue or a mixture of both. Mine was symbolic of people bumping into each other, a product of the excitement of being at college studying art and suddenly meeting lots of people. This makes me wonder if Lijn’s symbolises the meeting of two people.

Some ideas are in the air of an era. I find Yoko Ono exhibited one clear sphere on a plinth in 1964, with a conceptual label - ‘Pointedness 1964, first realised 1966. Crystal sphere, acrylic pedestal. Engraved: POINTEDNESS YOKO ONO 1964 / THIS SPHERE WILL BE A SHARP POINT WHEN IT GETS TO THE FAR CORNERS OF THE ROOM IN YOUR MIND”
Ono characteristically says a lot with a ‘less is more’ wit, contrasting with Lijn’s use of motors and technology.

Lijn also used prisms and I remember in 1971 being sent out to Tottenham Court Rd whilst studying to be an art teacher at London University ‘s institute of education to buy some, as many others must have done. 

Of course Tate as usual present an artist in a solo show with no context which is why I note that ideas are often widespread - but Lijn was able to seize the moment and made remarkable work with them.

Lijn comes from a wealthy family, met important people in the art world - surrealists in Paris, and she married Takis a wealthy successful Greek artist so  she was able to devote herself to art, even sending her son  away to be looked after by her separated parents in turn.
Her love life was rather turbulent until she met her current husband.

Alongside the cool quiet work there are paintings and sculptures that are linked to psychology, to archetypal figures of woman. 
Here Lijn uses colour and expressive marks to convey strong feelings. Her ‘ Good Mother, Bad Mother’  reminded me of Kokoschka in their swirling application of colour.
The two large sculptures, ‘Woman of War and Lady of the Wild Things’  that perform together on the hour using light, sound - sung by Lijn -  and spouts of steam - carry on the theme of woman as having strength, sometimes frightening, sometimes wild but welcoming.

The show is on until November and there is a lavishly illustrated book to accompany it plus Lijn’s memoir ‘Liquid Reflections’ which is an easily flowing candid account of her life.

Unfortunately Tate have discontinued the helpful booklets that used to inform and be a  memento of shows, but as photos are allowed you can make your own selection  of images and wall captions and also you may attend the talks that are given where your questions can be answered.

Lijn’s show is wonderfully varied and is likely to remain in the memory of visitors as a unique event as well as confirming her place in the canon of art history,



                     

Arena TV program on Salgado -photographer.

 Salgado:the Spectre of Hope - Arena, bbc,  directed by Paul Carlin, 2001

This program was repeated in June 2025 because the Brazilian photographer Sebastiao

Salgado died in May aged 81.
It was preceded by an Omnibus showing his vibrant pictures of manual labour.
The Arena program shows Salgado ‘ in conversation’ with John Berger although it’s more that they speak in turn.
The photography is impressive and shows people from various locations forced by the vagaries of capitalism into becoming migrants, desperate to find security for themselves and their families. Salgado spent years researching,  meeting the people, editing to choose the most expressive and emotive photographs, and he speaks movingly in imperfect English with apparent sincerity.

What I don’t like about the program is everything that isn’t Salgado undiluted.
There’s woozy romantic sad music. There’s John Berger reading poetry and making obscure remarks. The movie camera zooms in on the images and shots are overlaid, emerging from this obscuring artiness when I want to view the still photographs calmly in their stillness as Salgado took them and printed them and selected them for his book. His aim is to make us aware of these migrations and to question the political and economic system that causes them.
He asserts that in this system only one in four people benefit.
The film maker intersperses movie shots and words from people about their plight.

There are unfortunately no statistical facts to back up this vision but it is powerfully convincing in its  repetitive relentless pictures of desperate looking refugees, beautifully captured in black and white.
Nor is there any political thought or theory about how to change capitalism. That’s left to us to undertake.

It’s great to learn about the photography of this committed man Sebastiao Salgado.
But it’s not helped by this Arena programme’s style and approach.

Gauguin -a new book about this artist and his time in Polynesia

 ‘ Gauguin and Polynesia ‘ by Nicholas Thomas, 2024

This book is written by someone who knows Polynesia and has researched his subject.
He considers the usual things said of Gauguin as a person that are very critical of his character, and looks at his paintings in detail. There are good reproductions that enable the reader to also do this.

Nicholas Thomas warns against taking the Somerset Maugham book ‘The Moon  and Sixpence’ as giving us any truth about Gauguin although he inspired it.

The questions of Gauguin’s  exploitation of young girls as sexual partners and of how far he gave a nostalgic romanticised  view of a French colony are addressed seriously.
It made me consider that my first instinctive responses to the paintings as enjoyable were worth something.
It doesn’t make Gauguin into a saint but it helps to reassesss his attitudes and it’s a fascinating read.

There is a copy in Cornwall County library, otherwise it costs £40.

Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Exhibition at Falmouth Art Gallery May 2025

 I saw this in Falmouth, Cornwall, Uk in May 2025, but it has toured around the country and is an annual opportunity to submit work defined in any way as drawing.

Such variety - quite a lot of intricate pattern done for its own fascination.

There’s a catalogue to consult whilst there to find out more about each artist or you can buy one.

There is drawing on paper cups by Akash Byatt, a work made out of pencils arranged, Esteban Peña Parma, and the first prize winning wall of pottery vessel forms made out of steel wire by Max L Adam’s, each casting a shadow so ingenuity and unusual materials have been selected.

