New Saatchi Gallery Exhibition

We recently went to see the new exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery.

In our opinion most of the work was pretty forgettable. There’s nothing there that reaches the heights of ‘Sensation’. But one guy’s work stood out. A bloke called Barry Reigate.

Barry is a British artist based in London. He graduated from Camberwell with a Graphic Design degree and went on to do an MA at Goldsmiths…and that’s about all the information I could find on him.

Below is a sample of some his work that’s in the exhibition and some of his older stuff.

iartistlondon.com

Wonderful stuff.

This website allows people the chance to create their own fine art.

Tracy Emin’s sexual conquest tent.
Damien Hurst’s diamond encrusted skull.
Even Marc Quinn’s blood head.

All for a fraction of the cost of the original. Not sure about the idea of extracting my own blood to mold into a head of myself to be honest. Or if it’s a good idea to pop one in as a stocking filler. Encouraging kids to have sex with people and sew their names on a tent just isn’t right.

However the have a fun quality to them. And at only £50 for Hurst’s skull we think there’s a bargain to be had.

World Cup Football Mascots

England '66

Mexico '70

Germany '74

Argentina '78

Spain '82

Mexico '86

Italy '90

USA '94

France 98

Japan '02

Germany '06

South Africa '10


What started off as a bit of fun, has now turned into a multi million pound industry. It takes designers years to come up with mascots, which, they feel sum up there entire country in a simple character that can then printed on anything from T-shirts and hats to condoms and bin bags.

They are used all over everything for the entire duration of the world cup. There aren't many logos that are as widely seen as the latest world cup design. So, this throws up the question then, why are most of them so shit?

I personally think the German's lion thing was the worst - it looks like a kind of homeless Bungle from Rainbow, that's been drinking Special Brew. (Having said that, I still quite like Mexico '86 mascot 'Pique' the chilli.)

If North Korea ever held it, they could have a dwarf dictator with bouffon hair sitting astride a nuclear bomb. Maybe. Maybe not.

No Man’s Land

This Bosnian film is another masterpiece of simplicity. No big budgets. No famous actors. Just a shit hot script and some great performances.

The Two soldiers, one Bosnian and the other Serbian, are trapped in a trench between enemy lines. Drawing fire from both sides, they place their hope on UN peacekeeping troops, who face their own struggle with superiors and the media.

Add the wounded soldier that lies on top of a spring-loaded mine, and you can't help but see that war is indeed one hell of a mess.

Although this film is now 9 years old, it has probably only been seen by a handful of people. Despite it winning an Oscar for best Foreign Film. If you can find it, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Japanese Manhole Covers

Japanese manhole covers come in a variety of designs depending on locality, utility type and the manufacturer of the manhole cover.

Each manhole cover includes a symbol specific to an area or town. For example, In Kyoto, a turtle (a symbol of wisdom and longevity) is the main motif.

What a great idea to make something that’s normally dull and functional look so beautiful.

This is exactly the kind of fresh innovative thinking that has made Japan one of leading lights in the graphic design world.

Dogville

Dogville is directed by the mad, bad and slightly unhinged director, Lars Von Trier.

As you’d expect from Lars this is an incredibly brave piece of film making. The entire film is staged with minimal props on a black background. But the writing is so good it manages to hold your attention.

The story centres around a beautiful fugitive, Grace (Nicole Kidman) fleeing her past, who arrives in the isolated, Rocky Mountain Colorado township of Dogville on the run from a team of Depression-era mob gangsters.

With some encouragement from Tom Edison, Jr. (Paul Bettany), the little community reluctantly agrees to hide her.

Later, when a "Wanted" poster of Grace is tacked up and searches occur, everyone’s accepting attitude changes and the townsfolk's demands become more arduous, mean and dangerous.

At just under three hours, it’s not easy going but stick with it for an ultimately rewarding experience.

Lars is currently working on a film project called Dimension, starring Udo Kier, taking a 3 minute shot every year around Christmas on different locations all over Europe over a period of 33 years. The project started back in 1991, so its premiere is expected to be in the year 2024. (Told you he was bonkers.)

Bad Lieutenant

‘Bad Lieutenant’ doesn’t fit into the ‘World’ category of cinema, but it was directed by Indie auteur Werner Herzog, so I think you can let me off.

In this film Nicolas Cage plays a rogue cop who’s investigating a vicious gangland murder.

This would be a relatively straight forward case if he didn’t have an insatiable appetite for hard drugs, a gambling addiction which is spiraling out of control and a prostitute girlfriend who seems to attract trouble wherever she goes.

This is Cage’s best performance in a long time. So much so, you can almost forgive him for some of the dross he’s appeared in over the last few years.