Saturday, April 13, 2013

Lichtenstein: A Retrospective Exhibiton @ The Tate Modern, London


So, I finally made it to the ‘Lichtenstein: A Retrospective’ exhibition currently on at the Tate Modern in London. The exhibition looks at 125 different works of art produced by Lichtenstein throughout his lifetime, and is according to the Tate the first full retrospective of the Pop Artist’s work in over 20 years.




I have been very eager to go and see his work for myself, as he is one of my favourite artists and had to suffer my own attempts at his comic strip style when I was in high school. May he forgive me.



I was slightly apprehensive about the size of the collection having made the experience of paying the £15 ticket only to find 3 of the artist’s pieces and not even famous ones at that. But I tip my hat to the Tate and The Art Institute of Chicago who have managed to put together what can only be called a massive collection of 13 different rooms including most of his well-known works such as the War and Romance collection but also shining a light on his excursion into abstraction and Chinese art.






I won’t go into too much detail about the art, since there is enough information out there and to me his simply the King of Pop Art (sorry, Andy). I always enjoy the fact that many of his works capture what I learned today is the ‘pregnant moment’ (interesting…) of a story, where you as the audience can create your own backstory to what the image depicts. It makes it so much more interactive than your run of the mill portrait of Richard the Umpteenth.



 


What was surprising to me was the Chinese room. I had no idea that in the last years of his life, Lichtenstein had taken his inspiration from paintings of the Song dynasty and combined calligraphy landscapes with his signpost hand-painted Benday dots. If there was ever an ultimate fusion of anything Western and Chinese, I truly believe this is it. I would have bought his piece ‘Landscape with Philosopher’ on the spot, until I was reminded by my companion that it was not that kind of exhibition. Ah well, next time.








I would like to praise the Tate also for the booklet included in the ticket to the exhibition. While many booklets for art exhibitions are highly cryptic and only contain a minuscule fraction of the on site information, the booklet that came with Lichtenstein: A Retrospective contains all the information given in the exhibition and also some of the images. Thumbs up, Tate, that one is definitely not going to end up in the bin.

Coming out of the exhibition I can honestly say there have been few art shows that offer you this much value for money, all the works you expect to see and more. Well done, Tate! And for you who is reading this, first of all thanks that you have made it up to here and secondly, go – no, don’t go, run! – to this exhibition of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.





21 February 27 May 2013

Adult £15.50 (without donation £14.00)
Concession £13.50 (without donation £12.20)
Help Tate by including the voluntary donation to enable Gift Aid
Open until 20.00 on Sundays, with last ticket sale at 19.00.

Book online or buy in advance, since the exhibition is very popular.

For more information on Lichtenstein, visit the Lichtenstein Foundation website.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

The Lounge Cinema, London - A Luxury Film Experience


The Odeon Luxury Cinema the Lounge in Whiteleys caught my attention when it was advertised in one of Odeon’s more regular cinemas. As a food lover, the idea of being served gourmet food and cocktails while sitting back and enjoying a movie just hit home.


Upon arrival you are able to hand in your coat and sit down in the modern bar while you are waiting for your movie to start. I personally recommend one of their non-alcoholic cocktails, the Autumn Garden, with fresh berries and ginger ale, the perfect refreshment.

If you are a newbie to the world of the luxury cinema experience, the exceptionally helpful staff will give you a detailed introduction to the ordering process. Throughout the movie you will see them crawling about the room, backs bent, so as not to disturb the movie-goers, delivering food and drinks. I really felt bad for them, that can’t be healthy.



The highlight of the experience, that definitely gives it the luxury touch, are the seats. They are so huge, two people might actually fit in one and they are adjustable in every possible direction. Also, there are only about 50 in each cinema. This and the cost of a ticket between £18 and £22 depending on the time of week, ensures that disturbances by popcorn throwing, rowdy people or phone-calls are practically non-existent, making it a whole new experience. Back to the olden days, when cinema was something special.


The food is prepared by Café Anglais, a restaurant within the Whiteleys shopping complex and is simply fabulous. Italian pasta, Thai green curries, lamb shish kebab, you name it, they have it. It makes popcorn and gummy bears look like amateur food in comparison.

Source: standard.co.uk

The only thing to be aware of when visiting the Lounge is that the screen is not one of the largest around, therefore seats in the second row are probably the best option. Number two is booking well in advance, since these seats go fast.

Overall, I would say the price is not cheap, but definitely worth it, if you really love watching movies and want to do so in a comfortable environment so different from the claustrophobic, dirty, run-down cinema experience often found in regular cinemas nowadays.  

Official Website:www.odeon.co.uk/thelounge/
Address:Whiteleys of Bayswater,London,W2 4YL

Monday, April 1, 2013

London Sights: Borough Market, Good Quality International Food

One of my personal highlights in London is Borough market. It has been located right next to London Bridge for over 700 years and is the place to go for international, high-quality and hand-made food. 

You can take ages just wandering around the different stalls (there are over 100 in total), especially since most of them offer little tasters. Once you are done with tasting everything from cheeses, to oils, to sweets and meats you might not even feel the need to buy any actual food anymore. In all honesty though, you always end up buying something anyway, since there are just so many mouth-watering delicacies to be found here.



Whether you are after German sausages, Moroccan lamb skewers or even oysters, it is all here. Borough market is like a treasure trove full of food from all over the world. The market set up is a mix of take away stands, little open shops and coffee places, so you can hide out from the cold and relax with a nice coffee.



The main reason for the market's popularity is of course the quality of the food. This is probably also the reason, you can find so many German expats shopping here (one of German people's main complaints in the UK is probably food quality).
However, this quality comes at a price. You can calculate on average £3 to £6 per each item you buy and with so many amazing products, you can easily walk out there having spent well above £50.
If you like food in general, discovering new foods you didn't even know existed or just going for a stroll on a Saturday, Borough market is one of the great places in London to be. 

To discover my Borough market Italian pasta with chanterelles and cream sauce recipe, click here.


Borough Market Recipe - Italian Pasta with Chanterelles in Cream Sauce

After buying fresh handmade Italian pasta with a spinachricotta filling, chanterelles and some chicken from Borough market, I decided to make the ingredients with a cream sauce, a very calorific but also very tasty German style recipe.


Ingredients
Chanterelle mushrooms (ca. 100g)                         鸡油 (100)
Closed cup mushrooms (ca. 100g)                          一般超市的白蘑 (100)
Italian ravioli w/ spinach ricotta filling (200g)           意大利小方,菠菜奶酪馅儿(200)
Chicken (ca. 150g)                                                  鸡肉(150)
Garlic (1 – 2 cloves)                                                一颗蒜
Onion (1/2)                                                              洋葱(半个)
Double Cream                                                         高脂鲜奶油
Milk                                                                          牛奶
Parmesan                                                                怕弥散
Salt                                                                         
Pepper                                                                     胡椒
Chicken stock                                                          鸡精
White Whine                                                            白葡萄酒

1. Chop up the garlic and onionsinto little pieces, the mushrooms and the chicken into thin strips.
2. Put some pepper on the chicken.
3. Heat some oil in a pan, add the onions and garlic. After 2 minutes fry the mushrooms.
4. Take them out when done and fry the chicken.
5. After it has turned white, add the mushrooms as well.
6. For the sauce: add the double cream to the pan (I try to use as little as possible, since it is really fat), stir in some milk to make it less thick, add some Italian Parmesan cheese and chicken stock. Put it on a low temperature to simmer and carefully stir in a dash or two of white wine.
7. For the pasta: heat up some waterand add salt, add the pasta when the water is boiling and cook for about 3minutes. Drain and arrange on a plate.
8. Add the sauce.
9. Tuck in!


I hope everyone enjoyed our little trip to Borough Market and if you can get your hands on these ingredients, which I realise can be tricky if you are in China, definitely try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!