Claude Cahun's self-portrait reviewed by Astrid Horkheimer

 

This self portrait by Claude Cahun (born Lucy Schwob, in France, in 1894)has always intrigued me. It reminds me of the work of both Cindy Sherman and Gillian Wearing. Maybe it's not quite as well known as other works by Cahun such as the iconic image of the artist in circus strongman costume and doll face make-up ("I AM IN TRAINING DO NOT KISS ME")but this is the image I think of most. There's something special about the chessboard coat and piercing stare. Cahun wrote in her autobiography that, “Under this mask, another mask I will never be finished removing all these faces.” Yet I detect a sense of panic in the eyes that, to me, asks "have I revealed too much?"

Go to most bookshops during PRIDE month and you'll find something in the 'Art & Culture' section about the belief that gender is fluid and not fixed by biology, and that "masculine" and "feminine" are not biologically fixed but culturally presupposed - but back in the days Cahun/Schwob was making art I imagine rejecting gender constructs made you stick out like a sore thumb and that kindred spirits would be very hard to find. But apparently the artists did find a friend in Oscar Wilde.

The self portrait I admire was made in 1928. It wasn't until the 1990's that Cahun's work began to be properly respected and bought by major galleries. In 2018 the artist has a street named after her in Paris. A year ago her heroism was celebrated in a book by Jeffrey H. Jackson called, Paper Bullets: Two Artists Who Risked Their Lives to Defy the Nazis. I'm sure there will eventually be a bio-pic and postage stamp made in the artist's honor. And why not?

Text by Astrid Horkheimer

4 More reasons to visit The Stash Gallery

John Lennon Is Not Dead is an exhibition taking place at The Stash Gallery inside Vout-O-Reenee's. The exhibition features contributions from 80 esteemed artists who have either made a new work or unearthed something special to celebrate the 80th anniversary of John Lennon's birth. Four of the artists said a few words about what they're contributing...

ABOVE: ‘Because’ (the world is round, the sky is blue, the wind is high) by Kim James. Kim: "I chose to draw about John Lenin’s song Because, because it is so simple but perfectly expresses the  sense of awe that the world inspires, when you have time to listen. I remember when I first heard it as a teenager and it seemed to sum up the bigness and weirdness of life. Sunflowers are awesome, especially when you start to look really closely. The time-lapse process of my drawing (on Kim James-Williams Instagram) is an important part of the work, it’s about spending time looking closely at stuff and being awed."  https://www.instagram.com/p/CFrV-DMppTW/

ABOVE: Rose Wylie: "I'd Like To Be Under The Sea is a faulty attribution...as a huge fan of The Mighty German Composers, I'm not hot on all more contemporary  facts, and lump The Lovely Beatles into one favourite sound without  particularly distinguishing who wrote what. When some crisp know-all told me this was a Ringo song, I thought it’s just the sort of thing I'm likely to do, and ok if it's acknowledged….could just open things up.  And anyway, didn't want to ditch the drawing and start again."

ABOVE: Gordon Beswick. "I like how John and Yoko smile and kiss at the end of the video for Imagine. A white grand piano, in a sunlit white room, in a Berkshire mansion. This Is Not Here. Ono's conceptual minimalism and Lennon's romantic idealism in a perfectly realised song and film."

ABOVE: Sophie Parkin: "My painting is called, Imagine Love (without your penal gland). Its apropos Lennon's meditation period in 1967."

                                               

John Lennon’s Not Dead features; drawings, paintings, photography, and collage. There will also be some specially made music and animation and some surprise performances. Because of social distancing there will be 4 Fab gatherings (some of which will be filmed and then shared on You Tube) rather than one big opening party. The Stash Gallery is inside Vout-O-Reenee's, The Crypt, 30 Prescot St, E1 8BB. Please note this celebration of John Winston Ono Lennon is unauthorized and 100 % unofficial.  Vout-O-Reenee's is a private members club and pre booking is essential. http://vout-o-reenees.com/events/john-lennon-is-not-dead-hes-80/ Buy your tickets: HERE

The final small gathering is on Friday the 9th of Oct 5pm till 10pm and will feature live music from Simon Love.  Remember to book via event brite for the Fab Fridays.

