Review: Cat Holic @ Subway Gallery

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 183 months ago
Review: Cat Holic @ Subway Gallery
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Should you feel in need of a respite from the Christmas bustle or a dose of the warm 'n' fuzzies to thaw your frozen ears, a new exhibition at the Subway Gallery in – or rather, under – Edgware Road should do the trick.

We visited the Subway Gallery a couple of years ago and it's surely one of London's most intriguing art spaces. A kiosk in the middle of an underpass running beneath the Marylebone flyover? Why not. And for the rest of the month, amid the concrete, Alessandra Travagliati's collection of animal charm is on display.

Cats are Travagliati's pet passion, quite literally. Her photographs are not of the cutesy birthday card mould (though if you are a cat lover, you will end up saying 'aw' at some point). These lithe felines are brimming with personality in each beautifully composed shot. There's also a Christmas tree decorated with kitty playing cards, while extra lighting is provided by lamps that Travagliati has hand made, including the intriguing 'penny' lamp.

Make sure you also take a moment to examine the fur balls. The artist has collected the moultings of her subjects and compacted them into little hairy spheres, each displayed in its own glass case, which brought chocolate truffles to mind. Or maybe that's just us?

Cat Holic runs until 31 December at the Subway Gallery Kiosk 1, Pedestrian Subway at Edgware Road / Harrow Road, London W2. For more information, go to the gallery website

Last Updated 10 December 2008