Today marked the day of two new exhibition public openings for White Cube gallery, in Bermondsey, London. Inside gallery spaces 9x9x9 and the North Galleries opened History of Nothing, curated by Hannah Gruy.
The exhibition itself is orientated around the American dream and its title has been influenced by the 1962 film, ‘History of Nothing’ The exhibition allows the viewer to both participate and observe. Spread over two gallery spaces in White Cube, the first space has a much more intimate feel as the room is small and snug. This however, is juxtaposed by the feeling of intensity from the large mirror on the main wall, reflecting off the mirror is Katherine Bernhardt’s colourful and vibrant acrylic canvas, View Finders, Sharpies, Coffee, and Cigarettes.
When arriving into the North Galleries you are introduced by a small screen of which has a white glowing frame. On this screen plays a short film, the image is very blurry and the sound quiet. As the sound was quiet I found myself moving closer and closer to the screen, becoming encapsulated within the piece. From observing, each person shown is asked certain questions from the interviewer that appears to be sitting behind the camera. From the short film that Josh Kline has created, he tries to show disorientated videos of deceased musicians to show the current technological movement in society. Showing that when undertaking activity with modern day technology, we are the users that control how we participate and what we choose to do. In my opinion due to the constant change of characters, as a viewer you want to carry on watching, awaiting the next person to appear on the screen.
Above is a piece of work that comes at the end of the exhibition. Bouchet’s Descenting 2, has a typical symbolic characterisation in regards to the American dream. The work depicts a cowboy riding a bull, interestingly the material used to paint this piece is Diet Coca-Cola. Bouchet has combined a traditional American era with a classic American beverage. This surprising choice of medium allowed me to want to observe the piece on a much more intimate level, as well as appreciating Descenting 2 from afar.
History of Nothing 3 February-17 April 2016 at White Cube, free admission.
White Cube Bermondsey
144 – 152 Bermondsey Street
London
SE1 3TQ
Ramnique Thiara 
i tried painting with a tea bag yesterday, serendipity! However it was more like a toddler’s scrawl than this fabulous painting of a cowboy on a bull. Your review makes me want to see this exhibition, thank you. Nicola http://islingtonfacesblog.com
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