London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, Islington

The London Art Fair preview evening is always an interesting night of familiar faces, the odd celeb and lots of art dealers and critics. As the UK's biggest art fair for Modern British and Contemporary Art this annual exhibition has quite a reputation to uphold, and this year it is confident and colourful as ever. I have worked at the fair several times in the past, but for the 2012 opening night I was invited as a guest.

As usual it is located in Islington’s vast Business Design Centre on Upper Street, the smart building with its simple layout is perfect for displaying art. The list of galleries exhibiting is endless and it is almost impossible to see it all. We got a bit lost while on the hunt for champagne, the trail of empty glasses led us round the wrong way.

There is the usual handful of big names on show, Hockney (very topical), Riley, Lowry, Aitchinson to name a few, but there are also unknown gems cropping up every few stands. Of course my dad Chris Kenny's work, beautiful and immaculate boxes, shines out, a selection of new work specially saved for the art fair. I loved wandering round overhearing the fascinating conversations of art critics and art lovers, the well-heeled visitors to the art fair are certainly a bold and bright bunch to admire.

Finishes today Sunday 22nd January at the Business Design Centre in Islington. Tickets £11 in advance, £16 on the door. More information and book here.

John Martin: Apocalypse, Tate Britain

The good news? I got there just in time, on the very last day of the John Martin exhibition, the bad news? So did the rest of London. I was hit, on entering, by a musty sweaty smell, which I guess is expected with a whole roomful of eccentric visitors, all grappling to see the final hours of the Apocalypse show. John Martin’s work is apparently very popular, though I have never come across it before. This is a giant exhibition of his spectacularly vast paintings depicting biblical catastrophes and grand landscapes.

John Martin certainly had a particular vision, and I could see how his work has inspired film especially science fiction. Many of the paintings in the show look similar to stills from blockbuster films, hugely dramatic scenes of natural disaster and terror. The mezzotint prints are more subtle and intriguing, delicate illustrations made by Martin illustrating his impression of Milton’s Paradise Lost. These works show technical prowess as well as an instinctive poetic power.

One thing is very obvious walking round this Tate show- John Martin’s work is characteristically Romantic, meeting all the criteria and acting as an example for what this period was all about. Seeing the subject matter, fiery palette and dramatic flourishes, I could easily relate these paintings to composers' work of the time: Wagner's and Berlioz's and, later, Mahler’s large scale symphonies and choral works… exaggerated, grand and an over-the-top expression of passion and feeling.

I personally found this exhibition rather repetitive. Although many of the exaggerated epic canvases are impressive, few offer anything more, it is a dark and moody show with a lack of subtlety.

The bad news for you is, you’ve missed the show, the good news? You haven’t missed much.

Anselm Kiefer: Il Mistero delle Cattedrali, White Cube Bermondsey

The new White Cube gallery on Bermondsey Street is a vast and impressive structure... very big and very white. This space is the third and largest White Cube site in London, following the success of the Mason’s Yard and Hoxton Square branches. The building dates from the 1970s and was primarily used as a warehouse before the current refurbishment. It was designed by Casper Mueller Kneer Architects and includes three substantial exhibition spaces, a bookshop and private viewing rooms.

Following a delicious meal at Pizarro I dropped into White Cube Bermondsey to take a peek. I have spoken before about my adoration of the area - great restaurants, cafes, gift shops, and now a great art gallery too, it has it all. The gallery is currently showing the work of internationally renowned German artist, Anselm Kiefer, in the largest presentation his work ever mounted in London.

The spacious, clinical rooms display art in a cool and minimalist fashion, accentuating the work's power without letting it drown in light. Kiefer is showing relentless, giant sculptures that felt austere and cold to me. There is an obvious lack of colour, which is made more apparent in this blank setting. His structures are massive, made from ravaged and salvaged materials, old books, buckets and bicycles; the tall white walls make the collection even more surreal. I was interested in the conundrum of strength versus weakness, a comparison of elements that is illustrated in many of the sculptures, unsteady constructions made in strong materials like lead and stone.

The title of the exhibition, Il Mistero delle Cattedrali (The Mystery of the Cathedrals) is taken from an esoteric publication by Fulcanelli. The name reflects Kiefer’s interest in illusions, mystical and material, he shows magic as he understands it.

Though I loved the gallery space, Kiefer’s work wasn’t quite to my taste. I enjoy art that tells a story, but this work felt one-dimensional in this respect. The sheer scale of the gallery building gives it enormous potential and I am immensely looking forward to its future contributions to London’s art scene.

Exhibition continues until 26 February, visit website here.

Things to look forward to in 2012

Here are a few of the top musicals, art exhibitions and plays I am looking forward to in 2012...

MUSICALS

1. Master Class, Vaudeville Theatre, from 21 Jan


2. Singin’ In the Rain, Palace Theatre, from 4 Feb


3. Sweeney Todd, Adelphi Theatre, from 10 Mar


4. Top Hat, Aldwych Theatre, from 19 Apr


5. Wah! Wah! Girls, Peacock Theatre, from 24 May


ART

1. Lucian Freud Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, 9 Feb-27 May

2. Damien Hirst, Tate Modern, 5 Apr-9 Sep

3. Picasso and Modern British Art, Tate Britain, 15 Feb-15 Jul

4. David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture, Royal Academy of Arts, 21 Jan-9 Apr

THEATRE

1. The Madness of George III, Apollo Theatre, from 18 Jan


2. Hay Fever, Noël Coward Theatre, from 10 Feb


3. All New People, Duke of Yorks Theatre, from 22 Feb


4. Wild Swans, Young Vic, from 13 Apr


5. Mark Rylance at the Globe, from 7 Jun

Camille Silvy at the National Portrait Gallery

I must admit I was initially drawn to the Camille Silvy exhibition because of our name share, my full name also being Camille.

Camille Silvy was a pioneer of early photography and established himself as one of the leading portrait photographers in London, to which he moved in 1859. This exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery displays many incredible images, some of which have not been shown since the 1860s.

Silvy spoke of his passion: ‘ when I realised the inadequacy of my talent in obtaining exact views of the places we travelled through, I dedicated myself to photography and ... concentrated especially on reproducing everything interesting – archaeologically or historically – that presented itself to me.’

The show begins with a collection of photographs taken in France. Quiet and serene these photos have a nostalgic feel, they capture the street life in the most natural way. The motif of horses recurs throughout the exhibition, a subject close to Silvy’s heart. He was a keen and knowledgeable horseman, as shown in the painting of him included in the collection. Later there is a series of very romantic photographs taken in London. These are intimate studies of delicate light and dark. My favourites were ‘Fog’ and ‘Twilight’, both taken in 1859. These hazy shots depict mysterious secrets in the shadows of London.

As the exhibition continued I realised Camille Silvy and I had more in common than I had originally thought. Like me, Silvy loved fashion and the theatre. His wife often modelled for him in the latest Parisian fashions; one of her more outrageous dresses is displayed. She was a useful part of the process, Camille could try out all his new ideas in the photographs he took of her. The final rooms show Silvy’s obsession with the magical opera stage. The main focus of his attention was the international operatic star Adelina Patti, and it has been said that as a model she brought out the best in his talent.

It’s sad to think that Camille Silvy has been left unnoticed for so long, he is a modern master worthy of rediscovery.