Caleb White

★   ★   ★   ★   ☆ I return to writing after a considerable hiatus with a small spree of contemporary arts exhibition reviews. The subjects of the following reviews were encountered in Mayfair on Friday 2 nd May. I am in London for a social occasion and, arriving early at Victoria Station, decide to beat the swealtering heat by ducking into a few exhibitions. Up first, ‘this, that and the other: Jacqueline Poncelet’ at Richard Saltoun. Shown between March 11 – May 3 – myself arriving on the penultimate day – this exhibition showcases an retrospective of Poncelet’s varied and impressive career. Poncelet’s work ranges from ceramics to watercolours, each of her works possessing innate character, rhythm and motion. I chose this exhbition as my starting point on the strength of the poster. On it, an image of her ceramic work ‘untitled no. 5’. Within the gallery space, two key sculptures were hidden in shaded alcoves. This bestowed them with an anthropomorphic presence, ...

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ The train down to Oxford was atypically pleasant. I'd set off early, leaving Manchester at 07:25, and watched the muted sunrise usher in the day as we trundled down south. Arriving in Oxford, the weather still bitingly cold, I walked east - stopping by Gloucester Green to pick up a few pairs of earrings from the market - towards the Ashmolean.    I'd come south this particular day for my dad's birthday and thought to double up the visit with, yet another, explore of Oxford's museums and galleries. Today, The Ashmolean were opening their new exhibition on Anselm Kiefer, but - in a typically frugal fashion - I chose to go instead to their free temporary exhibition.   After making my way to the basement floor - not the most auspicious location for a temporary exhibition - I became once again distracted by the spectacle of the museum. You see, this floor contains the bulk of the performative introspection for the Ashmolean. An exhibition on the history ...

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Running as a prelude to a subsequent exhibition on Hoyland's rarely exhibited sculpture, this small gallery space platforms some potent works of 20th century abstract art and manages to enthral and challenge all those who enter. Strange Presence runs between Jan 18 - March 18 at the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield, free admission.  I am back in Sheffield. In the grand scheme of things, it hasn't been long, but still I feel a sense of return. I could move through this city with my eyes shut. The reason for my return is to celebrate a friend's birthday, and, before we are scheduled to meet, I decide to take some time to revisit my old stomping ground of the Millennium Gallery. After meeting an old colleague for brunch, I take the route from the Peace Gardens, through the Winter Gardens, to the bustling hallway, out from which doors upon to a variety of galleries.  Nestled between the permanent space reserved for the display of silverwork, and the explorator...