ARTS & EXHIBITIONS

STATE OF THE ART

Bharti Kher: The Body is a Place, Arnolfini, until 29 January

Arnolfini welcomes you to explore the alchemical practice of internationally renowned artist Bharti Kher, in a major solo exhibition of drawing, sculpture, and the spaces that lie between. Including new and previously unseen works created during a residencies in Somerset in 2017 and 2019, The Body is a Place also features Kher’s monumental bindi drawings, the playful and political drawing-based installation Links in a Chain, sculptures made from found objects and plaster casts, and a new encounter with her site-specific bindi work Virus; part of a 30-year project began by the artist in 2010. The Body is a Place is accompanied by a programme of film, music, talks and workshops for all ages, as well as a new publication available through Arnolfini Bookshop.

• arnolfini.org.uk; 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA

Image: Body Incantatory 21, 2019. © Bharti Kher. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo Dominic Brown Photography

For Winter: a mixed show by gallery artists, Clifton Contemporary Art, until 10 January

Throughout midwinter the gallery will be filled with an inspiring variety of original paintings, printwork and sculpture, fine ceramics and handcrafted jewellery. The mixed show will encompass 100 million-year-old stone carved into new life, timeless limited edition bronzes, cutting edge digital prints, deeply atmospheric landscapes, light filled still life compositions, elegantly simple porcelain bowls and vases, silver, gold and semi-precious stones, crafted and combined with freshness and ingenuity. For winter, the galley is celebrating creative individuality and its ability to move and surprise you.

• cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk; 25 Portland Street, Clifton, BS8 4JB

Serigraphs from the Pacific Northwest, Rainmaker Gallery, throughout January

The winter exhibition at Rainmaker Gallery showcases Pacific Northwest Coast ‘formline’ serigraphs from Tlingit artist Preston Singletary and Coast Salish print makers Peter and Araquin Boome. Also featured is a glorious formline wolf painting by Alaskan artist Crystal Worl (Tlingit and Athabascan), minimalist serigraphs by Jordan Ann Craig (Northern Cheyenne) and fine art photographic portraiture from the amazing Cara Romero (Chemehuevi). Each work of art has been selected for a seasonal palette of red, black and white.

• rainmakerart.co.uk; 140 Whiteladies Road, BS8 2RS

Lawrence Abu Hamdan: 45th Parallel, Spike Island, until 29 January

Lawrence Abu Hamdan is a Private Ear: a detective of sounds and their traces. His new film commission, 45th Parallel, focuses on the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a unique municipal site that straddles the jurisdictions of Canada and the United States. Built by the Haskell family in 1904, the site was originally constructed to provide education and cultural enrichment to the border communities located on the 45th parallel in Rock Island, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont. A thick black line demarcating the border runs through the entire building, dividing the library collections and creating the only cross-border theatre in the world, where the audience and actors are in different countries.

Filmed on location, 45thParallel activates this unique site’s legal and symbolic potential. The work is structured as a monologue in four acts, performed by acclaimed film director Mahdi Fleifel. The story centres on Hernández vs Mesa, a judicial case covering the fatal, cross-border shooting of an unarmed 15-year-old Mexican national in 2010 by a US Border Patrol agent.

In 2019, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of Mesa –the border agent –claiming that, as the firearm was discharged on US soil and the murder of

Hernández took place in Mexico, the guard could not be prosecuted in the US. Supreme Court judges were fearful that Mesa’s bullet could implicate drone strikes in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia and Libya. The work temporarily suspends us in a parallel world where the one vote that stood between justice for Hernández and the thousands like him killed across the border, went the other way. Each act is demarcated by a scenographic change in the hand-painted backdrop on the Opera House stage. Together the film and installation render the

Haskell Free Library and Opera House as a grey zone, continually recasting the border as at once powerful yet superficial, absurd yet lethal.

