Visited the Frank Auerbach show at Tate Britain, and the Whitechapel for Emily Jacir: Europa. But most enjoyed the Raven Row show by Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys. Especially with access to the penthouse flat, sometimes used as additional exhibition space, or to accommodate visiting artists. The decor is unchanged since the 1950’s – carpet, wallpaper, lampshades, mini-bar. Respectfully preserved as it was left by the last residents, who moved out only a couple of years ago. A nostalgic and atmospheric domestic setting for de Gruyter and Thys’ videos of absurdist stories and animations. The remaining gallery space is filled with watercolour versions of pictures taken from the internet – a strange and disjointed collection of the bizarre, eccentric, dull and anachronistic. Finished off with seemingly apt John Grant at the Hammersmith Apollo.
