Whether this is a reflection of Chinese art as a whole, or (more likely) a western collector's idea of what it should be, Liu Bolin (Shandong, 1973), showing at new photography gallery Tagomago, is no exception.
Under the title 'Hiding in the City', the photographer repeatedly melts into his background, be it a road or a wall covered in graffiti, by painstakingly painting himself to match it. With a glossy allure and bubble-gum colour scheme, they are amusing images, but you start to wonder when the artist is going to have another idea.
The real interest lies at the back of the gallery with locally based photographers, particularly Rosa Puig and Jaume Pujol. Puig’s large black-and-white images are subtle and original: thin plastic bags, cut out into basic human forms, flit across a beachscape, ghostly yet joyful, alluding at once to human and environmental fragility and the memory of a fun day at the beach. Pujol’s photographs of the Raval capture the boisterous ambience of the barrio, without crowding us out.
Practical info:
Until July 23rd
Galeria Tagomago
Santa Teresa 3
Click here to read Alex's review of 'The Dream of You is Real' currently on at Galeria Senda
June 23, 2009
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