What does it mean to be English? A difficult question. Thanks to the Queen, Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, and Hugh Grant in every film he’s ever done, a stereotype isn’t hard to come by. But what about English artists? They have always had a strong identity, from Turner and Constable to the YBAs of the 1990s, so is it still the case? OHWOW Gallery in Los Angeles is aiming to find out with its exhibition entitled Bloody English.
Speaking of stereotypes, you know how all Americans don’t want to accept there’s a difference between London and England, and that they aren’t totally interchangeable, and that London doesn’t bear much relation to the rest of the whole country? Yeah that. Anyway, suffice to say that eight very talented contemporary artists based in London – namely Charlie Billingham, Adham Faramwy, Emma Hart, Celia Hempton, Patrick Hough, Oliver Osborne, Prem Sahib and Jesse Wine – are flying the flag for Englishness in art. If you’re in the quaint little city of Los Angeles, which is somewhere near New York, or maybe Mexico, please check it out; the closing date for Bloody English is 15 February.
Patrick Hough
An Archeology of Cinema, 2013
Two Channel HD Video, 15:58 min and 20:03 min
(video still)
Courtesy of the artist and
OHWOW, Los Angeles
Oliver Osborne
…………….., 2013
Silkscreen, paper, and oil on linen
49 x 36 inches
Courtesy of the artist and
Vilma Gold, London
Emma Hart
From Behind 1, 2013
Glazed ceramic with photographic detail
11.75 x 9.75 x 4.75 inches each
Courtesy of the artist and
OHWOW, Los Angeles
Prem Sahib
Your Shine Against Mine VII, 2013
Jesmonite, paint, and fake diamond earrings
15.75 x 15.75 inches
Courtesy of the artist and
Southard Reid, London
