Mauro Perucchetti's Jelly Babies Occupy The Halcyon Gallery and The Wellcome Collection

Mauro Perucchetti's 'UNICUM' at the Halcyon Gallery is an example of typical commercialized art... But I love it!

 Currently on display in their showroom on New Bond Street 'UNICUM' is a selection of works for sale by Perucchetti  focusing around the ideas of art as disposable in contemporary consumer society. 

You might know of his work from The Wellcome Collection,  that Giant Jelly Baby that occupies Medicine Now. Perhaps his best selling piece, these resin Jelly Babies feature in a range of sizes at this exhibition. As a commercial gallery the Halcyon is meant for selling, so turning up looking like a scruff in my work clothes I was not surprised that none of the incredibly preened 'art dealers' approached me to discuss  transportation costs. 

Wellcome's Jelly Baby 3. 

I found it disconcerting however how easily I fell in love with his work.Yes, they are bits of resin in  bright colours and recognisable shapes so immediately they're appealing, but I'm a sucker for Pop Art, besides my immediate desire I found I needed some sort of context to his work. Maybe it was because of a few skulls, some sparkly pills and that jelly baby that I was convinced  that there would be some medical background to his work. 

As the space lacked in information or approachable staff I checked out his website to find like all  (what he calls) 'Hip Pop Art' his work is a 'symbolism of the disposalbility that permeates all aspects of contemporary consumer society.'
Great, the same old artist line on social comment and consumerism. 

So hold on, why is Mauro Perucchetti's  Giant Jelly baby occupying a space in Medicine Now? I'm well aware that the interesting objects in their stores, of roughly the same size are plentiful. So what does the Jelly Baby have to do with medicine?

Of course The Wellcome Collection's website gave me the desired answer:

'Perucchetti works in polyurethane, a notoriously difficult resin made of many small, unstable urethane molecules in long chains. He creates works which are water-clear, strong and last forever. On one level, this work uses the jelly baby as a metaphor for cloned humans, which are identical to one another yet potentially not like other humans. On another level, it speaks to our increasing tendency to see human beings as chemical assemblages that temporarily stabilise the bases of DNA into long durable and comprehensible chains for the duration of our lives'

The Ministry salutes the Current Wellcome Curators, you have followed dutifully in the footsteps of Henry Wellcome and your mind acts as his. He would have bought it and contextualised it later, never failing to link it back to medicine. 

And that is is exactly why we love you. 

Find out more about...

 Mauro Perucchetti's work:  http://www.mauroperucchetti.com/about.html

The Jelly Baby at Wellcome Collection http://www.wellcomecollection.org/explore/life-genes--you/topics/genetics/images.aspx?view=jelly-baby-3

'UNCUM' Mauro Peruchetti is on at Halcyon Gallery until 12th May 2013
http://www.halcyongallery.com/exhibitions/mauro-perucchetti-unicum

Mindfuck? I'd Rather be in an Episode of Girls

Sex and Death , 1985

After spending all day with contemporary art I decided to venture to a commercial gallery to see ‘Mindfuck’, hoping to find an adult and more complex version of Light Show, but the bulb was dim.

Bruce Nauman at Hawser and Wirth is meant to be an anxiety driven and psychoanalytical show, with a reflection of anthropology, but like a bad one night stand my mind was not fucked merely satisfied. However, I admire Nauman's aims, trying to convey the ideas of mind, body and spirit through contemporary art is difficult and if this was showed through the five pieces I would come away feeling elated.

The individually  interesting pieces filled the small gallery space easily whilst four gallery assistants played on their phones, occasionally looking up to mutter 'no photography' the space didn't feel like a thought provoking environment but instead just empty.

Untitled, 1971.

I found only two pieces that poked a reaction and made me feel  slightly uncomfortable 'Untitled (Helman Gallery Parallelogram)'1971 and 'Carousel' 1988 .Untitled was definitely panic attack provoking, upon entering the room you walk towards a green light in a subtracting corridor, hopefully fitting through the space in my winter coat and bag I felt anxious. On entering the green lit room it looked as if there was little way to escape, but the 'exit' on the other side of the piece also narrower on attachment to the room however seemed slightly more thrilling as it lead out to 'Sex and Death 1985' the poster piece for the exhibition. Carousel was perhaps the most disturbing piece, spinning and showing mannequins of cats and dogs seemingly being dragged along did make me want to look away awkwardly, but I didn't feel that it really encapsulated the promised 'Mindfuck'

Carousel 1988.

Maybe a day working in a gallery made me feel less inclined to be positive about this exhibition but I do love art that makes you feel something, and interacts with your psychology but with so much 'shocking' contemporary art naming a commercial gallery exhibition 'Mindfuck' was a bit presumptuous.

Next time a gallery promises my mind to get fucked I expect it to be something out of 'Girls' like when Marnie gets trapped in Booth Johnson's TV installation, and is made to watch snippets of 'True Blood'.

Bruce Nauman, Mindfuck is on until 9th March at Hauser and Wirth, London Saville Row.