Title: Camden Arts Centre – Daan van Golden & Andro Wekua
Rating (out of 100): 60 / 60
Mood: minimalist (van Golden) / biker chick meets trash pop (Wekua)
Timeout / Culture Critic: http://www.timeout.com/london/art/event/124791/daan-van-golden.html & http://www.timeout.com/london/art/event/124792/andro-wekua.html / http://www.culturecritic.co.uk/exhibitions/daan-van-golden/ & http://www.culturecritic.co.uk/exhibitions/andro-wekua/
In a beautiful building, the Camden Arts Centre had good promise for this show. I was seduced by a leaflet I saw showing a golden Buddha painting (one by Daan van Golden) which was featured as the primary image of their new exhibitions by Daan van Golden and by Andro Wekua (http://www.camdenartscentre.org/exhibitions/). Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. It was less that the show was not good (it was decent, it had its moments), but that it was completely different from what I expected. The golden Buddha in fact was in no way representative of the rest of Daan van Golden’s work and in fact was an outlier. But a beautiful and unique outlier (incorporating dried flowers). The majority of the Daan van Golden work on display was of a much different nature focusing on limited colours and patterns. It certainly has its own aesthetic (though not my favourite), but what was disappointing is that it’s a radical departure from the Buddha painting. That was the one I fell in love with so I was sorely disappointed to realize that it was the only one of that kind.
The Andro Wekua show was interesting. Focusing on modern pop and collage it’s set in a neon yellow room featuring a mannequin woman seated backwards on a motorbike and surrounded by small collages featuring pop icons (Britney Spears) and other items. Overall, a relatively interesting show.
All in all, both shows were decent, but nothing spectacular or overly amazing. What lesson have I learned from this? Before you get seduced by a painting on a flyer for an art show, make sure that that painting is actually representative of the work in that show. Especially before you trek through freezing London.
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