Bruce McLean- 'Another Condition of Sculpture'

Leeds Art Gallery Friday 14th February- Sunday 11th May

The exhibition at Leeds Gallery is a thought provoking retrospective of the work of Bruce McLean, looking back over work produced during a fifty year period.

 The image above (Pose work of Plinths 1971) was my initial introduction to the artist as research for a project on line, space, and how humans interact with the linear. While McLean himself is often viewed as daring and mocking for this work, the attraction for me came from the humorous and unique ways in which the set space has been interacted with.

However, the ongoing exhibition focuses much more on McLean's drawn and painted mixed media pieces which really acted as an eye opener on the intertwining relationship between performance art, sculpture and drawing.

Changing Rooms 2013, was one of the series featured in the exhibition and particularly shows the contrast between McLean's early works and those of today. Changing Rooms itself is a new piece of live performance art that will take place in the gallery on the 8th May 2014, and the pencil, collage and photograph series act as an insight into the planning and mindset of the artist. Personally, these pieces are a lot more interesting to look at, as while technically simple, it is extremely insightful to see a visual representation of what can only start as an idea in the artists head. Instead of planning through the written word, McLean uses his art skills to further show an audience the process and thought behind his infamous live performance pieces.

Paul Reas - "Daydreaming About The Good Times?"

Bradford Impressions Gallery 10th December- 8th March 2014

The exhibition at the Impressions Gallery is the first major retrospective of Reas' work, spanning a 40 year career as one of the leading British documentary photographers. What is so successful about this exhibition is that there is a true sense of development and evolution in such a large collection moving into colour and the digital era. This makes it impossible for the viewer not to have an opinion on their favourite collection of his work.

Personally, while he successfully captures the tension of the recession, 'class, consumption and work' through his most recent pieces, I couldn't help but be drawn back to his black and white photography from the 70's and 80's. While in today's world Reas still has a place in the documentary scene, the subject of his images has changed as our country has moved on from its traditional industries. While capturing a real sense of community, personality and humour through his 'working men' series, moving into colour seems to lose the focus of the real image. While still humorous, particularly throughout the 1980's, as the issues have become more serious and as the working situation has changed, his work has reflected the different atmosphere of the country; as documentary photography is supposed to create a realistic image of the current climate. So while being successful, as viewer perhaps the most enjoyment comes from looking back into our country's past and drawing our minds to a time less culturally and politically troublesome.

Bridget Riley- 'Winter Palace' - Leeds Art Gallery

Looking at Riley's painting from a distance, the first thought as a viewer is that the colours are a harmonious combination of blue, magenta, green and orange, and that the artist has succeeded in creating an aesthetically pleasing finished piece of work. However, after approaching the painting it became clear that there was a reason for the piece of work, which turned it from a 'pretty picture' into a valuable piece of fine art painting.

Inspired by a visit to Egypt between 1979 and 1981, Riley created a series of paintings based on the colours of the tombs that she had seen while there, and the name of this painting was inspired by the name of the hotel in which she stayed. What is so effective about her work is the incredibly simplistic nature of it. Based on colour samples from the places that she visited, she has managed to create work both with meaning and purpose and that is visually attractive, proving that sometimes meaning is a vital part of understanding art.