‘By Hand, On Foot’, a solo exhibition by London-based artist Vlatka Horvat, is now on view at the Peer Gallery. Using a variety of media including sculpture, installation, collage, video, and photography, Horvat has been exploring the theme of ordinary yet imaginatively altered spaces and the experience of bodies within since earlier in her career. A central piece in the exhibition, To See Stars over Mountains (2021), is indicative of her artistic endeavors to date.

Consists of 365 works on paper – one produced for every day of 2021, To See Stars over Mountains represents the artist’s attempt to redraw the physical, social, and environmental boundaries experienced in our everyday lives. In this series, Horvat reinvented insignificant and common places we pass through every day into an otherworldly sphere by adapting techniques such as tearing, cutting, drawing, copy and pasting. “For this project I gave myself this framework: every day on the walk I would take a photo of the landscape, mostly devoid of people, and then at home I’d print it and intervene in the image in various ways, drawing on it, ripping the paper, reorganising the image and so on. There was a sub-rule – related to my work more broadly – that whatever I did to the image had to come from the image”,(1) said Horvat in an interview with artist and curator Will Jennings. This creative process results in an abundance of images with wit and humour: uprooted trees cut partially from the image, hand-drawn orange ladders connecting the park ground and the cloud, and a long straight ‘wound’ of a giant gray cloud being stitched up by continuous lines added in-between. However, the interventions made by Horvat in the image are far from seamless. Instead, they are made deliberately visible and obvious, indicating her underlying intention to invite visitors to reflect on what has actually been altered and what was previously present in the image. “What I was interested in with the work was that it was very much about looking. This idea of looking, repeated looking, and looking over and over again, at the same place.”(2)

The exploration of space and looking extends to Horvat’s 24-minute video work, Until the Last of Our Labours Is Done (2021). With the video, Horvat proceeds to investigate the ways in which objects influence the movement of the body as well as the relationship between the body and the landscape. Rolling different everyday objects continuously on the ground, Horvat raises questions about the physical boundaries of space and the symbolic line drawn between artistic creation and meaningless acts.

In conjunction with the aforementioned works, Horvat also probes further into the idea of boundary in her installation work, What Is on the Ground and What Is in the Sky (2022). Exhibited in another room, a fragile structure made from cheap and common materials such as cardboard and duct tape stretches from the ground to the ceiling. Walking carefully through the installation, the weak ‘columns’ or ‘obstacles’ that appear to support yet erect barriers in the space, visitors are again given a chance to re-examine the limits, boundaries and edges of a given environment.

To learn more about how Vlatka Horvat unfolds space and bodily experience in our everyday lives, please visit: https://www.peeruk.org/vlatka-horvat

Image Credit: Vlatka Horvat, To See Stars over Mountains, (01 March), 2021, Inkjet photo collage, 29.7 x 21 cm, Image from Peer UK

Sun A Han is a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. Originally from South Korea, she discovered her passion for art at the age of ten, by encountering Picasso’s masterpiece – “Guernica”. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Art Theory and Philosophy at Central Saint Martins. As a writer, she aspires to write about art that heals the soul, touches the heart, and gives voice to the oppressed.

[1] recessed.space (link) – Feb 2022. “Vlatka Horvat’s collages landscapes. In conversation with Will Jennings.)

[2] recessed.space (link) – Feb 2022. “Vlatka Horvat’s collages landscapes. In conversation with Will Jennings.)

A Tale of two cities is a vibrant adaptation of Dickens’ novel by the dance theatre company Lost Dog. Continuing their work on reinterpreting classics, Ben Duke and his company Lost Dog bring yet another contemporary presentation with A Tale of two cities.  Lucie the central character,  is a film-maker who explores her family history. She tries to shine a light on their mysterious past: her grandfather has been locked in the Bastille for 18 years, and her parents had to escape France at the height of the revolution. We are plunged into the French revolution in 1793 through the story of her family that emigrated to England. Following her, we discover the truth about her family history in France.

Dickens’ 400 plus page novel is brilliantly distilled  into a 90 minutes stage presentation intertwining  multi-discipline artforms where family histories eventually collide. Written with the use of flashbacks to recall the memories of Lucie’s father and mother the story is a complex mix of characters and narratives. Lost Dog did an impressive adaptation of this novel, transforming it into a dynamic play. The set created by Amber Vandenhoack separates the stage into two spaces: a half-ruined farmhouse on which Lucie’s filming is projected and the rest of the stage where the cast performs. The audience easily navigates between the two narratives. A special mention to Will Duke’s projection designs that mix Lucie’s live interviews with pre-recorded footage of different moments of the story projected onto the farmhouse walls.