Four artists who love Lennon who are exhibiting at The Stash Gallery

John Lennon Is Not Dead is an exhibition taking place at The Stash Gallery inside Vout-O-Reenee's. The exhibition features contributions from 80 esteemed artists who have either made a new work or unearthed something special to celebrate the 80th anniversary of John Lennon's birth. Four of the artists said a few words about what they're contributing...

(Above): Jessica Voorsanger:“I adored John Lennon. I convinced myself that he was secretly a member of my family. I was right in the middle of my obsessive Beatles phase when he was murdered. I was so distressed I couldn’t listen to his music for several years. I went to all of the vigils in Central Park. Now I can listen again.”

(Above): Bob & Roberta Smith: I Like John Lennon. I wish he had lived to be 80 years old.

(Above):Christian Furr: "He was a mass of contradictions. On the light side, He was a musician, an artist and a philosopher and that rare instance of someone full of immense talent, hipness, charm, cool, attitude, wit, newness and beauty who made a direct hit - with his talented chums- at the perfect time in history.  On the dark side, he had issues and at his worst was allegedly an emotionally damaged, insecure and occasionally violent bully."

(Above): Julian Wakeling: "John Lennon was always more than a songwriter and a musician. He was an artist in the true sense. For him it was a struggle for truth that was like exorcising demons. Whatever he did he meant it. He had his flaws but they only help us relate to him all the more while still marvelling at his talent. And the music is great."

John Lennon’s Not Dead features; drawings, paintings, photography, and collage. There will also be some specially made music and animation and some surprise performances. Because of social distancing there will be 4 Fab gatherings (some of which will be filmed and then shared on You Tube) rather than one big opening party. The Stash Gallery is inside Vout-O-Reenee's, The Crypt, 30 Prescot St, E1 8BB. Please note this celebration of John Winston Ono Lennon is unauthorized and 100 % unofficial.  Vout-O-Reenee's is a private members club and pre booking is essential. http://vout-o-reenees.com/events/john-lennon-is-not-dead-hes-80/ Buy your tickets: HERE

The 2nd small gathering is on Friday the 9th of Oct 3pm till 10pm and will feature live music from Simon Love. The 3rd small gathering is on Friday 16th and the final small gathering is on Friday 23rd of Oct. Remember to book via event brite for the Fab Fridays.

John Lennon Is Not Dead Artists Talk about their work

 

John Lennon Is Not Dead is an exhibition taking place at The Stash Gallery inside Vout-O-Reenee's. The exhibition features contributions from 80 esteemed artists who have either made a new work or unearthed something special to celebrate the 80th anniversary of John Lennon's birth. Four of the artists said a few words about what they're contributing...

(Above) James Johnston: "My painting is entitled 'How Do You Sleep?', which comes from a song Lennon wrote about Paul McCartney. I did some research into why Lennon wrote the song, and what he thought about it a few years later down the line."

(Above): Jerry Dammers: "When TV piglet puppets Pinky and Perky sang Beatles songs (in their speeded up voices), duck-like Beatles puppets appeared. I thought that might be a good symbol for how John Lennon felt when he wrote "Help". Mark Chapman said he killed Lennon for his later political statements and songs, and for saying that The Beatles were "more popular than Jesus". Irony was apparently lost on Mark Chapman. Yoko said her husband might have been killed for being too honest".

(Above): Uzma Sultan: "Nothing lasts forever but emblems to the legacy left behind. 'A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."

(Above:) Tinsel Edwards: "When I think of John Lennon I think of John and Yoko, and their peaceful protests and political messages. I wanted to paint John and Yoko together. My painting is an interpretation of the iconic photograph taken by Annie Leibovitz for Rolling Stone Magazine just hours before he died. It’s such a strong image and the story of it image makes It even more mesmerising."

John Lennon’s Not Dead will feature; drawings, paintings, photography, and collage. There will also be some specially made music and animation and some surprise performances. Because of social distancing there will be 4 Fab gatherings (some of which will be filmed and then shared on You Tube) rather than one big opening party. The Stash Gallery is inside Vout-O-Reenee's, The Crypt, 30 Prescot St, E1 8BB. Please note this celebration of John Winston Ono Lennon is unauthorized and 100 % unofficial.  Vout-O-Reenee's is a private members club and pre booking is essential. http://vout-o-reenees.com/events/john-lennon-is-not-dead-hes-80/ Buy your tickets: HERE

The 2nd small gathering is on Friday the 9th of Oct 3pm till 10pm and will feature live music from Simon Love

Quotes from four artists taking part in the John Lennon Is Not Dead exhibition at The Stash Gallery.

