Latest news with #Moco
Scotsman
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
I fell down a rabbit hole of calm amid the chaos of London
I fell down a rabbit hole of artistic calm amid the chaos of London, reports Louisa Gregson Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It's not uncommon for a Modern Art gallery visit to divide opinion. Some people adore them, others are bored, complacent or even intimidated. Personally, I find contemporary art studios super soothing - the absence of traffic, the hush, the clean lines, the minimalism and the beautiful pieces of art - it feels like checking out of the chaos and stress of life by simply walking off the street, through a door and into an oasis of still and calm - a bit like Alice falling down a rabbit hole into Wonderland but with a much easier entrance and a much calmer (if just as curious) destination. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Contemporary art galleries feel to me like peaceful sanctuaries that soothe my soul - and none so much as when I stepped into Moco art gallery in Marble Arch, London. 'Moco' stands for 'modern contemporary', and when you find yourself looking at artwork by Robbie Williams - yes, that Robbie Williams, it seems perfectly apt. The vast three floor space offers up a veritable adult sweet shop of candy colours, pretty pink blossoms, electric neon signs and shiny immersive installations. Modern pieces, contemporary sculptures, and digital art blend together with stunning pieces by Damien Hirst, Banksy, Andy Warhol, and the aforementioned Robbie Williams, as well as pieces by Jeff Koons, Marina Abramovic, Yayoi Kusama and many more. Moco has made the new museum in London their flagship location, so as well as the exhibition spaces, the art museum also offers up a lovely (if a little pricey in my opinion) Moco Store, and there is an exciting variety of creative events and activities. It was a memorable visit as part of a one night stay in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Leicester Square as part of a trip where I was invited to 'explore the best of London.' After soaking up the art in MOCO we headed to for afternoon tea. There is something so irresistible about the civilised indulgence of dainty, pastel coloured china, tiny sandwiches and pretty cakes all taken in lovely, tranquil surroundings. Afternoon tea at Bond Street Radisson Blu offers a twist on the classic, traditional afternoon tea. There are contemporary details with classic wood-panelled interiors and guests start with a selection of hot dish starters, followed by a choice of finger classic sandwiches, freshly baked scones (with jam and cream of course!) and dainty yet decadent desserts. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Afternoon tea | Afternoon tea Dinner that evening was in the hotel's restaurant Leicester Square Kitchen, where we Indulged in contemporary Mexican and Peruvian cuisine - beautifully cooked spicy small plates accompanied with an impressive cocktail menu in ultra chic surroundings. My hazelnut sour - recommended by the lovely waiter was an absolute treat. The menu is extensive and exciting. Soft Mexican Tacos offer such tasty fillings as crispy Baja fish, cabbage slaw and habanero mayonnaise, dry-rubbed short rib and smoked chilli mayonnaise, chilli lime vegetarian chicken, baby pulled pork and apple mayonnaise. The Peruvian menu offers such delights as chicken tacos, jalapeno and truffle mayonnaise, shredded crab and avocado tostada with chili garlic mayonnaise, vegetable hard taco with tomato salsa. Drinks were later taken upstairs in the penthouse suite with breathtaking views overlooking the iconic London skyline. Sipping champagne while watching darkness descend on London's most famous landmarks finished the evening off in true city style. The next day after strolling through the vibrant streets of London in glorious sunshine I visited another art gallery - this time not quite so modern. We visited The Wallace Collection - a national museum housing masterpieces of painting, sculpture, furniture, arms and armour, and porcelain. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Wallace Collection was built over the 18th and 19th centuries by the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, it is one of the finest and most celebrated collections in the world. Moco museum | Radisson There was just time afterwards to visit Bloomsbury Street Kitchen on the ground floor of Radisson Blu Hotel, Bloomsbury for a mouth watering power hour lunch menu of Mediterranean and Japanese dishes. The restaurant itself is beautifully chic - exposed brick works alongside Italian glazed porcelain tiles with lots of lush foliage - think Japanese Sago palms, Mediterranean olive trees and clusters of terracotta pots - making for an inspiring setting. The food was top-notch and felt perfect for a quick, affordable lunch that eases a little luxury into your day.
