Yesterday Abode2 Luxury Property Magazine hosted a wonderful evening of contemporary art at the Lisson Gallery in London.
The Lisson Gallery was set up in 1967 by art dealer Nicholas Logsdail and is one of London’s pioneering contemporary galleries, representing artists who challenge the status quo. It is an incredible space and with champagne flowing Emma Gifford-Mead , Exhibitions Director introduced the evening’s sponsors The London Management Company, Fortwell Capital and Berkeley Homes.
They had all chosen pieces from artists and sculptors including Aneesh Kapoor, Richard Deacon and Ai Weiwei to view over three floors in a private space in the gallery.
The current exhibition at the gallery is from British film maker John Akomfrah. Three thought provoking film installations, alongside a series of large scale photographs related to the works. The films are all over 30 minutes so there sadly wasn’t the time to watch them all. I watched the second work:
Auto Da Fé (2016), which translates as Acts Of Faith, a diptych that looks at migration through the lens of religious persecution. Presented as a poetic period drama, the film presents a series of eight historical migrations over the last 400 years
I was transfixed by this intricate collection of visual essays that combine and contrast archive footage, photography, audio accounts and fresh-shot footage. The effect is stunning! A poetic piece of work that grapples with race, identity and post-colonial attitudes.
In this video John Akomfrah discusses themes of migration, history and memory in recent projects and new works from his debut exhibition at Lisson Gallery with author and broadcaster Ekow Eshun.
The exhibition runs until March 12th and I highly recommend a visit.
Anish Kapoor’s Stainless Steel were the stand out pieces from the sponsor’s curated selection:
Anish Kapoor Untitled (Organic Green/Apple Red)
This interactive piece is from the series Turning the World Upside Down. Made of stainless steel and polished to a high degree. Such fun playing with the reflections created across the work’s surfaces.
Thank you to Abode2 for hosting a wonderful evening. Now reading the latest edition of their magazine.
Jessica xx
