Record Breaking 11th Hour Charity Auction

After being told by my tutor to “have fun in the library” as it would probably be the last time I set foot in one, I headed to the library, opened up Safari and started to numb my mind with fashion (net-a-porter’s Monday arrivals) and mindless art-related articles (via GalleristNY).

I’m not sure whether it was the coffee or the article, but one in particular really pepped me up and put me in a good mood. I was reading about Leonardo diCaprio’s auction at Christie’s NY for his charity the 11^th hour – the actor reportedly started the auction by instructing the bidders to “bid as if the fate of the planet depends on us.”

Edward Ruscha, Bliss Bucket, 2010 - sold for $357,500 (estimate $150,000 - $200,000)

Urs Fischer, Good Problem, 2013 - sold for $1.1 million (estimate $450,000 - $550,000)

The auction raised an impressive $31.7 million – far exceeding the high estimate of $18 million with, incredibly, 13 artist records broken. The incentives for the lavish bidding were plenty, with most of the proceeds going straight to the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, as well as Leo personally calling collectors beforehand and buttering them up, and Christie’s specially lowered buyer’s premium of 5%.

It wasn’t just the incredible amount of money raised for charity that excited me, but the inclusion of some of my favourite contemporary artists! And the fact that they had participated in the “highest grossing charity auction” of all time – well… that’s enough to excite any charitable girl!

 Zeng Fanzhi, The Tiger, 2011 - sold for $5.04 million (estimate $1.5 million - $2.5 million)

Mark Grotjahn, Untitled (Standard Lotus No.II, Bird of Paradise, Tiger Mouth Face 44.01), 2012 - sold for $6.51 million (estimate $1.5 million - $2.5 million)

Food glorious food!

I love my Daddy! He's someone that I have great admiration and respect for... and ever since my sister and I were sent away to boarding school almost fifteen years ago, Daddy-Daughter time has been few and far between.

When Daddy called saying he had a few meetings to attend in London, my sister and I leapt (quite literally!) with excitement. We knew it meant one thing: eating some of the most delicious foods that London has to offer. I love food, and eating out, but there is no one I know who loves to eat out more than my father. So reservations were made, two-year long pescetarian commitments were broken (in Paris, for preparation of this week-long feast, naturally), and we ate!

Liu Dahong… ‘Childhood’ at Rossi & Rossi

A few weeks ago, I attended a talk at the Courtauld hosted Liu Dahong and Chinese art expert Dr. Katie Hill titled ‘Memorabilia from an Age of Troublemaking’, which coincided with Liu’s first solo show outside of Asia, ‘Childhood’ at Rossi & Rossi in Mayfair. The talk was incredibly insightful, and it was really great to hear what Liu had to say about his own personal influences.

At the start of the talk Liu Dahong stated that he had lived through three dynasties: firstly, under Chairman Mao’s leadership, secondly, at the aftermath of his death, and thirdly, the past 10 years heralding a new dynasty. One can certainly sense that Mao has certainly influenced Liu’s art, with his altarpiece Church depicting Chairman Mao at the centre as ‘God’, and Mao’s last wife Jiang Qing taking position to his right. Furthermore, Liu’s inclusion of militant workers instead of family members is representative of the concept of the whole world as a family – exemplified by the common use of the word ‘comrade’ during those times.

Of his ‘Childhood’ series, Liu said that his main interest was in the Cultural Revolution, and his specific memories of his very unique and special childhood. He recounted how his childhood memories are mostly of playing, with school back then only taking up half the day. He also remembers the presence of Big Character posters (大字报) with everyone taking a keen interest in politics, though for the young Liu his interest was more in the spectacle and excitement of the party.

Certainly, the jovial and light-heartedness of his paintings evoke a sense of playfulness. For Liu, he says that children of the Cultural Revolution led extremely happy lives. He views his childhood as being superior to the lives of one-child-policy children in China now, whose lives are a mundane routine or being solely cared for by adults with little contact with other children. Calling them “pathetic” and “unfortunate”, it is clear that Liu holds a nostalgic longing for his wild childhood where he roamed around getting burnt in the sun. Most of all, Liu longs for fearlessness – he says his fearlessness born out of swimming in the sea led to his bravery in adult-life that allowed him to go against the law and have two children of his own.

‘Childhood’ on until 30^th May

Rossi & Rossi, 16 Clifford Street, Mayfair, London W1S 3RG

Cerise Doucède at the Inception Gallery

I came across the works of photographer Cerise Doucède whilst wandering around the Marais - an area that had previously been quite a mystery to me, but after this trip has become a part of Paris that I have grown to love! With an abundance of gem-sized restaurants, cute boutiques, and enough art galleries to put the Tate's collection to shame, Le Marais was the perfect backdrop to my most recent trip to Paris.

Back to Doucède and her beautiful photography. I stumbled upon her 'Égarements' show at the Inception Gallery, a bright space whose stark white walls was showed off Doucède's colourful and light-hearted compositions. Doucède is definitely one to watch - in 2012 she was the winner of the Royal Monceau photography contest. Having studied graphic design, Doucède discovered photography as a tool to aid her work, before it overtook her practice to become her medium of choice.

The series deals with the subject of dreams, of which Doucède writes: "The subject of dreams has always interested me, notably moments of ramblings, drifting in and out of thoughts, and distractions. I often find it amusing to imagine what people on the streets are thinking about."

One can certainly sense this looking at her photographs. The distant looks on the protagonists' faces convey the daydreams one indulges in to escape an otherwise mundane reality, as well as the surreal, dream-like setting - it seems that Doucède really does straddle between reality and fiction. The compositions are very imaginative, with string-hung props dominating the shot. Doucède makes no attempt to conceal these strings, bringing to home to contrived nature of these scenarios.

 Roro, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120 cm

 Carole, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120 cm

 Gaspard, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120 cm

 Pierre, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120 cm

Petit Dej, Égarements Series, 2012, Photograph, 80 x 120 cm