INTERFACE

REVIEW

To be Confirmed

The Bristol Gallery, Bristol
16 January - 25 February 2010

Reviewed by: Theo Wood »

To be Confirmed is the latest exhibition at The Bristol Gallery, that opened with 5,000 square feet of floor space last September.

 

The concept behind To be Confirmed is that of the post modern world, ‘there are after all no right or wrong interpretations, only matters of opinion, judgement and aesthetic preference. Ultimately the meanings of these artworks are “to be confirmed” by you, the viewer.’

 

What confronts you in the gallery however, is an eclectic collection of work. Shades of Asia was the second exhibition in the same gallery when I visited. Works from the previous exhibition are propped up beneath the To be Confirmed wall based work. This produces an interesting juxtaposition between say, a Matisse lithograph and a contemporary photograph.

 

Eleven artists jostle for attention. The most space and the greatest number belong to Cologne-based artist MAF Räderscheidt (granddaughter of 1920s artist couple Anton Räderscheidt and Marta Hegemann). Räderscheidt has been producing daily paintings (mostly A5 size water colours) combined with Twitter posts for nearly a year. “Today I went to Cologne to collect materials for my colour workshop at the academy…Daily Painting is about showering in colours” – is a clue to the image on display, almost negating the ambiguity suggested by the title of the exhibition. The images and accompanying text do however provide a unique insight into the daily thinking and actions of the artist.

 

There is a similar effect with the plinth based sculptures of Nick Davis, well realised figures in various poses. Some, like My Conversations with Doctor Thorn 1 and 2  displaying a sharp anguish (cause unknown).

 

Luke Mitchell’s large scale photographs show unconsidered moments in contemporary life – such as a girl in a pizza place in Leicester. Saturated colours and the solititude of the single customer give up no answers.

 

The twin stars of the show however, are Chantal Powell’s Untitled consisting of a cast iron bedstead covered in a sewn ‘blanket’ of peacock feathers, and Hywel Livingstone’s Fairy Tale – a carved log on a stand showing what looks like coloured matchstick sticks in its core. Both can be walked round, looked at from different angles, and generally pondered upon.

 

The owner, Andrew Price, wants to mix  ‘commercially saleable work with art best suited to gallery display’ and  ‘a gallery that isn’t intimidating’. There was indeed a large selection of art on view but there is a difficult balance in gallery curation between the two types of art.  A splendid example of diversity or a curate’s egg? To be confirmed…

Writer detail:

Theo Wood is a member of Spike Island Print Studio, Bristol, UK. She is currently studying for an MA in Multi-disciplinary Printmaking at the University of the West of England.

theosemail@btinternet.com| www.theowood.com

Venue detail:
The Bristol Gallery
Building 8, Unit 2 Millennium Promenade Harbourside Bristol BS1 5TY

www.theowood.com 

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