mind the artgap

Working in (or close to) to the centre of London can present some elements of downside -  the scandalous cost of commuting in for those based in the suburbs; sweaty, tetchy tube journeys; a dearth of inexpensive lunch options. But it has its pleasures, too. Some of those pleasures are even surprising and free.

I recall without affection two stints of working out in the boondocks. In both Borehamwood and Crawley, there was nothing lovely on which to rest the eyes, nothing interesting to eat and absolutely nothing to do outside the office - apart from going to the gym and pounding a treadmill sandwiched between heavily perspiring IT recruitment consultants. If any readers have anything positive to say about Crawley, I'd be interested to hear it.

Back in the more stimulating environment of Zone 1, one can stumble almost any day of the week on some little diversion. Sometimes it's as simple as seeing a succession of odd characters while walking to or from your place of work. Just the other morning, I was one of the busy bees buzzing past an individual whose stillness was in stark contrast to the nervous energy of the drones surging past him. There he sat on a bench in a little public park: a youngish man with Lucifer's mischievous little beard and a tall top hat around which was wrapped a purplish bandanna. He wore a bright red raincoat and pale blue jeans. He was barefoot and staring through the commuters at some unknown spot in the middle distance. In his hands was an uncapped bottle of not inexpensive Smirnoff Blue Label vodka (50% ABV). Not a little half or quarter bottle that could be slipped easily into the pockets of that scarlet coat. No, this was the full-sized thing. He appeared entirely serene.

As I continued, I passed from the little park onto the cracked paving slabs of the road ahead. I rounded a corner and was almost flattened by a fast moving person whose appearance was also memorable: of indeterminate gender, the creature was tall and thin. The hawkish face was clumsily made up: bright lips, huge daubs of rouge on each cheek, painted eyebrows. It wore a yellow dungaree-style contraption, the lower part of which ended somewhere down the length of the wearer's spindly thighs. The legs were encased in pink nylon and ended in marching kinderwhore mary-janes. The person was carrying what appeared to be a plywood cupboard door under one arm and was visibly on some kind of urgent mission.

Today's diversion was a bit different. 

I found myself at 37 Camden High Street, London NW1. This address is reached by passing through a narrow alleyway. Inside, you will find a high-celinged and whitewashed exhibition space with plenty of natural light. Last week, it hosted one of the numerous exhibitions of the London Street Photography Festival. The place is a welcome oasis of calm in the jumble of frantic action that is the eastern end of Camden Town at lunchtime.

Today, a collection of artwork by London-based Chinese artists, illustrators, graphic designers and photographers was on display. A lot of the pieces were quite likeable and I've made enquiries about something I'm sure my son would enjoy having on his bedroom wall. The price quoted to me would, I think, be in the 'affordable' bracket for most people working a white-collar job in that neck of the woods.

This small exhibition is only on until Thursday 28th July. I'm not sure it's worth a special detour for anyone not planning to be in that part of town, but it's well worth a look if you're  anywhere  around there and if you like simple and probably quite affordable pieces of art - or if you're in the market to commission some young, creative Chinese dude to design or make something attractive that you might need/want for your business or your home.

All of this seems to have been organised by the creators of ArtGap, "the first bilingual contemporary art magazine dedicated to bridging the Art Gap between the UK and China." The magazine, a free copy of which will be handed to you if you have a chat with the fellows running the exhibition, is quite a handsome object that would look nice on any coffee table. Distributed in both countries, "it not only showcases the current best in the world of art, from industry veterans to tomorrow’s innovators, but also provides a unique insight into other sectors in the creative industry with an eye for art. This includes fashion, design, advertising, architecture, cinema, and many more."

So, another little gem of a dicovery on the streets of London. I'd only popped out to get a bite to eat. I bloody hate London sometimes. I bloody love it on days like the one I've had today.