For those of you intrigued by the curious title of Daria Blum's debut show at Claridge's ArtSpace, there's still time to catch it before doors close on 25 October. Blum is the winner of the first Claridge’s Royal Academy Schools Art Prize. She graduated from the RA Schools in 2023, and her work was selected for the £30,000 award by judges Yinka Shonibare CBE RA and Eva Rothschild RA.
For this thrilling debut, the talented newcomer has transformed the John Pawson-designed Claridge’s ArtSpace in Brooks Mews into an enveloping audiovisual exhibition. The show centres around a three-channel video piece and follows the protagonist, Blum, as she walks through the deserted rooms and corridors of a disused 1970s office building. As she does so, she stops to discover a cache of materials including black-and-white portraits of her late grandmother, the Ukrainian ballerina and choreographer Daria Nyzankiwska, as well as archival recordings of dance rehearsals and footage of a 2022 dance recital by Blum herself.
“The talented newcomer has transformed the John Pawson-designed Claridge’s ArtSpace into an enveloping audiovisual exhibition”
Live performances take place regularly throughout the day, punctuating the installation and completing it, with Blum taking centre stage as she inhabits a live character who disrupts and criticises, pointing a finger at the figures on-screen and the voices offstage.
With all eyes on the winner of this prestigious Claridge’s art prize, those looking to invest in the next “big thing” might want to take a wander around the adjoining Claridge’s ArtSpace Café, where Blum's captivating sculptures and a series of photographs are exhibited and also available to purchase.
Claridge's ArtSpace, Brooks Mews, WIK 4DY