The theatrical performance is punctuated by some magnificently expressive dance interludes. Along with spoken words when the performers start to move their bodies to express their feelings, the play reveals its beauty. The use of different artistic means of expression transports us through the various narratives and time flies in The Place theatre, consequently bringing the family memories out of the shadows.

Lost Dog will be performing at The Place until March 5th before going on tour. You can get your tickets on this link: https://www.theplace.org.uk/whats-on/collections/lost-dogs-tale-two-cities-tour.

Reviewed by Alix Berthelot–Moritz- Alix is a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. Originally from Normandy, France, she follows her passion for journalism and art by studying at the European Political and Social Sciences of UCL, London. As an international student living in London, she is determined to fully experience and discover the entirety of the city’s vibrant arts scene and share the beauty of it through her writing.

Shroud is a play written by Bernard Field and interpreted by the Irish Hawtheatre Company. Field sharply criticises the Catholic Church for its lack of reaction towards the presence of paedophiles in its institution. The subject tackled in this play resonates with recent events that are still prevalent in society today. It is a theme that has been covered by different art forms across different media.  One of the most well-known is Spotlight, directed by Thomas McCarthy who won an Oscar for best movie in 2016.

This time, Bernard Field has written a play focusing on the Church’s hierarchy through the character of a Bishop who tries to cover up offenders by moving them around the country in remote parishes. The stagecraft reproduces the cold atmosphere of the church through its minimalistic set. The play unfolds with a dimly lit prayer scene in front of the altar. In the confines of the Catholic Church, we discover how they protect and cover up the tracks of the abusers.  The play opens with the visit of the superior Bishop Victor to Father Martin who happens to be holding captive a boy beneath the altar. They discuss the situation of Father John, the previous parish priest who abused a boy who later killed himself. He wants to confess his crimes to the congregation and asks the believers of the parish for their forgiveness, but the Church is against it. The story repeats itself and the Bishop forgives both paedophiles and we end up wondering when will this vicious circle end? It’s time that society stands up against such unforgivable crimes and collectively takes a step towards a more safe and secure social environment.

Shroud will run until March 5th 2022 at the Playground Theatre, London. Last chances to get your tickets here: https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/shroud/.

Reviewed by Alix Berthelot–Moritz- Alix is a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. Originally from Normandy, France, she follows her passion for journalism and art by studying European Political and Social Sciences at UCL, London. As an international student living in London, she is determined to fully experience and discover the entirety of the city’s vibrant arts scene and share the beauty of it through her writing.

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Only two years after the acclaimed long-feature “Pain and Glory”, Almodóvar comes back with “Parallel mothers”, a melodrama full of warmth and imprinted in the filmmaker’s signature style. The film is being welcomed with enthusiasm from both critics and audience, as it screened at the festival of Venice and received two Oscar nominations. It is currently screening at the ICA, a lovely central venue with a small old-style cinema that offers an intimate and immersive cinematic experience.

Forty-year-old Janice (Penelope Cruz) gets pregnant after a love affair with the married archaeologist Arturo (Israel Elejalde). An accidental but desired pregnancy that gets her excited about her upcoming life as a single mum, as her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were before her. At the maternity clinic, she bonds with the terrified Ana (Milena Smit), a 17-year-old who regrets her pregnancy and resents her absent mother, Teresa (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón). Little do they know that their lives will soon be tragically intertwined in a dramatic development of death, love, sex, family and secrets. Despite sounding like the plot of a particularly cheesy soap opera, the film is actually full of realism and credibility. The story is character-driven and focuses mostly on the emotions and psychology of the characters, which overshadow even the multiple dramatic plot twists. It focuses on the vulnerability of the characters by showing them through face closeups, in the intimacy of their houses and often engaged in everyday domestic activities. Everyone is extremely fleshed out and given complex background stories and motivations, and you will find yourself sympathising even with Janice’s lies, Arturo’s cheating and Teresa’s rigidity.

The personal story of Janice and Ana runs parallel to Janice’s and Arturo’s adventure to find the corpses of ten men that were killed during the Spanish civil war and never returned to their families, one of whom was Janice’s grandfather. This ties to the central themes of the movie about the importance of the past and how the truth always prevails, both in the cases of historical truth and family secrets. However, the real heart of the story is family: Janice wants justice for her family, Ana is fleeing her dysfunctional parents and everything centres around the two women’s maternity. The solution of everything seems to lay in the importance of new-found families, as the story ends with the main characters deciding to fund a united and picturesque new group.

