Friday 27th July: Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The London Mastaba at The Serpentine

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "The London Mastaba" temporary sculpture made of coloured barrels is currently on show floating in the The Serpentine Lake.  It looks impressive in photos but it's even more incredible in real life.  For one, its massive and secondly the painted colours are the perfect contrast to the setting in the park.  I discovered it as a destination on a run but you can also enjoy it whilst swimming, boating or walking.  This is most certainly not one to be missed!  Christo has funded the entire project himself from sales of previous works and is leaving a legacy at The Serpentine Lake with ecological investment after the sculpture has gone. This includes creating new habitats for terrestrial invertebrate, waterfowl refuges, heron baskets and bird and bat boxes.  LEGEND.

Here is also a snap of the Serpentine Pavilion for this year (designed by Architect Frida Escobedo) which is outside the gallery.  

Mon 15th June: Lynette Yiadom-Boakye "Verses After Dark" at The Serpentine

Just as a quick interlude to the menswear show coverage, I have to mention the seriously beautiful exhibition of Lynette Yiadom-Boakye "Verses After Dark" at The Serpentine ..............  to follow the Wales Bonner review, because the two go hand in hand with both their preoccupations and inspirations.  Here are two quick snaps I took because I don't think photographic reproduction of the work would do it justice.  You need to go and see the exhibition in the flesh for the flesh tones to appreciate the density and divinity of the canvases & etchings.  The bold and confident strokes are the best in contemporary portraiture and painting that I have seen for a very long time.