Riflemaker

Opened in 2004 by collectors Virginia Damtsa and Tot Taylor, Riflemaker is housed in London's oldest public building, a Georgian riflemaker's workshop dating from 1712. Their aim is to exhibit the most ambitious and extraordinary work by the very best young and emerging artists of this era in this unique architectural space. Riflemaker has presented debuts by Jamie Shovlin, Francesca Lowe, Jaime Gili and Chosil Kil as well as themed exhibitions on William S. Burroughs, the Indica gallery - 'Riflemaker becomes Indica' - the Liliane Lijn/NASA collaboration 'Stardust', John Maeda's virtual exploration, 'Maeda/Myspace', Alasdair Gray and Francesca Lowe's 'Terminus' and an investigation of 'Voodoo: Hoochie-Coochie and the Creative Spirit'. 79, Beak Street, Soho, London W1.

Maurizio Anzeri

Magdalen 2009 21.5x16.5, embroidery on found photo

Round Midnight 2008/09 45x60cm, embroidery on paper


Ghost of a chance 2009, 220cm high, synthetic hair,threads




3 sculptures, 2009 synthetic hair, threads

Showing at one of the best galleries in London (in my humble opinion) Riflemaker gallery in Soho, Italian artist Maurizio Anzeri's life-size hair sculptures portray the human form as hollow sarcophagi. Anzeri (b. 1969 Loano, Italy) teases and spins hair into tightly-wove plaits and rolls, creating a body-bag of coiffured assumption.

The artist creates an additional classification system through needlework and embroidery, a second Anzerian semiology. In addition to the sculptures, found family photographs are reinvented with embroidered threads of colour pulled tight to create new facial contours. New expressions radiate from the eyes of strangers, needlework veils mask what was. The show continues until 26th May.

The Photographic Object

damage (glass) by Catherine Yass 2005

The Photographers' Gallery has moved from Covent Garden to 16-18 Ramillies Street, London W1. Their current show is The Photographic Object. The artists in this exhibition use stitching, cutting, piercing and punching to explore the ambiguous space between two and three dimensions. I particularly liked the work of Maurizio Anzeri who is also showing work down the road at Riflemaker gallery.

Algerian Coffee Stores

The smell of coffee is the first thing that hits you when you walk into the Algerian Coffee Stores, 52 Old Compton Street, Soho, London W1.

Soho bug :) spotted on my way to see some art.