The Top 5 Worst Exhibitions of 2017
Rather than rehash the countless great exhibitions I've been to this year, I thought it might be funny to tell you all about the worst exhibitions I've seen in 2017.
Coming in at number 5 is Hilary Lloyd's show Woodall at Temple Bar Gallery in Dublin. I saw this show in February when Kelly and I flew over for a weekend to see Keaton Henson, and although it was nice to see some contemporary art in Ireland, this was a bit underwhelming.
Images of jeans on tv monitors leaning against pillars, and a 2 layer projection that just made me think of youtuber trends - nothing about this show was particularly amazing but it was by no means the worst I've seen this year.
Coming in at number 4 is Sue Tompkins' show Country Grammar at The Modern Institute, Glasgow. I had really high hopes for this show having seen several of Sue's performances over the past few years however the work in this show fell a bit flat for me.
The constant shrieking of Tompkins' voice as it played over the film by Luke Fowler was too grating on the senses - even the invigilator had had the piece muted before we got there. Admittedly I did really like the way the walls had been painted different colours leaving the edges in rough white but even the paintings on display felt a little lacking to me.
At number 3 is Kelly Richardson's The Weather Makers at Dundee Contemporary Arts. I saw this show the same day as the Ulay exhibition at the Cooper Gallery but didn't feel I had enough to say on this to write its own review. Suffice to say that the work was largely underwhelming. What was intended to be impressive CGI'd photographs projected on large screens just looked like large scale, low quality computer game graphics. In today's day and age the level of CGI needed to be a lot higher to achieve that questioning of what's real and what's fake.
In second-worst place is Amanda Ross-Ho's Untitled Period Piece at Tramway, Glasgow. Reading the exhibition accompaniment was probably what made this exhibition seem a lot worse than it might have actually been to an unbiased viewer. Claims of it being a production factory and that the projected barber clock signified time standing still just filled me with annoyance. The hall was practically empty - hardly a factory environment - and the items on the tables in the centre of the room were laid out almost clinically like specimens.
Maybe this was just one of the shows that I didn't get. To me everything was so unnecessary and contradicted the claims of the explanation provided. I mean these trousers, though hilarious in size, were defunct of purpose - I think perhaps the point was just lost on me.
Finally in first place for the worst exhibition I have been to in 2017 is Joanne Robertson and Max Brand's Poppies at GoMA, Glasgow.
This entire show just felt like a cop out. Relating the work to clothing by way of the rails of clothes was just so boring and simplistic and though the paintings were more interesting, they were still very simplistic and yawn-inducing. This exhibition was made memorable by the pairs of underwear left hanging on the paintings, covered in paint. So unneccessary. Admittedly, the floor I like, but by no means is it enough to save this disasterous exhibition from the title of worst exhibition of 2017.
Did you see any of these shows? Do you agree with my choices?
Let me know in the comments
- Melissa x