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Diary

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Welcome to our diary

08 march 2010, last updated
 19 December 2009

On Saturday 6 March and excellent exhibition by the Internationally renown artist Gustav Metzger opened. Here is just a taste, but to really appreciate the powerful quality of the artists work in the evocative setting the the mediaeval castle of Rochechouart, you must come and see the exhibition for yourself. Finishes 15th June 2010 so you have plenty of time.

The exhibition is held in conjunction with a new look at the montages and collages of Raoul Hausmann. There is also a permanent exhibition of Hausmann’s work lodged in the Chateau of Rochechouart - a hommage to the fact that Hausmann chose to live in Limousin after fleeing from the Nazis.

Read more of Contemporary Art in Limousin

http://hubpages.com/hub/Modern-Art-in-Limousin

Rochechouart Chateau dominates the skyline, towering over the mediaeval town. It is now a vibrant centre for Contemporary Art.

The.entrance to the gallery is from the sunny courtyard bordered with an arcade of twisted columns.

As you make your way across the courtyard to the gallery entrance you are greeted with a car, engine running, and a tube leading from the exhaust to a glass case placed on top of the car. Inside this enclose case, there is a potted plant. At the time of the exhibition opening, it looked in good condition but it would be interesting to go back and see what it looks like next week!

“Kill the car” - as you near this wrecked car (how did they get it into the gallery?) you hear, from time to time someone telling you to “Kill the car”. In the background is a large photograph of boys jumping on a smashed car.

This piece has an entirely different mood. Set in a darkened room with cushions on the floor, beautiful rainbow abstract patterns loom gently towards you. It is not until later that you might notice the likeness to petrol patterns floating in muddy puddles.

The magnificence of the Castle does much to enhance the experience of the exhibitions. Here you can see this large work dwarfed by the oak beams of the château roof structure.

The muted colours of the powerful photographs of war, the piles of stone and the natural materials of the castle complement each other beautifully.

‘Trees’ grow in this cold, round, domed space within the castle. Wood and stone and wood.