Cruz gives an extremely heart-felt performance and manages to portray a woman who is strong yet sensitive, maternal yet conflicted, resulting in a very multi-faceted character and a compelling protagonist. This marks her eighth film with Almodóvar, proving once again that their duo works to perfection and won her a 2022 Oscar nomination for best actress. Milena Smit portrays a very believable teenager full of angst and vulnerability with a crippling fear of abandonment, who desperately and passionately holds on to Janis like a lifesaver. Apart from Arturo, the cast is almost entirely feminine, as even the most minor characters in the background are usually female, be it a waitress, Janice’s nanny or Arturo’s archaeologist team members. The men of the film are consciously omitted from the story, being reduced to faceless voices on the phone or voiceless faces on pictures.

The colourful style, the beautiful house interiors and the creative editing are all that you would typically find in an Almodóvar movie. It is a perfect introduction to his universe for those who have never seen his films, and a great continuation for the others, even more vibrant and joyful than his previous works.

Get your tickets at ICA before the 3rd March at https://www.ica.art/films/parallel-mothers.

Reviewed by Céline Galletti- Celine is a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. Originally from France and Italy, she follows her passion for writing and art by studying Comparative Literature at UCL, London. As an international student living in London, she is determined to fully experience and understand the city’s vibrant arts scene, and be a part of its creative storm.

Reviewed by Jiajing Yang. Yang is a MA Documentary-Fiction student at UCL and a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. Yang has written several different articles on the WeChat platform and Zhihu website, mostly about film and literature, and she has published a romantic novel based on ancient China. 

Writer Sian Carter’s debut play Running With Lions is a refreshing and touching story to see being told on the big stage. We follow an inter-generational  British Caribbean family trudge through the harmful stigmas that surround mental health, grief and traumas within the Caribbean communities. There is hopefulness in their future too and we see the family able to openly talk about struggle rather than suffering in silence. The play has a slow burner place, with long scenes and dialogue between characters allowing the audience to understand the intricacies and complexities of their lives, personalities, relationships and traumas. The soft lighting that is present for most of the play creates a mellow, atmospheric tone against the simple set of a revolving block of stairs perched on stage, these stairs transport us to the family home, the hospital, and the church among other locations.

After a flashback in which siblings, Gloria (Velile Tshabalala) and Josh (Nickcolia King-N’da) congratulate each other on new beginnings, Gloria moving out to start a family and Josh earning a spot to display his art at a famous gallery,  we are spun into the present day. Josh is no longer there and Gloria now has a teenage daughter, Imani (Ruby Barker). It’s a big day, Imani is getting ready for her last day of secondary school, her grandmother, Shirley (Suzette Llewellyn)  is rushing around making sure everything is prepared for a welcome home party for Gloria, who has been in the psychiatric ward after a bipolar episode and her grandfather Maxwell (Wil Johnson)  is getting ready to pick up Gloria from the hospital.  The cracks in the family’s relationship begin to show once Gloria returns home. She is dumbfounded by the missing framed images of her late brother that were once hung all around the living room and frustrated that all her mother seems to care about is throwing a perfect party for all the family, friends and church guests who are unbeknownst to the truth of where Gloria has been, her mother telling them she’s been on holiday. The tensions between mother and daughter are a focal point of the play. Shirley is desperate to uphold an image of pristine perfection to those around her, shielding herself in a tough shell so she does not crack. She disregards the existence of her late son in order to not have to grieve or feel any type of emotion that would shatter the polished window of perfection she hides behind, as well as disregard Gloria’s bipolar disorder. She tells her to not tell people about it especially at church, treating Gloria as if she is often just being dramatic and making her feel guilty for absent periods in Imani’s life. Gloria yearns for the family to be open and honest with the struggles that surround them; celebrating and honouring Josh rather than pretending he was never there, not caring so much about what the church would think if they knew she had bipolar and supporting her and her mental health rather than treating her as if she is a burden. Imani wants to be able to be independent and make decisions for herself rather than have her mother attempt to control her life in an attempt to make up for the lost time. Their constant conflict presents the conflict in mindsets between generations, highlighting that the older generation can often learn from their younger counterparts.