John Lennon Is Not Dead is an exhibition taking place at The Stash Gallery inside Vout-O-Reenee's. The exhibition features contributions from 80 esteemed artists who have either made a new work or unearthed something special to celebrate the 80th anniversary of John Lennon's birth. Four of the artists said a few words about what they're contributing...

(Above): James Unsworth: "When you start at Calderstones School (or at least when I started at Calderstones School in 1991) someone in the year above will tell you about how when John Lennon was a pupil there he climbed onto the roof and scratched his name into one of the slates. Your job from then on was to work out how to get onto the roof of Quarry House and find the slate."  

(Above):Jo Mama: "I've always loved the cover of the L.P. With The Beatles when the Fab Four were young and beautiful. Yoko Ono said in an interview sometime in the mid 80's that sometimes when she was looking at clouds or at raindrops or at flowers she would suddenly feel that John was there with her. I liked the idea of his face appearing in a Sunflower."  

(Above)Fabienne Jacquet:"I wanted to use some of Lennon's lyrics , rather than his image, as inspiration. The line 'I didn't mean to hurt you, I am sorry that I made you cry' from Jealous Guy became the starting point and it gave the painting its moody feel. It became about love, loss, honesty and being fallible."

(Above) Liz Purchase: "Here's my painting of John Lennon visiting Strawberry Fields memorial garden in Central Park in 2020, from the spirit realm. He's disappointed to see that visitors are so interested in taking selfies and checking their phones. He's also fed up that the dream of the 60s and the Beatles (the rainbow pool drying up at his feet) is fading. Inspired by my visit there in March just before lock down."

John Lennon’s Not Dead will feature; drawings, paintings, photography, and collage. There will also be some specially made music and animation and some surprise performances. Because of social distancing there will be 4 Fab gatherings (some of which will be filmed and then shared on You Tube) rather than one big opening party. The Stash Gallery is inside Vout-O-Reenee's, The Crypt, 30 Prescot St, E1 8BB. Please note this celebration of John Winston Ono Lennon is unauthorized and 100 % unofficial.  Vout-O-Reenee's is a private members club and pre booking is essential. http://vout-o-reenees.com/events/john-lennon-is-not-dead-hes-80/ Buy your tickets: HERE

The show opens on Friday 2nd Oct and closes on Wednesday 28th Oct. Vout-O-Reene's is open Tues -Sat 5pm till 10pm

Four of the Eighty Artists Featured in John Lennon Is Not Dead at The Stash Gallery

John Lennon Is Not Dead is an exhibition taking place at The Stash Gallery inside Vout-O-Reenee's. The exhibition features contributions from 80 esteemed artists who have either made a new work or unearthed something special to celebrate the 80th anniversary of John Lennon's birth. Four of the artists said a few words about what they're contributing...

Above: INSTANT KARMA by Bula Chakravarty Agbo BEM

"We all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun"

Bula: "Half a century has passed yet these lyrics are as painfully relevant today in 2020 as it was in 1970. Aged five when he was handed over by his parents to his uncle George and aunt Mimi to be looked after, his life became marked with challenges until the ultimate tragedy when he was fatally shot in 1980. No challenge was too great for John, he felt the pain and took to his creation. An untethered spirit, he epitomised the bohemian artist, writer, freedom fighter and lover. To this free spirit I celebrate a man who shines on as stardust from above. The blueprint of our creation is held within the flower of life, from the single atom to the planets and everything in-between, reminding us of our unity, and the Merkabah being our light body spirit, with which we transcend into the afterlife.John Lennon’s works continue to ignite a love of humankind that all brothers and sisters are called upon to stop and listen to. Karma is instant, now is all that you have. We are all one. Namaste!"

 

Above: Self Portrait as Working Class Hero - a Tribute to John Lennon by Liesel Thomas (Oil on panel 20.8cm x 29.6cm)

Liesel: "The song Imagine was number 1 in the charts when I was born, shortly after John Lennon's death. Like most Brits around my age, his music and that of the Beatles echoed throughout my childhood and teens, and he's one of the few artists I come back to time and again. His songs are still so relevant, and I was reminded of the lyrics to his political song Working Class Hero from the album Plastic Ono Band as the nation applauded our key workers and the NHS during lockdown, all the while they continued to be underpaid and underfunded by the Government. This painting depicts me as a John Lennon fan, wearing a replica of a T-shirt Lennon himself had been photographed wearing, on the wall in the background is the cover for the Plastic Ono Band album."

