It's nothing to do with the fact that Michael has a picture in it, at all, no, not at all, but the Foto8 Summer Show in Host Gallery is the unmissable art event of the summer, if not this century.
In particular this picture of a woman playing bingo from the series Bingo & Social Club (buy the book here) is stunning. Positioned just above the couch on the left hand side, you can spend all the time you (will undoubtedly) need contemplating its monotone beauty and compositional genius.
Asides from that, there are some incredible pictures and it's a feast for the eyes, and it's free, and it's just across the road from the lovely cycle-cafe Look Mum No Hands for an in-depth post-exhibition discussion (and cake).
My particular favourite was the one of the caravan and the birds (number 148 in the slideshow at the bottom). Fell in love with it. Also liked the one of two naked squatters in a bath - stood out from the others somehow in its oddness (no. 37). The one of Brighton pier was pretty breathtaking too (no. 144). Oh to have £2,000 to spend on such things. Perhaps if I stopped buying £7.50 cocktails I might be in with a chance.
Very few of them had actually sold though, which just shows the difficulties in selling photos these days. I suppose it's fair to say that not many people want pictures of anguished people on their walls, and many of them, though beautiful, were quite difficult to look at for a few minutes, let alone for an eternity, looking at you accusingly in your living room.
The next important exhibition of the year is, of course, Bingo & Social Club at Outside World Gallery in Redchurch Street in the first week of November as part of East London Photo Month 2010. B&Q has well and truly run out of plugs.
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