On June 9th June Gazelli Art House opened their latest exhibit with private viewing of STILL OR SPARKLING. This exhibit will mark number 3 of 5 shows to be featured by the Gazelli Art House exploring themes of “classical elements”. The first two exhibitions, “Fired Up” and “Down To Earth”, revolved around the elemental themes of Fire and Earth, while “Still or Sparkling” examines “Water in all it’s mercurial beauty is the starting point for our artists as they examine the intuitive emotional qualities associated with water and the special place it was believed to inhabit between air and earth in classical symbolism.”
Set over 2 floors of an elegant Georgian town house in Belgrave Square, Still or Sparkling presented an ecclectic mix of works that each stood on their own with strength. Artists including Kyung Woo Han, Henry Krokatsis and Mike Calway-Fagen, Hyo Myoung Kimand Noguchi Rika had works in the group show curated by Mila Askarova. A few pieces that stood out were Mike Calway-Fagen’s taxidermy Alsatian sitting in the front library, which featured artworks on the shelves rather than books, and Henry Krokatsis’s glass panelled sculpture that illuminated the upper floor.
Henry Krokatsis created a stunning sculpture incorporating glass panes from various sources to create a large glass scupture that when lit up reflected beautiful shafts of light around the room, illuminating it in a magical way. He often works with found and used objects,with materials such as glass, wax, lead and wood. “Krokatsis conjures up both a magical and spiritual quality from re-working these aged materials into deceptively familiar objects such as leaded glass windows.” He also exhibited one of his smoke drawings of chandeliers, which was featured above the fireplace in the drawing room of the second floor.
Kyung Woo Han created the surreal wonder of “Green House” for Still or Sparkling. In this installation, chairs and tables appear to float in mid-air as if the room has been half submerged and turned into an Alice in Wonderland inspired swimming pool of floating distorted objects. Visitors to the exhibition can walk amongst the ‘floating’ furniture in this installation.
Noguchi Rika exhibited a suite of ethereal new works which use light evoke dreams of flying and space travel in her first London exhibition. Rika’s dreamy and sublime stripped-down images are evocative of water colours and emotionally owe a direct succession to the works of the 19th C Romantic painters. Rika has exhibited extensively and her works are held in collections such as theGuggenheim and Walker Arts Centre.
Mike Calway-Fagen’s installations are both humorous and quietly disturbing, featuring taxidermy and subverted found objects arranged to provoke the viewer into building their own story of interpretation. Works on show included ‘Progression of Regression’, featuring a taxidermied Alsatian at rest on the flattened and Skinned pelt of a wolf. He also presented a ‘ghost’ installation derived from objects found both in and around Belgrave Square. These secret items were placed in and around the study, their weight leaving an impression on the carpet which will fade from view over the life of the exhibition.
Hyo Myoung Kim presented chromo-photographic works from his series of light and sound sensitive digitial works. Hyo is a recent graduate of the Slade MFA programme and his work has already come to prominence through collaborations including Mobile Research Station in Berlin, later this year he will also exhibit at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in ‘An Exchange With Sol Lewitt’.
The exhibition is by appointment only. To arrange a viewing or request a curator lead tour contact Mila Askarova or Celia Bailey.
Contact: c.bailey@gazelliarthouse.com or visit their site at www.gazelliarthouse.com
Grazelli Art House
BELGRAVE HOUSE, 35 BELGRAVE SQUARE LONDON SW1 X8
“Gazelli Art House is a commercial art organisation dedicated to providing a new setting for the creation of contemporary art and delivering the message of the finest international artists to a wide audience of both new and established collectors. The gallery will invite individuals to embark on a journey of understanding art, establishing bespoke dialogues and relationships between artists, writers, specialists, students and novices through exhibitions, talks, workshops and tours.
In 2011, Gazelli Art House will launch a series of five exhibitions loosely based on the five classical elements, Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Ether, focusing on individual experiences and reactions to the presented artworks, from aggression and passion to calm, rediscovery to new beginnings. Each show will be exhibited in a different independent space, with venues ranging from private houses and foundations to warehouse spaces, encouraging viewers to engage with and understand art outside the white cube.
The founder and Director of Gazelli Art House, Mila Askarova was born and raised in Azerbaijan before moving to Istanbul and later settling in London. Upon successful completion of her International Relations BSc degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Mila worked at Sotheby’s in the Client Development department while curating a number of exhibitions in Baku and Istanbul. She then managed the PR and Communication of a commercial art gallery in London, before focusing on curating and private art dealing. During her active years on the art market, Mila studied at Central Saint Martins and Christie’s Education, gaining a theoretical insight into Collecting Contemporary Art, Independent Curating and Art Business. In 2011, Mila will be coordinating the Azerbaijani pavilion at the Venice Biennale.”
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