• spikeisland.org.uk; 133 Cumberland Road, BS1 6UX

Image: Lawrence Abu Hamdan, 45th Parallel (2022). Installation view, Spike Island. Courtesy the artist, photograph by Dan Weill

Wildlife Photographer of the Year, M Shed, until 29 May

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is back at M Shed with a brand new set of images capturing the breathtaking diversity of the natural world. From fascinating animal behaviour to remarkable species, 100 powerful photographs illustrate the precious beauty of our planet.

The images shine a light on stories from all over the world and convey the impact of human activity in ways that words cannot. Now in its 58th year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world. Launching in 1965, today the competition receives entries from over 90 countries all over the world.

Winning images are selected for their creativity, originality and technical excellence by a panel of international experts.

• bristolmuseums.org.uk; Princes Wharf, Wapping Road, BS1 4RN

RWA’s 169th Annual Open Exhibition, until 8 January

The RWA’s renowned Annual Open Exhibition is back for its 169th year with a stunning variety of work from emerging and established artists. Most notably, two water colours painted by His Majesty The King (when he was The Prince of Wales) have been installed in the main gallery at the RWA, and included as part of its Open Exhibition. The RWA is now the first art gallery in the UK ever to exhibit the art of a reigning British monarch as part of an Open Exhibition. The dynamic and varied exhibition includes painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation and mixed media and is a showcase of some of the most exciting artists from across the country. All work will be for sale making the Annual Open a perfect opportunity to discover new artists or invest in well-known names. Located in a spectacular Grade II* listed building in the heart of the city, the RWA is the UK’s only Royal Academy of Art housed in its own, original, purpose-built gallery. The building has recently completed a £4.5m transformation –opening up access for all. It provides opportunities for everybody to get creative and feel inspired. Through its extensive programme of exhibitions, events, workshops, talks and lectures, the RWA is committed to providing great art for everybody, and to promoting the understanding and enjoyment of art for the widest possible audience.

• rwa.org.uk; Queens Road, Clifton, BS8 1PX

Pictured: Kilphedir Pool on The River Helmsdale, Sutherland (HRH 2015.06) and Brecon Beacons from Llwynywermod (HRH 2016.05)

Expert opinion

Our regular columnist Chris Yeo is away but Clevedon Salerooms report on yet another successful specialist sale.

Stars of the East

Clevedon Salerooms held their Winter Specialist Fine Art Sale on Thursday 24th November. Seasonal downpours outside did little to dampen the enthusiasm of bidders at the sale, resulting in strong prices and a sale total well over expectations.

As is so often the case, Chinese taste lay behind some of the day’s best performing lots, all of which attracted strong online and telephone competition. Leading the pack, a large 19th Century Chinese flared footed vase, well painted with three kylin which measured in at an impressive 41cm high. Although unmarked, it clearly struck a chord and after some feverish bidding the hammer finally fell at £7,200. Also causing a good deal of excitement, a Chinese Canton porcelain Gu ‘Bajixiang’ vase, delicately painted in the Famille Rose palette. Bearing an "archaic seal" mark of the Emperor Jiaxing (1796-1820), despite some professional restoration it left its estimate standing to sell for £5,200. From the same local deceased estate, and scoring high on decorative appeal, a large Chinese Republican (early 20th century) porcelain panel painted with a mountainous landscape, which sold for a very respectable £3,200.

Amongst a strong showing of quality silver, once again it was China that led the way. A Chinese export white metal mug, the handle formed as a dragon, surpassed all expectations to sell for £2,200. Other highlights in the Asian section included an impressive matched pair of 18th Century Japanese Imari moulded vases and covers. Catalogued as ‘large’, at 66cm high they were perhaps better described as monumental and, despite significant repairs to one vase, their decorative appeal was clear to see. The focus of fast-paced bidding, they quickly left their estimate in the shade to sell for £3,800 [LOT 301].

With 2023 on the horizon, Clevedon Salerooms are gearing up for an exciting year of Fine Art and Interiors auctions, as well as their free valuation days at the Saleroom, which will run every Monday (except Bank Holidays), and regular outside valuation events. Please visit the website www.clevedonsalerooms.com for more details. ■ • clevedonsalerooms.com; @chrisyeo_antiques (Instagram)