The play is not without laughs and light-hearted banter. The relationship between Maxwell and Shirley is endearing at points, as Maxwell puts his old records on and dances around the living room with Shirley in his arms or as they reminisce over Maxwell as a smooth-talking young man trying to win Shirley and he insists he hasn’t lost his charm. There are many light-hearted and heartbreaking scenes that highlight the character of Maxwell that are some of the best parts of the play.

Running with Lions touches on your emotions in every way possible, immense joy, sadness, anger, hurt, frustration, and it teaches us that embracing these emotions in all their fullness is better than bottling it all up. In the final scene of the play, as the family prances around to the sounds of The Temptations on the record player there is a sense of warmth and hope.

Running with Lions is playing at the Hammersmith Lyric Theatre until March 12. Book here: https://lyric.co.uk/shows/running-with-lions/ 

Suzette Llewellyn and Will Johnson in Running with Lions / Jahvin Morgan Photography

Reviewed by Lian Lakhope. Lian is a MA Global Media and Communications student at SOAS and a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. Lian has written for a number of different publications, mostly about music, culture and film and she is enthusiastic about expressing her passion for creating art and media.

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Adapted from Kahlil Gibran’s biographical novel, Broken Wings is a musical set in 1920s Beirut. The story of two star-crossed lovers, Gibran and Selma, is narrated through enchanting music and romantic poetry.

Gibran returns to Lebanon, after studying in the USA, in search of his identity. Shortly after his return, Gibran meets Selma, and they instantly fall in love. However, things are not as simple as Gibran anticipates.

As the story unfolds, we begin to learn of the obstacles that stand between him and Selma. Gibran’s western ideas of love, which he expresses through his beautiful poetry, are not fulfilled, as Selma’s destiny is written elsewhere. Echoing Romeo & Juliet, Selma must marry Mansour to please her father and maintain his honour. The base of this story is one that feels familiar, yet the added layers of poetry and culture make it feel new.

A story of forbidden love – exploring themes of gender inequality, immigration and identity, Broken Wings is resonant with issues that still exist in society a whole century later.

Playing at Charing Cross Theatre, this warm, intimate set captures the charm of the Middle East. Songs of love and passion vibrate through this theatre; the strong vocals of the cast add to the powerful language used in the songs. For me, the performance by Gibran and Selma when they met for the very first time, is one that stood out to me. The connection and chemistry between the two lovers were performed brilliantly! This is what made the tragic ending even more emotional and captured the audience’s hearts.

Lucca Chadwick-Patel / Danny Kaan Photography.

Broken Wings is playing at the Charing Cross Theatre until 26 March 2022 – Get your tickets here: https://charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/theatre/broken-wings

Reviewed by Ridha Sheikh – Ridha is a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. She is a recent History and Politics graduate from Queen Mary – University of London. Ridha is excited to explore and share her strong passion for London’s art scene.

Exhibition Information

If We Delete Green, If We Start Caring About Plants by Artist Ma Haijiao

Jan 26 – Mar 09, 2022

Tabula Rasa Gallery London

Artist Information

Official website: www.mahaijiao.cn

Sun A Han is a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. Originally from South Korea, she discovered her passion for art at the age of ten, by encountering Picasso’s masterpiece – “Guernica”. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Art Theory and Philosophy at Central Saint Martins. As a writer, she aspires to write about art that heals the soul, touches the heart, and gives voice to the oppressed.

A new production of the now-iconic play “All My Sons” is currently running at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, putting on stage the suburban life of a typical American family of the 1940s. Written by Arthur Miller in 1946, the story offers a cold criticism of the American Dream, which caused many legal problems to the author at the time of the Cold War. Director Douglas Rintoul follows the original script with amazing fidelity, plunging us into the universe of the Western post-World War Two era with a realistic immersiveness.

August 1946. Joe Keller (David Hounslow) is an American businessman living a seemingly unproblematic domestic life with his wife Kate (Eve Matheson) and son Chris (Oliver Hembrough). The family is still shaken by the grief of losing the younger son Larry to the war, a loss that is symbolised by the broken tree in their garden, a lugubrious image that will gloom on set for the whole duration of the play. Chris is planning to propose to his brother’s past love, Ann Deever (Kibong Tanji), but dreads the reaction of his mother who is convinced that her younger son is still alive and that therefore Ann belongs with Larry. The play introduces us to this already dense initial situation rather instantly but manages to give all the information without dumping it on the audience.