The Guardian
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Robbie Williams: Radical Honesty review – ‘Tone deaf, self-important, incredibly bad art'
F or a while there, Robbie Williams was pretty damn insistent that he would just rock all night, DJ. But artistic geniuses cannot live on rock alone, and the former boyband superstar has been looking for other ways to satisfy his pangs of creative hunger. And judging by the awkward, anxious paintings and sculptures here at Moco – London's newest 'museum' – it's art that he's decided to stuff his face with. The big printed canvases of computerised line drawings on the walls are filled with therapy speak, greeting card banter and patronising, meaningless affirmations. An aeroplane flying across a blue sky pulls a banner that reads: 'Yes you are self centred, but what a marvellous self to be centred on.' And my stomach starts turning. The words 'roses are red, violets are blue, everyone's a dickhead except you' are written across a cassette tape, while bubble font spells out: 'I'm sorry about being incredibly charasmatic [sic] I tried to not be but there was nothing I could do about it.' 'Every direction leads to a hell where the guy from Take That is giving you life advice' … Radical Honesty. Photograph: Justin Piperger Fortunately, he's provided an 'introvert chair' where you can 'take a moment to ground yourself and breathe' if all of this powerful, insightful personal philosophy gets too much for you. Exactly what every introvert wants, a single armchair in the middle of an art gallery. And somehow, somehow , that's still not the worst thing in Radical Honesty, as the show is called. No, the worst thing is an image of a signpost with 'you and your limiting self beliefs' to the left and 'the life you still could have' to the right. A fork in the road – with every direction leading to a hell where the guy from Take That is giving you life advice. And there's more – from an ambient soundtrack of new age chillout music to a big vinyl on the wall that reads: 'You are comfortable feeling uncomfortable. Change that.' A paragraph on another wall ends: 'Consider this your reminder: the voice in your head matters. Make sure it's speaking to you with kindness.' Look, Williams is clearly dealing with some heavy stuff but the work does not seem to fully convey this. A giant hoodie is covered in pockets embroidered with the names of mental health medications; an image of a grinning old lady seems to be the embodiment of his anxiety. A series of canvases show him being awkward at parties, wanting to leave, or staring at himself in the mirror saying: 'I forgive you for being a dickhead.' But how much do you care that a mega-millionaire and ultra-successful singer has social anxiety? Do you get a sense of kinship from knowing that a celebrity doesn't feel comfortable at parties? I think it feels tone deaf and self-important. He's not well – and being vulnerable and open in public is to be commended. But to present it as art, in a gallery, is to say you think this has aesthetic merit, cultural value. 'To present this as art, in a gallery, is to say you think this has aesthetic merit' … Radical Honesty at Moco, London. Photograph: Justin Piperger On a basic, artistic level, the work looks bad and expresses incredibly superficial ideas very poorly. It's a 'live, laugh, love' sign slowly strangling you with its self-importance. It's an Instagram self-help quote attacking your brain and eyes. It is incredibly bad art: so earnest, so superficial, it's barely even funny. Poor Williams should never have been put in a position to have the ticket-buying art public come face to face with them. And yes, it does feels a bit silly to be taking the art of Robbie Williams this seriously. He's a pop star, not an artist, and maybe it's unfair to view his work in the wider context of modern and contemporary art. Ronnie Wood and Chrissie Hynde are also rockers who double as awful painters and I'm not going after them. But Williams's work is being presented in a gallery that is keen to position itself as a legitimate art museum, that thinks its collection of second-rate Warhols and Basquiats that they charge you £20 to see puts it on a level with all of London's incredible and free art institutions. And now they're asking you to see Robbie Williams on a par with Jeff Koons and Tracey Emin. Greeting card banter … Radical Honesty. Photograph: Justin Piperger Maybe this is what we deserve. Maybe this is what happens when the arts are decimated, when funding is stripped from vital, high-quality spaces. It leaves a vacuum that invariably gets filled with rubbish, with cynical 'immersive' installations, with Van Gogh and Klimt 'experiences' and David Hockney light shows, with people trying to fleece you and call it art in the process. Williams once famously asked: 'Does an angel contemplate my fate?' No idea, mate. But this art critic does – and he really hopes it doesn't involve any more exhibitions. At Moco, London
