Max's reviews
Review of Tate Britain
01 Jul 07, 19:03
Great British Modern Art 
Poor Tate Britain seems to be constantly overshadowed by its ever growing younger sibling Tate Modern which gets all the cool modern art.
While most of the museum's pay shows are predominantly aimed at a more traditional art loving crowd- think Turner and Hogarth rather than Warhol and Duchamp.
For modern/contemporary art-fans, Tate Britain houses a surprisingly impressive collection including some great works by Francis Bacon, Douglas Gordon and Sam Taylor-Wood.
Chris Offili's Upper Room has to be worth the trip alone - a dark paneled room housing a collection of 13 brilliantly coloured paintings of rhesus macaque monkeys. Google it to get a better idea, as my description won't do it justice.
Put simply, if you're visiting London and looking for a world-class modern art gallery don't forget Tate Britain as you'll be pleasantly surprised.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.
Review of I C A Gallery
14 May 07, 14:43
Eko Eshun sort it out 
The ICA is a mixed art space covering three main gallery spaces, small theatre/live performance area, two cinema screens and a great little bar/restaurant.
While the bar and restaurant remain a safe bet when everywhere else starts to close (ICA bar open until 1am most nights), since Eko Eshun has taken over as Director the quality of the ICA's programme seems to have severely dropped.
During a time when ICA's programme of talks could never be more pertinent given the political climate, the breadth and quality of speakers and discussions seems to have faded away.
Rather than setting the agenda within London's ever growing film festival scene, the ICA seem to be a rent-a-venue add on to whatever festival is taking place. While Hans Hoffman's curated shows lack any real bite or big names.
I love the ICA, but I feel that it now severely lacks any real direction, something which rests heavily on Eko Eshun's shoulders. I suggest, he spends less time tinkering with the logo and brochure format (two changes in less than twelve months) and more on the substance its shows and programme.
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful.