The local gallery is a tad swanky. Super-sized in recent times by Rick Mather architects, though the real touch of genius is the car-park roof-turned gardens. Cascades and long strips of water and then wide, wide lawns made for rolling, as well as the odd sculpture create a peaceful spot amidst the city streets.
Indoors it's all very white and monied, with gifted works and spaces galore and with poster slogans like, 'Hang here - it's your art!' it's hard not too feel a little queazy. Of course, add demented children into the mix and things actually get quite tense. However Zu Bing's tabacco project stopped them in their tracks, with a gigantic tiger's pelt made out of thousands of cigarettes that changed from orange and white to tabacco-brown and white, as you moved. Tristin Lowe's soft felt whale made me smile and with the appearance of an Andy Warhol brillo box, I was finally on famliar ground.Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
