Lifestyle

Artcube

Artcube

One thing East London is not short on is talented artists. That much was particularly clear at Second Home, a converted warehouse/art space, and for the evening playing host to the opening night of an exhibition of 30 young artists.

The art ranged enormously from the conceptual to the more conventional, to the downright bizarre. All of it intriguing and thought provoking, however. Located just off Brick Lane, Second Home is a light, airy and open space ideal for hosting such an evening and an exhibition of art. The artists were spread over the two floors, some had even taken advantage of this and chosen to drape or involve the different levels in their work.

The evening revolved around a chance to see the different exhibits, taste some excellent food, all lit by candlelight and then head on to an exclusive after party. The evening was also set to the mellow tunes of Fritz Helder (Azari & III) and DJ Pipes & Sneakers, who provided the perfect, ambient and interesting, but not distracting soundtrack.

Artcube

Arriving early enough to see the exhibits by sunlight and then observe the change to darkness and a mix of candlelight and artificial light provided a particularly interesting perspective on the exhibits, most of which were monochrome (which tied in nicely with the evening’s theme of black, grey and white). The exhibits themselves were hugely varied, from taxidermy based works to an interesting collection of photographs taken in India, echoing Steve McCurry’s work and to one replicating the size of the world’s biggest camera. Each piece was also accompanied by a small note explaining the artists’ intentions and also giving the guests the opportunity to bid on pieces.

Artcube

I also returned the following Sunday to see the full exhibit and art fair that was taking place. Being during the day and so close to Brick Lane, it was rather different, busier affair, but with a wider range of artists displaying and furthermore an interesting chance to see what people were prepared to pay for the art works and what had been bid at the evening event.

All in all, ArtCube provided an interesting and thought provoking evening. Their tag line – be smART. take pART. make ART, tied in nicely with the overall impression and left one with the distinct that London has plenty to contribute to the future of art.

ArtCube can be found online here, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Kickstarter.

 

By Peter Churchill