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, ...

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ It is a freezing Sunday, and The Lowry is warm. Warmer than outside, at least. I am here to visit the temporary ceramics exhibition: Local/National/International. It is 10:30am and barely anyone, besides a couple staff members, are here. It is also a designated quiet viewing time. I was unaware of this beforehand but wasn’t planning on making tonnes of noise anyway. Image via The Lowry The title of the exhibition simple refers to the fact that the three exhibiting artists are local (the North of England), national (London) and international (Hong Kong). Respectively, Aliyah Hussain, Paloma Proudfoot, and Renee So. The stated purpose is “revealing similarities and overlaps in their practices”. Whether this is achieved is up for debate. Each artist is exhibited in demarcated gallery space, with no physical overlap. Each space has its own character. While comparisons can be drawn, the overarching geographical conceptualisation seems like an afterthought. As if – an...