Woojung Chun, 'Library', England & Co Gallery

Library is a collection of thoughts, dreams and memories... every piece delicately devised to evoke a miniature world, displayed in custom made wooden armoires.

Woojung Chun is an exceedingly talented young Korean artist currently living and working in the UK. Meeting her at the private view of her first exhibition at England &Co, she seemed sincere and modest, and genuinely engrossed by the world she had created.

The usually bright white gallery space has been transformed to exhibit her otherworldly pieces and the experience is mesmerising. Thick black curtains drape the walls; it is hard to see so viewers must visit each piece closely to identify what it is all about, and to examine the excruciating detail of Chun's artwork.

My favourite piece is the beautiful yet creepy moving hands video which immediately reminded me of the living paintings and newspaper images in Harry Potter. This is the first time Chun’s video piece has been installed, and I was so seduced I wanted to take it home with me. A projector shines light down onto circles of black paper stuck at angles on pins, the same pair of hands is seen in each circle slowing moving and flexing, it is an enchanting idea, with seemingly complex logistics but Chun pulls it off brilliantly.

Chun has previously exhibited in both the Venice and Cairo Biennales and some of these works originated in these events prior to this show, however it is the collection as a whole, a magical Library of secrets and discoveries, that works so well and makes such an impression on the viewer.

Exhibition continues until 23 November, visit website here.

The Family and the Land: Sally Mann

'Candy Cigarette', 1989

I tend to find photography exhibitions a bit dreary. There is a certain energy that surrounds handmade artwork - you can imagine the creator hard at work and their physical process. This is what photography lacks for me. However, The Photographers’ Gallery changed my mind last weekend.

I went along to the new Sally Mann exhibition with my dad and brother on Saturday. They are experts in the fields of art and photography, so I felt a little naive observing the work without such an analytical understanding.

Sally Mann is a successful American photographer, best known for black and white photos of her children and later landscapes of death and decay. In 2001 Mann was heralded as ‘America’s best photographer’ by Time Magazine. In 1949 Life magazine had similarly constructed the reputation of Jackson Pollock with such a headline. ‘The Family and the Land: Sally Mann’ is her first solo exhibition in the UK.

The first room displayed a collection of some of her more recent work. The images are ghostly and stare blankly at you as you wander round. Mann created these prints outside using a delicate technique called the ‘wet plate collodion process’, introduced in 1851. The technique is complicated and tactile and leaves Mann only five minutes to make the exposure.

My favourite works were the earlier family photographs displayed upstairs in the gallery. These controversially show three gorgeous children, often barely clothed. They are intimate and revealing portraits that offer an insight into her family life. ‘Candy Cigarette’ 1989, depicts her young daughter, pretending to smoke with a sweet cigarette. It is a beautifully captured moment, unsettling but stylish enough to appear in Vogue.

The final room, ‘What Remains’ is a collection of haunted landscapes some with discarded bodies in them. They are vague and eerie, and sometimes quite horrendous when looked at in detail. A startling contrast with the children’s portraits in the room before.

I loved this show, so much so that I even almost bought the insanely expensive catalogue.

Show continues until 19 September 2010. Check it out here.