Ruth Asawa | Citizen of the Universe

“During the last week I’ve been drawing,” writes John Berger in Confabulations, “asking myself whether natural forms – a tree, a cloud, a river, a stone, a flower – can be looked at and perceived as messages. Messages – it goes without saying – which can never be verbalized, and are not particularly addressed to us.” Ascending the stairs into Modern Art Oxford, one enters a strange forest. Lit from many angles, casting duplicate shadows, the distinctive hanging sculptures of American artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013) float as if suspended in deep water. Written by Rowland Bagnall

Takers | Nikita Gale

It is impossible not to be drawn into the fight that perpetually unfolds on the projection wall at the centre of the darkened gallery. The grunts and smacks of two men engaging in an unrelenting, no-holds-barred fist fight resonate throughout the very room they were recorded in. Onscreen, fists and limbs puncture drywall. The holes, still visible behind the screen, swiftly cast the gallery as both a film set and an art space. Review by Reuben Merringer