Raw Colors, Sea Women, Feces at London Galleries:

According to Bloomberg news, walking into the Gagosian and the Victoria Miro galleries in London is an antidote to the bleak winter. Michael Craig-Martin and Wangechi Mutu light up the walls with artworks bathed in color, bouncing off the smooth surfaces.

Craig-Martin is often referred to as the father of Young British Art. As a teacher, he has influenced many of the names associated with the movement -- Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin. His artistic influence is perhaps even clearer in the graphic work of Julian Opie, whose striking portraits of women and spare landscapes have become fixtures on the art-fair scene.

An affable man, Craig-Martin was born in Ireland but lived in the U.S. until he came to Britain in the 1960s to teach. Excluding a brief return to the U.S., he has remained firmly on this side of the Atlantic.

His graphic-inspired works of collections of everyday objects in day-glow colors of fuchsia, lime and turquoise are instantly recognizable. A big piece with his stylish objects -- a light bulb, tennis shoes and a fan -- is placed alongside London's Euston Road, a landmark that brings a smile to weary commuters.

For the Gagosian show, Craig-Martin has been experimenting with letters and a work, ``A Is for Umbrella,'' is the title of the new show. There are also three-letter words, which are more difficult to decipher.

No Hierarchy

There are screens on which computer-generated objects appear like screensaver flip books. One triple screen moves so quickly it is hard to keep up with the constant flow of images. Here is Duchamp's fountain and bottle rack, here a dish rack. They're all given equal status. This is what Craig-Martin does -- he removes the hierarchal quality of images.

Mutu was born in Nairobi and now lives in New York. Her images are fluid and seductive, her colors more organic than artificial, a far cry from Craig-Martin's hyped crispness.

Her work was last seen in London in the 2006 ``USA Today'' show at the Royal Academy, which featured works from the Saatchi Collection. Mutu exhibited small collages sourced from fashion magazines. At first glance, they were simply an embracing of glamour. It was only on closer scrutiny that you could see the grotesque flip side -- the artist's social engagement and her rejection of woman as object.

At Victoria Miro, the scale is larger and the works are more complex. The large works on Mylar in the downstairs gallery depict multilayered, strange sea-like women adorned with pigment, feathers and beads. Upstairs, an installation of pipes and shoes morphing together seems to writhe across the gallery.

I don't feel this is an improvement on the earlier works. There is a glibness that is worrying, as if the earlier earnestness has been overlaid by technique. I am relieved to see a tight room of small collages to remind me of the strength of Mutu's work.

Squares of Excrement

Across town in the West End, Santiago Sierra, a Mexico-based Spanish political artist, has filled the Lisson Gallery with human excrement. Unlike Craig Martin and Mutu there's no color or glamour here. Instead, black squares of human feces collected by low-caste Indian workers are transformed into the work ``21 Anthropometric Modules Made of Human Faeces by the People of Sulabh International, India.''

It reminds the viewer that there are always people who endure jobs of unspeakable grimness. Whether the pre-Christmas period is the best time to ``enjoy'' this sort of work is another question.

A private foundation already has purchased the piece, so the artist is not short of admirers or collectors. I prefer to bathe in the colors of Craig Martin and Mutu during this dark month.

Michael Craig Martin continues at the Gagosian Gallery through Jan. 31, 2008. Wangechi Mutu is at Victoria Miro Gallery until Jan. 19. ``Santiago Sierra, 7 Works'' continues at the Lisson Gallery also through Jan. 19.