Above: Agnieszka Zapala: "John Lennon was in fact a crazy cat lady! Cats remained a big part of his life even after the huge success of the Beatles. This is how I connect with John. One needs a cat to truly understand life."

Above: Mark McGowan: "I once ate a small corgi dog, a co performer Meiko Takanami performed as John Lennon widow Yoko Ono, the press said it was Yoko Ono and she ate the small corgi dog.. lawyers were called and the press had to retract everything, she provided an alibi said she was in Moscow, it was in all the papers." 

John Lennon’s Not Dead will feature; drawings, paintings, photography, and collage. There will also be some specially made music and animation and some surprise performances. Because of social distancing there will be 4 Fab gatherings (some of which will be filmed and then shared on You Tube) rather than one big opening party. The Stash Gallery is inside Vout-O-Reenee's, The Crypt, 30 Prescot St, E1 8BB. Please note this celebration of John Winston Ono Lennon is unauthorized and 100 % unofficial.  Vout-O-Reenee's is a private members club and pre booking is essential. http://vout-o-reenees.com/events/john-lennon-is-not-dead-hes-80/ Buy your tickets: HERE

The show opens on Friday 2nd Oct and closes on Wednesday 28th Oct. Vout-O-Reene's is open Tues -Sat 5pm till 10pm.

Four More Reasons to come and visit John Lennon Is Not Dead at The Stash Gallery

John Lennon Is Not Dead is an exhibition taking place at The Stash Gallery inside Vout-O-Reenee's. The exhibition features contributions from 80 esteemed artists who have either made a new work or unearthed something special to celebrate the 80th anniversary of John Lennon's birth. Four of the artists said a few words about what they're contributing...

(Above) Max Reeves: “In the Spring of 2015 my Great Friend and Beatles fan Charles and I went to Liverpool to do the Beatles run. I was never a particular Beatles person but Strawberry Fields has always resonated with me and as we ticked off the sites it was the Iconic Red Gates that I particularly responded to. It's 'unofficialness'. I love the democratic spontaneity of the graffiti that turns this portal into a living shrine as well. The song too is a portal into a hazy dream world where nothing makes sense. Nothing is real. As I write this Charles lays dying of an unclear combination of Corona virus and cancer. He may have a week. I think, er, no, I mean, er, yes. But it's all wrong.”

(Above) Josie McCoy:"I painted this photo of John Lennon as a teddy boy because it reminds me of a Polaroid of my dad that we have in an old family photo album. I grew up listening to the Beatles and my all time favourite song is ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ which my dad’s rock and roll band used to cover."

(Above) Kyle Hawkins: "I always loved the indoor scenes filmed for Imagine and the ethereal feeling it creates. Yoko slowly walks around the room opening the shutters, removing darkness by letting the light in. The greens from outside filter through, bringing in colour,set against an achromatic interior."  

(Above)Chalkie Davies: "John Lennon was a big fan of the NME and had it sent by Airmail to the Dakota Building each week. He also wrote in to the letters page under the pseudonym Dr Winston O’Boogie. So in 1979 I went to the Dakota to simply take a photo of the entrance to his building for the paper. I had no idea that the following year he would be gunned down in cold blood at this very spot.

John Lennon’s Not Dead will feature; drawings, paintings, photography, and collage. There will also be some specially made music and animation and some surprise performances. Because of social distancing there will be 4 Fab gatherings (some of which will be filmed and then shared on You Tube) rather than one big opening party. The Stash Gallery is inside Vout-O-Reenee's, The Crypt, 30 Prescot St, E1 8BB. Please note this celebration of John Winston Ono Lennon is unauthorized and 100 % unofficial.  Vout-O-Reenee's is a private members club and pre booking is essential. http://vout-o-reenees.com/events/john-lennon-is-not-dead-hes-80/ Buy your tickets: HERE

The show opens on Friday 2nd Oct and closes on the 28th Oct. Vout-O-Reene's is open Tues -Sat 3pm till 10pm.