 

 

Then there are complex large works with social and political meanings like Simon Page’s ‘The End of Babel’ in  ink, and a big drawing evoking the huge space of ‘Kings’ Cross station’ in charcoal by Jeanette Barnes.

Marvellous portraits are there too - Jake Spicer’s ‘Esme’ in charcoal pencil and Roy Eastland’s silver point on gesso ‘Displaced Portrait’ from a series he made from found photos.

There is work to make you think, laugh, cry and feel moved to take up a drawing medium yourself.
Anyone can enter but most I look up have a long list of qualifications and exhibitions to show.

As I am leaving I find about 12 babies in nappies each with probably their mother, on a large mat, being introduced to the messy pleasures of paint. I’m so glad adult workshops aren’t held in public in our underwear, although it might give performance artists ideas. Most of the babies look completely bewildered.
However that’s not to say it’s not a pleasurable beginning to the possibilities of art.

And the drawing show in all its variety must stimulate a wide audience.

Artists' Book Fair at Exchange Penzance May 2025

 Jackie Chettur organised this artists’ book fair at Penzance’s Exchange gallery when they were between art shows. It was free to attend and the cafe was open for in my case a lukewarm hot chocolate that I was too impatient to have remade.

There were about 8 tables people had paid rent for and then two long tables with a selection sold with a small commission.

All sorts, from heavy volumes of images  and poetry to thin pamphlets made at home with a copier.

On the Friday evening there were various short talks. The first was virtually inaudible although I asked for them to speak louder, but things then improved.
Tina Kutter read moving details of how the situation of women in Afghanistan has deteriorated drastically since the Taliban took power.  She had these written on a scroll which was part of a group project, not for sale but presented in big red boxes to University librairies.

After a break Chloe confidently and amusingly performed a piece about the problems  using a copying machine.

Others spoke interestingly of their own groups or individual books. If there had been a printed list this would have helped audience members know names and titles and be able to google later.

There was a pleasant atmosphere of approachability so one could chat to artists and make contacts as well as handling the books.

Maybe more publicity could help but I hear attendance was particularly good on the Saturday.

It was good to display my own three books and sell one - actually ‘Carbon footprint and the last taboo’ which I had offered as a project to do at the Exchange originally but was not selected so I was pleased to get the resulting  books through the door and to sell one.

I also had two other books - ‘Drawn Here’ which Cornwall library has in stock, and ‘Women without’ about women suffering infertility, which was part of my MA work at Falmouth 2006.

Artists’ books are a specialist niche thing, well worth exploration.

Run Melania Run

 I was moved by the present chaos to paint this  with two preparatory drawings, and to write the poem which is also a blues.  See https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1075994014 or axisweeb.org/p/maryfletcher

 

 

Run Melania Run.                  Run Melania Run

Get to the refuge quickly

Spill the beans to the press

Help us to get that Donald

Just what he deserves

Before he does more damage

To our precious  world

Run Melania Run
Run Melania Run

You can really help us out

Tell everyone the truth

Of what Trump’s  all about

Move on to a better life

Than as that so very

Crazy bad man’s wife

Run Melania run,
Run Melania run.

We know you can’t stand him

We see it in your face

An immigrant yourself

What a bad thing, honey
 
To share his money

Run   Melania run
Run Melania run

What a price you paid

But you can leave now

You can get aid

Run for safety

Do not be afraid

Run Melanie Run
     Run Melanie Run.

 

Newlyn Society of Artists at Tremenheere April 2025

 'Longya' is the title of the new art exhibition by the Newlyn Society of Artists at Tremenheere until 21st April, 11-4.30, closed Mondays except Easter.

The title means ‘belonging’and was chosen by curator Dr Matt Retallick.

The trouble with having a title is that as a visitor I am expecting the work in the show to relate to it and as usual although some have been inspired to make relevant work, most have chosen work that is just what they normally do which fits the title very loosely.  Having the title makes me disgruntled when the work doesn’t fit it and wondering how the curator felt presented with this.

 

 

The most relevant item that strikes me is Janet McEwan’s and as she was there I tried my interpretation of her meaning - that Cornwall is something you have to believe in - and am delighted she likes that interpretation. There’s a photo of a woman receiving a holy communion  wafer with the white on black cross of the Cornish flag on it and a whole sweet jar of these nearby.

Karen Lorenz has made a lively short animated film showing aspects of the Morrab library in Penzance. 

Georgie Phipps has a sweet little porcelain matchbox to hold ‘Cornwall’s story’ rather than England’s Glory and a package addressed to a Cornish address, so cunningly made that I thought it was the actual brown paper item and it’s only when I read the list that I find it’s made of stoneware.

 

David Symonds has adapted his love of calendars and grids to document daily walks and found objects in a delightfully decorative way with small detailed labels to read that add another layer of interest.

Andrew Swan gives us one of his large sour political images showing how the Duchy and its state coach have been linked with the evils of slavery.

Mike Newton made an attractive portrait of Virginia Woolf, who visited St Ives and based ‘ To the Lighthouse’ on nearby Godrevy.

Then there are lots of landscape related pictures often depicted abstractly through shapes and marks.
 I liked Tim Ridley’s painting of Penzance’s Montol festival with its masked pagan figures, and Seamus Moran’s shovel with an unusable mesh spade, alluding to the past history of mining.

Sunday 13th there are talks by some of the artists 2-3-30, free as is the show, and you can park there.