I might have mentioned before that I'm not great at turning up to exhibitions to order - I manage quite a few, sooner or later in their run, but normally more by luck than good judgement.
This is especially true of Neo: exhibitions. They're very handy and I often think of them when I'm in Bolton, but inevitably on the wrong days. I seem to be far more together on Mondays and Tuesdays, while the Neo: gallery is open at the other end of the week. However, for the biennial print prize, with Gemma Lacey's 'Longing' work in it (though I'd love to have seen the actual print with the cabinet), I made an exception and turned up with the rest of the world on the first Saturday afternoon of the exhibition. Rather too many people for me, but in terms of an opening, I have to suppose many people is a good thing.
As you might imagine, it was a fascinating show, rich in variety of print method, theme, substrate. The most odd might have been printing on a wasps' nest, and it was definitely unusual to see a piece of work suspended under a shelf . The show was, of course, entirely different to the previous neo: print prize - obviously; different artists, different works, but presumably most importantly, different selectors. I'm sure it's a hackneyed idea, but it made me realise how interesting it might be to present the same pool of work to different selectors and see how much the choices vary. Or even, maybe, how little. I suppose that's sort of what happens with Discerning Eye - there are six selectors, who each pick their own mini-exhibition, but I don't think there's any overlap of work between them. The same artists might turn up, but not the same pieces.
Lots to like here, though I didn't particularly go for any of the prize prints. I don't expect to - I'm never going to be a cutting edge sort of a person, in what I do or what I like, and so what? My own particular favourite was Barbara Ann Swan's 'DNA Women' - I stood in front of it for ages, studying the riveting selection of body parts. Loved it. I liked the strips of film way of hanging it, trailing on to the floor, too.
Lots to like here, though I didn't particularly go for any of the prize prints. I don't expect to - I'm never going to be a cutting edge sort of a person, in what I do or what I like, and so what? My own particular favourite was Barbara Ann Swan's 'DNA Women' - I stood in front of it for ages, studying the riveting selection of body parts. Loved it. I liked the strips of film way of hanging it, trailing on to the floor, too.
Barbara Ann Swan - DNA Women
I also really liked Rosey Prince's 'Elephant (with yellow wall)' for its lovely combination of saturated colour with obviously black and white, Victoria Ahren's rich 'Home Front', Fiona Grady's 'Arcs I-V' as they quietly developed across the set, and the non-prizewinning work by Susan Eyre, 'Paradise Row SW4' for that lovely, sly flash of colour in amongst the shades of grey.
I recognized Kaori Homma's work as something I had seen in Discerning Eye's exhibitions a few years ago - they are described as being fire, acid and water on paper, and I'd love to know (of course) how they're made. Looking through the catalogue, I have realised first that a dozen or so works aren't in there - seems a bit of a shame - and second that there are works in it that I like but failed to notice at the show. Must really try to go back before it finishes on 2nd November.
RSS Feed