- Venue
- aspex gallery
- Location
- South East England
It was inevitable that the show that followed Andy Harper’s exhibition (An Orrery for Other Worlds) was going to suffer unfavourable comparison with his spectacular and skillful work. However the work by emerging artists in RSVP: artists respond to aspex is worth a longer look than some visitors appeared to be giving it. The concept is an interesting one – as part of a European Union funded project three artists from across the Channel – Mélanie Berger, Yvan Derwéduwé and Kristin Posehn – were invited to spend time at aspex and its immediate surroundings and then return home to develop new work in response to their first impressions. Unfortunately this is immediately undermined by the fact that Kristin Posehn spent 5 years studying just up the road in Winchester! Still, it’s quite interesting to see what they made of the place. Yvan seems obsessed with the torpedo ‘art works’ that are dotted around Gunwharf Quays – not such a surprise when you know that it was originally the site of HMS Vernon, the RN centre for the development of torpedoes. However, I’m sure he didn’t intend his crudely made phallic sculptures to clear the gallery as they were doing when I was there – a group of visitors were making a hasty retreat muttering ‘absolute rubbish’. I think the curator would have been well advised to omit them from the show as they add very little and Yvan’s work would have been taken more seriously without them. Much more subtle and probably unseen by most of the audience is Yvan’s use of lighting to turn the gallery red at night referencing perhaps some of the more unsavoury aspects of being a naval city. Kristin’s take on the Gunwharf Quays architecture is also subtle – perhaps too subtle – as the architectural feature which inspired the structure she has made is not an obvious one and requires a special visit to the Gunwharf complex to identify it. Unfortunately not many visitors are going to be interested enough to make the trip. By far the most successful work in the exhibition is by Melanie. She has hit upon a phenomenon fundamental to the city. Throughout Portsmouth’s history it has seen the comings and goings of numerous naval fleets and is now home to an expanding university with its continual ebb and flow of students. This tidal movement is echoed in her series of videos and the text she has ‘etched’ into the floor, both of which capture something of the character of Portsmouth. However, overall it feels that the artists in this show would have benefitted from more time in the city to develop their work and the space may have been better used if another couple of artists had been invited. It is still worth a visit if you take the time to watch the video in which the artists discuss their work but you might want to combine it with a shopping expedition or a trip to the cinema!