The real twists and turns begin when we discover that Ann is the daughter of Joe’s past friend and colleague in the war, Steve Deever , who caused the death of 26 American pilots by shipping faulty aircraft pieces. But when his first son George (Nathan Ives-Moiba) visits him in prison, he discovers that not everything is as it seems and that he must save his sister Ann from marrying into the Kellers. The plot unveils in a sequence of revelations, familial drama and insightful character psychology, revealing a story worthy of the most cataclysmic Greek tragedy.

Miller’s play is an open letter to his contemporaries, empathising with their traumatic experience of war whilst also criticising the hypocritical ideal of the American dream. He especially explores the difficulty of going back to normality after having faced the horrors of the war. The toxic idea of not facing trauma and obsessively wanting to progress is impersonated by Joe, the patriarch who is ready to bury the past and act immorally in order to keep his business growing. Kate represents the feeling of grief of the countless people that lost loved ones during the war, whilst George characterises the survivor’s guilt of those who didn’t lose their lives on the battlefield.

The play is quite clearly representative of its epoch, which is underlined by the very historically accurate set (Queen’s theatre workshop) and costumes (Nicola Thomas). However, there is a sort of timelessness and relatability to the domestic tragedy of the dysfunctional family, and many of its marking statements will resonate with anyone.

Get your tickets at https://www.queens-theatre.co.uk/whats-on/show/all-my-sons/

Image from Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch productions.

Reviewed by Céline Galletti- Celine is a volunteer writer for Abundant Art. Originally from France and Italy, she follows her passion for writing and art by studying Comparative Literature at UCL, London. As an international student living in London, she is determined to fully experience and understand the city’s vibrant arts scene, and be a part of its creative storm.

From dismembered forms to delicately woven fabrics; Louise Bourgeois: The Woven Child is an exhibition of multitudes. The works featured, relentless in their psychoanalytic examination, were all made in the final 20 years of Bourgeois’ life. This finality is palpable throughout. Many of the textile-based works, reflect on the tumultuous relationship Bourgeois had with her father, a tapestry repairer by trade. In the artist’s words, ‘the magic power of the needle…to repair the damage’ and to offer ‘a claim for forgiveness’. In each space, there is a definite feeling of emotional reparation – whether it’s ever resolved is hard to tell.

Throughout The Woven Child, Bourgeois continually returns to a few chosen motifs; fabric heads, expectant mothers, hanging bodies. Enclosure is also reoccurring as many of the works are built inside cabinets and cages, contained like specimens ready to be viewed or corpses in coffins. For these pieces, the viewer is always on the outside, looking in but never entering. The work is jarring, a glimpse into Bourgeois’ mental state.   

It’s hard to ignore the relationship between Bourgeois’ works and the Hayward, such a particular building in itself. The lower floors are challenging – harsh angles, low light and a little too much open space to feel comfortable in. The works sit well in these spaces, revelling in the malaise. Upstairs is brighter and the works feel delicate and sensitive. At times, the pieces feel a little disconnected – placed together unwillingly rather than in conversation. 

Upstairs, the large metal sculpture Spider (1997) fills the space. The spider is a recurring device in Bourgeois’ practice. For Bourgeois, the spider is the mother – they are weavers, makers, protectors, ‘I come from a family of repairers. The spider is a repairer. If you bash into the web of a spider, she doesn’t get mad. She weaves and repairs it.’  Further, spiders seem to be reflective of the way Louise Bourgeois made work – forming architectures from their bodies, extensions of themselves. However, there is also an ambivalence to these works, people fear spiders. This intersection between love and hate is where a lot of Bourgeois’ work sits.

In the final space, there are 4 works, each one is a large wooden vitrine with blue-tinted glass windows, containing various sculptural forms. Inside Untitled (2005) there is a cluster of sagging, discoloured fabric pouches strung from a pole like an IV drip. They are skin-like and breast-like. The works here feel depleted and clinical, perhaps a direct reflection of the artist, as they were made during the 5 years before her death. A quote to the side of one of the pieces reads ‘To me, a sculpture is a body. My body is my sculpture’.

Incredibly confronting, Louise Bourgeois: The Woven Child is full of sexual ambiguity, depression, maternal ambivalence and ageing bodies. It’s sad – a final attempt at healing deep emotional wounds.

Louise Bourgeois: The Woven Child runs from 9 February to 15 May 2022 and tickets are available here. It is curated by Hayward Gallery Director Ralph Rugoff, with Assistant Curator Katie Guggenheim and Curatorial Assistant Marie-Charlotte Carrier.

Photo of large metal sculpture ‘Spider’, 1997 taken by Amy Melling.