MARWOOD VISITS: RACHEL WHITEREAD

This month we managed to get over to Tate Britain to see the Rachel Whiteread exhibition, just in time before it closed. Much like the removal of Whiteread's '90's art piece 'House', this exhibition will be sorely missed. It seemed to belong to the gallery space so perfectly that it made it hard to imagine it not being a permanent fixture. 

Rachel Whiteread's sketches

The materials, sensitivity to detail and colour palette were instantly striking. The wonderful concept of creating solid, touchable, permanent objects from empty space was exemplified by the multiples of blocks as you walk through the entrance. All cast from the underneath of chairs, the usually forgotten, unused space except for feet and legs, Rachel gave them all individual importance and stature.

It's amazing how beautiful Rachel Whiteread has managed to make an array of loo rolls. An enviable colour palette achievement. 
 
Papier mache from the Rachel's old paperwork, shredded to perfection using three different shredder machines to get the right varying textures. 
The cast bookcase was a poignant reminder of Rachel's previous work, the Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial, or Nameless Library in Vienna. "Endless copies of unreadable books, their spines turned inwards, convey feelings of multitude and loss." Tate - This was a particularly moving piece, the sensitivity of the plaster, capturing leaf edges and uneven spines left a lasting feeling of sadness and loss. 

If you are interested to hear from Rachel Whiteread herself, we would fully recommend watching this iPlayer episode of Imagine - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b09j310x/sign/imagine-winter-2017-5-rachel-whiteread-ghost-in-the-room - An excellent watch.  

 

 


Welcome to Marwood

Receive a 10% discount on your first order

By submitting this form you agree to the terms and conditions in our privacy policy.