Can you CRAVE the Art?

This evening Fashion Writer Extraordinaire, Nicola Copping, of The Times, London, invited me to an exhibition opening in E1.

Spitalfields Market and actually the entire East End has undergone a massive make-over in recent years. Gone are the days of sad curry houses, forlorn factories, and dubious doughy bagel shops, now these re-modeled establishments sit next to some of London's trendiest locals. Of course there is the LoungeLover and Les Trois Garcons that I mentioned in my first post. There are hip shops, swank salons and cool exhibition spaces.

Tonight we found ourselves making our way from nearby Liverpool Street station to CRAVE at Raw Space, Spital Square, London, E1. Crave is an exhibition that is mostly showing Italian artists, however, there is the odd foreigner amongst them. "To Crave is for the small part of those linked to the sense of willing always something". Or so their pamphlet says.

That is the space above. There is Nicola standing in here skirt talking to one of the curators. And did we talk! The Italians for some reason loved Nicola and I hanging on every word either of us spoke. Whether it was about what we do, or which of the art pieces we liked or where we liked to shop or travels in Italy, they lapped it up like a dog fetching a bone! Ok perhaps that is a big too strong of an image to grace this gentleman's site, but nonetheless I'll say it! So the space was really quite great, the atmosphere was fun and light-hearted. The hosts loved us what more is there to say about it.
Afterwards, Nicola and I strolled around the area to find a place for a quick drink. Nicola in her Vintage Chanel blouse with tuxedo pleats down the front and her Balence(you know what I mean) skirt, silver pumps and gorgeous, unpretentious brown leather Prada bag. I in my Lewis Original trousers, my comfy Jockey white v-neck t and my Under the Garden ridiculously complex, wear it two ways black v-neck with suspenders!
Well we dounf Leon and sat down for some red wine and some tapas. Although I only had one dish and we stuck to the wine.

There's a close up for you to have a better look.

Do you all know that Nicola, used to be a teacher at Harrow School, my highschool? Yes she did! And what's more we are greater friends because of it, and the fact that she never taught me just helped me curate the exhibition Foot Fetish! several hundred years of shoe history. Quite fabulous really.

I must say something about the art before I sign off. My favorite piece was by artist Caterina Nelli. She had prepared a triptych called "Euro-fun" which, be her own description, was meant to illustrate the sense of distance between one person(herself, in self-portrait) and the young man she photographed in the street(whom she had a craving for). Both sexual and thoughtful, I liked the use of mixed media from the pin-hole photo on Wood, to the void of oil paint also on wood and the oil self-portrait on wood. Situated on the wall in an off kilter line, the disconnect of space between each item only emphasized the distance and loneliness that can be felt when yearning for something you might not have becomes to great.

thanks and on to tomorrow.

Alexander