Ever on the beating pulse of emerging art in Cardiff, Modern Alchemists present us with another striking selection of new art in the Capitol Arcade. Here are my personal highlights.
Starting from the entrance, Tuğba Şimşek’s quaint collage series charms with its minimal aesthetic - the coloured mounts and clip frames enhance the hand cut collages superbly.
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| From Tuğba Şimşek's collage series |
Recent works on show by Tess Gray contain an oozing, unnatural palette of colour in bizarrely angular, controlled compositions which makes an altogether discordant view of the world. In her accompanying statement, Gray states that she “attempt[s] to draw out, display and romanticise the feelings of elation and emptiness that accompany reminiscing and daydreaming.” The paintings are certainly effective in that they evoke a sense of confused familiarity in the viewer, portraying once recognisable silhouettes of houses in a perplexing juxtaposition with more abstract elements.
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| Tess Gray, 'Your street was America' (2013) |
Perhaps the largest scale painting in the show is Aidan Myers’ aptly titled ‘Expanse’, an amalgam of dead reds and blacks which leaves flesh-like apparitions in its wake. The piece is a choice example of Myers’ distinctive mark-making, a promising aspect of his recent work. Flanking ‘Expanse’ are paintings by Annie Suganami, of which ‘age+me’ is a true reinforcement of her skill. Recalling the elegiac gaze of Old Masters paintings in her self-portrait, Suganami achieves a pointedly melancholy effect on the canvas, which is strengthened by the reds, greys and blacks of her palette.
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| Annie Suganami, 'age+me' (2013) |
The colour red occurs multiple times in this autumn show, perhaps fittingly for the season. Zoe Hall’s painting, titled ‘The Sound of the Bell’ is a wonderfully vibrant piece with a myriad of powerful elements distilled onto a single canvas surface. She is using music, maths and art to represent the tradition of bell-ringing in an ‘abstract, logical way’, which is achieved with a degree of brilliance through harmonious colour and application of paint.
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| Tom Cardew's mesmerising and disorientating photographic series. |
The combination of fine, figurative lines and three-dimensional typography of Tom Kitchen’s digital illustrations are particularly enjoyable, while in another room Tom Cardew’s series of out-of-focus photographs are somewhat inescapable, with the joyous haze of reverie bleeding into view. Rebecca Floodless’ digital montages of men with animal heads are a comical spin on modern advertising, with the title of ‘The Daily Trudge’ betraying a passive, unmistakably British sense of humour.
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| Tom Kitchen, 'Let's go' and 'Let's eat', digital prints |
In the centre of the warehouse space stands a sculptural piece by Ethan Dodd, made up of lots of little porcelain ‘wombs’ which eventually topple to the floor like directionless Lemmings. Alongside the work, titled ‘Clandestine’, Dodd describes a deep-rooted fear of death about which he claims: “I had also hidden this fear from everyone, including myself, and hoped that the creation and exhibition of this piece would allow me to reveal this great concern.” The dramatic statement gives an altogether solid context to the piece, and while the viewer can only second-guess the authenticity of the accompanying discourse, Dodd’s intentions are surprisingly open and heartfelt.
Lastly, and on an amusing note, I enjoyed reading Tudor Gwynn Suganami Jones’ comic-book illustration, entitled ‘When I made this, I hadn’t been laid in a while…”, and would implore all artists to share the same good-humoured attitude to their work.
Note to featured artists: if you would like me to add a link to your website in this post, or add/replace images of any artworks mentioned, please don't hesitate to contact me.
