The tinsel and sparkle of the festive season can seem tarnished and fake, a huge money machine that is out of control. And yet: we took time one night to look for the Geminids meteors and were rewarded with the silent needle of a shooting star falling to earth, we took time to see the Niki de Saint-Phalle exhibition at GOMA in Glasgow, another short piece of my writing was published in A Handful of Stones Blogzine, and I now have my trading partner for January 2014 - the Irish band - Redroom, with whom I look forward to swapping some work. ALL tiny sparks amidst the chaos.
This week's picture is of 'Grande Tete', a sculpture by French artist Niki de Saint-Phalle, whose work I first saw in Paris in the Stravinsky Fountain - by the Centre Pompidou. GOMA in Glasgow have an exhibition of her work on until the 16th February, 2014 - really worth a visit. We see the 18 year old Niki as a model on the cover on Life magazine in 1949, before she began her creating work - she had another life before her art career.
'Grande Tete' shows the visible and the hidden self - one half - bright, love, life, tears; the other black steel frame with insects and dinosaurs. I very much enjoyed seeing these pieces with their bright colour, larger than life size and layers of meaning - the gallery space gives them room to breathe and be. Niki de Saint-Phalle died in 1982 at 71, her death was tragically caused by lung disease related to using polyester in the making of her work.
Hat Status: intermittent furry hat wearing.
Painting Status: best not ask.
Writing Status: does my blog count?
Reading Status: a tower of lovely books is developing.
F. E. Clark, 16th December, 2013.