Caragh Thuring’s (b. 1972) exhibition at Thomas Dane Gallery opens today. A few weeks ahead of the opening, Thuring welcomed a small group into her studio. Her work was still in the final stages before completion. I was impressed to see an artist being open and candid about her working and thinking process at that nerve-wracking stage when things are coming together. A few paintings still unfinished were in the studio.
I visited Barcelona last weekend. The reason was a true contemporary art pilgrimage to a chapel perched on top of the Montserrat mountains, one hour away from the city. Sean Scully (b. 1945) unveiled his permanent installation in Santa Cecilia church in June 2015. Scully has taken over the small Romanic chapel and conflated art and spirituality with his symbolic use of colours and the simplicity of his brushstroke.
I meet Niloufar Bakhtiar Bakhtiari on the Monday after Frieze week. I thought the madness was behind me. However, as soon as she greets me into her Chelsea residence in London, she tells me she will be receiving for installation, during our interview, a piece she just bought at the art fair.
It is not mere provocation. It is carefree, almost innocent. This new generation of artists is bringing on the revival of art produced based on feeling, intuition and impulse that the art world has been longing for.