Rachel Whiteread Detached

www.gagosian.com/exhibitions/rachel-whiteread--april-11-2013


Whiteread 'renders negative space into positive form' according to the gallery information. I saw the negative spaces of garden sheds, windows and doors before moving on to the collages which got such a good review on BBC Radio 4 Front Row last week. It was suggested that she could go into collage as a new direction.

The collages were described as 'cardboard constructions mounted on graphite- marked notepaper' and it was explained that 'Whiteread's works on paper reveal the intention of the artist's hand rather that the found histories of the sculptural work.'

Each of the collages was mounted on cartridge paper taken out of a standard pad. The punched squares where the wiro goes through was still in tact.

a pad just like this 

The collages are silver tarnished with rust, and have jewel coloured windows of cellophane. Looking closely I realised that the scored and folded cardboard had been sprayed silver to resemble a folded out small packaging box ( or perhaps it was a found object). The cardboard was mounted on paper marked with graphite lines and displayed in white frames.

The collages are jewel-like and space age and very 1970s. This is a new type of collage and an wonderful surprise. The light from the window shines onto them along with the internal light adding to their preciousness. Common place materials are elevated into something beautiful.

 near Kings Cross.....