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25/9/2008

Three Exhibitions

Camden Arts Centre, London

Wallace Berman

26 September - 23 November 2008

This is the first retrospective exhibition of American artist Wallace Berman (1926 – 1976), considered by many to be the ‘father’ of Californian assemblage. He was hugely influential on a group of artists and poets to emerge from the legacy of the Beat generation in the late 1950s and 1960s.

It includes early drawings for Jazz record covers; his mail-art publication Semina containing poetry and images by Berman and his friends; his signature Verifax collage work as well as paintings such as 'Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag' and his 'Portrait of Kenneth Anger'.

Look out for Berman’s only surviving sculpture, 'Homage to Herman Hesse' - it was made for his first exhibition which was prematurely closed by police. Shown alongside are his fragile rock boxes and photographs he took throughout his life. His 16mm film 'Aleph' is screened as well as posters, book covers and postcards.

Berman’s influence is far reaching, Peter Blake included his portrait on the cover of The Beatles' 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and he appeared, with a punning reference to his publication Semina, as a seed-sower in the film 'Easy Rider'.

Supported by Neville and Emma Shulman.

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Allen Ruppersberg

26 September - 23 November 2008

Allen Ruppersberg’s first solo show in a public gallery in London is based on 'Literatura de cordels’ – pamphlets produced by travelling poets and writers in Brazil.

‘Literatura de cordels’ roughly translates as ‘Stories on a string’, these simply made booklets contain folk stories, poems and songs and are illustrated with wood cuts.

It coincides with the exhibition by Wallace Berman (1926 – 1976), who was a huge influence on Ruppersberg as well as other artists and poets emerging from the legacy of the Beat generation in the 1960s.

For this exhibition Ruppersberg has produced his own versions of 'Literatura de cordels'. These pamphlets are hung from the ceiling over a red, black and white floor piece – 'Reading Standing Up' (2004). The text in the floor is made up of oppositions – us/them, left/right, text/margin, Italy/France, compelling you to read aloud and form your own rhythm and sounds.

Ruppersberg transforms Gallery 3 into a room for reading, recalling Camden Art Centre’s former life as a library.

Throughout his life he has collected thousands of books, postcards, photographs, magazines, slides, posters, as well as industrial and educational films from 1931-1967. Ruppersberg uses these items as source material reflecting his interest in the cultural mythologies, narratives, and common truths of everyday life.

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Ron Haselden: Metro

26 September - 25 October 2008

Ron Haselden uses simple, artisan materials. For his new installation he has built a vibrantly coloured linear grid that seems to hover above the grassy slope of the Garden.

It links the everyday experience of Parisian commuters with the daily lives of fishermen working off the coast of Brittany. The sculpture is as monumental as it is delicate incorporating coloured twine used by fishermen mending their nets.

'Metro' is the latest in a series of temporary sculptures installed in fields and orchards around the place in Brittany where Haselden now lives. The new urban setting is surrounded by trees, terraced houses and the sounds of London traffic.

Haselden often encourages members of the public to participate in his projects. In 'Breathing In, Breathing Out' in 1998, Erno Goldfinger's 31-storey Trellick Tower functioned as a 100m high vertical stage for a light performance in which all the inhabitants of its 217 homes participated.

Join the artist in the Garden at a talk and celebration of the installation on Saturday 25 October at 3.00pm.

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Image: Wallace Berman
Copyright the artist

Camden Arts Centre
Arkwright Road - London

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