Pipilotti Rist and George Condo, Hayward Gallery

The Hayward Gallery doesn't conform, and this winter presents a programme of weird and wacky artists on their grey brutalist walls: George Condo and Pipilotti Rist running in tandem in the Southbank venue.

You enter the Pipilotti first... a collection of works under the title 'Eyeball Massage'. It is a sensory playpen, ethereal video installations and unconventional constructions to experience. Pipilotti invites the viewer to freely engage and immerse him or herself in her otherworldly creations - I found some of these pieces to be very disorientating. The exhibition brings together thirty works from the mid 1980s to the present day, including a vast new installation created especially for the Hayward. Pipilotti is interested in both magnified and micro worlds, and my favourite works were the miniature ones, tiny video screens arranged in handbags or shells, or even in the floor - they are captivating.

George Condo presents an equally eccentric collection of works; his retrospective is appropriately titled, ‘Mental States’. Condo hails from New York and is considered to be one of the most original and provocative painters of his generation. This exhibition includes work from the last three decades and is split into thematic sections: Portraiture, Abstract-Figuration and Mania and Melancholy.

It is an angry collection, Condo seems to have a lot of deep rooted, seething frustration and angst that he lets loose through his creations. I found the portraiture to be quite disconcerting, a strange mix of humour and disgust, a few of the cartoon like characters even made me laugh out loud. Some images reminded me of the crazy Dr Seuss books I read as a child, exaggerated bizarre characters that really stick in your mind, in particular I will retain ‘Red Antipodular Portrait’ and ‘The Butler’.

My favourite pieces were the Picasso inspired linear abstract paintings. Expansive canvases with confused but beautiful mind maps of shape, colour and figurative hints like the fascinating Fallen Butler of 2009. They are works created in the 1980s when Condo became preoccupied with depicting non-representational forms tightly packed and overlapped, the artist called them ‘drawing paintings’ because although they are on canvas they are drawn in charcoal, pastel and acrylic paint, rather than the more traditional oil paint.

Mania and Melancholy features the most grotesque of the lot, yet very intriguing to observe. Aggressive and upsetting paintings that ‘reflect the madness of everyday life’, apparently! The exaggerated features and frenzy evoked in these paintings is not dissimilar to traits found in Outsider Art.

I left the Hayward Gallery feeling dazed and bewildered by the two very different artists minds I had entered. Both are intensely imaginative individuals and I felt privileged to be welcomed into their worlds.

Pipilotti Rist and George Condo continue until 8 January, 2011.

Tracey Emin: Love Is What You Want, Hayward Gallery

Tracey Emin is the UK's most notorious art rebel. Strangely, after seeing her epic retrospective at Southbank's Hayward Gallery, I was reminded of Lady Gaga, another deeply injured girl who uses her impressive creative outlet to sooth herself and relieve her anger. Both are needy and desperate for appreciation from others, both are aggressively and eccentrically talented.

The exhibition shows a wide range of Emin work from the bold, colourful tapestries to small figurative sketches; from strange films of herself to her most personal often bizarre possessions, artifacts and memories. Entitled ‘Love Is What You Want’, this collection hopes to illustrate the different aspects of Emin’s life, it is an expansive exhibition, that gives a complete biography of this troubled artist.

There is the usual helping of crude creativity on show. Many will remember the dirty dishevelled ‘My Bed’ that Emin submitted for the 1999 Turner Prize show, gaining substantial media interest. Here we are subjected to Emin’s used tampons, and a video explaining, in detail, the physical and emotional turmoil of her abortion. Harrowing for the viewer too, filled with suffering and tragedy, but eventually I felt myself becoming annoyed and bored by these disgusting exhibits, there is less and less meaning to them.

The films are even more self-indulgent, video depictions of Emin’s fantasies. ‘Love is a Strange Thing’ shows Tracey speaking to a drooling dog in a park, he has propositioned her and asked for sex, but she turns him down - a bizarre clip that yet again illustrates her need for power and control. I found the 1995 work ‘Why I never became a dancer’ more interesting. A dizzy film that gives a vivid account of Emin’s childhood in Margate, and her early dancing ambition. She tells us of the boys that laughed at her, these local lads that slept with her then ruined her dream. After seeing the town of Margate, the shabby shops and beach, the film turns to a smiling Tracey who dances manically round the room to Sylvester’s ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’.

My favourite works are the embroidered rainbow blankets that cover the walls of the first room. On these hangings Emin has stitched statements and thoughts, patterns and text. Some blaspheme and swear while others just show thoughts and realisations. They are angry and chaotic, like much of her work, but also wacky and quite stunning, whether she meant them to be aesthetically pleasing is another point to ponder.

Tracey Emin’s ‘Love Is What You Want’ continues until 29 August, 2011, book here.

Move Choreographing You: an art and dance exhibition at The Hayward Gallery

Most art exhibitions are calming or thought-provoking but the Hayward Gallery is offering up something quite different this month. ‘Move: Choreographing You’ explores the interaction between art and dance from the late 1950s to the present. The work comes from a collection of wacky artists including: Janine Antoni, Pablo Bronstein, Robert Morris and Franz West. The show allows spectators to participate throughout, making us more than just audience members. It feels a bit like an assault course on School Sports Day except more of the contenders are fully grown adults!

This is a perfect Half Term activity for all the family to enjoy. The real downfall is the queues to have ‘your go’ on each piece of art. For the first major construction I had to wait about 15 minutes before I was allowed to go through. You climb through several compartments, including a central inflated clear bubble, and an area filled with balloons. The actual experience is fun, but after waiting for so long and hyping myself up for something other-worldly, it definitely didn’t live up to expectations.

My favourite activity is the maze of swinging hoops that you have to climb your way through (see image above). I managed to get about halfway before becoming hideously twisted in the ropes and falling to the ground totally defeated. I was definitely not dressed suitably – and spent half the time pulling my dress down to avoid any public indecency. Annoyingly my friend managed to make it through with heroic speed, and stood quietly gloating as I struggled. Other installations include films and outdoor artworks on the roof. There are also pieces that look at the history of movement and dance, and a beautiful little video of some clog dancers in one of the rooms. I have to say, participating in this exhibition involved more exercise than I had experienced in a long time, and I could definitely notice the ache in my muscles the next morning.

It is always interesting to go to something a bit different and exciting, especially when it is hands on but I was expecting more for my £11 ticket.

Move Choreographing You continues at The Hayward Gallery until 9 January 2011.