MARWOOD VISITS: RACHEL WHITEREAD

Jan 24, 2018

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.

Forgotten, seemingly mundane, everyday, recognisable objects have been immortalised or "mummified" through resin, plaster, glass, papier mache and concrete, such as mattresses, staircases, hot water bottles (torsos) and window frames. However, as the Tate notes " Whiteread’s work has been described as 'minimalism with a heart.' This is because the objects she casts – mattresses, beds, sinks, chairs – all have an intimate, physical relationship to the body despite their stark appearance. As objects that are meant to be held, used, and inhabited, their reference point is always human. And because they are always second-hand, they have had a life prior to the artist's treatment of them, and bring their own histories to her work."

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.

MARWOOD VISITS: RACHEL WHITEREAD

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MARWOOD VISITS: RACHEL WHITEREAD

Marwood visits: David Nolan at home

Marwood visits: Hestercombe

Marwood observes: Tie trends A/W2023

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