Things I liked at the British Art Show -
In the City Museum, Elizabeth Price`s `User Group Disco`; a short film featuring, amongst other household implements, a spaghetti strainer as (U) F O, much akin to the black monolith of Kubrick`s Space Odyssey revolving through a void, and a text derived from power-point presentations. The whole feel one of mystery and fascination, rediscovery and renaming. It made me laugh out loud, twice, though I`m not sure that`s a legitimate response. But of course it was. I was experiencing delight, always a plus at an art exhibition. I think it was the golf ball as spinning planet which did it, and the text giving an air of great purpose and grandeur, something which it never evoked at a business presentation, I`ll bet. (There was some philosophy in there too.)
There`s a lot of story-telling at this exhibition; so much so that the works are perhaps hampered by their backgrounds. The Art Show curators are incredibly present, giving little chance to be with the work alone, without the back stories, which are important, but integral? I haven`t made up my mind how I feel about this. Maybe they need to curb their enthusiasm just a tad.
At the Slaughterhouse, (what a fortuitous title) in Royal William Yard, I was entranced by Haroon Mirza`s installation, `Degree of Control`; tatty black flatpack furniture once prized in the eighties, record decks, a tv, radio, strobe lighting ... tv screens dont do it for me at installations, in general, maybe because they are too much of the here and now, but this one had an actor speaking into a twin reel tape recorder, ala Beckett`s Krapp; listening revealed he was reciting Ian Curtis lyrics. Strung from the ceiling, (ominous) a bare bulb revolves around a tilted deck, which keeps eclipsing the light, and a further unmoving deck holds Joy Division`s `Unknown Pleasures` album, with it`s topographic/soundwave logo. There`s a stuttering quality to the sound, which pulses through a denuded bass speaker diaphragm, and the clicking, popping strobe lighting, which sets up an undeniable Joy Div. rhythm. At this point I was approached by a curator eager to share, and informed that epilepsy was the `story` behind the piece; the artist has it, Curtis had it, and `She`s Lost Control` echoed his horror of losing said control. The degree in the title of the work apparently refers to the interval of silence which occurs during the `loop` of sound and flicker. It was, I think, spot on, as a work which engaged, even without the back story. Drawn in and moved, I went on a journey with the piece, and again experienced delight at having been spoken to by grubby bedsit furniture. If you`ve seen the film version of Curtis` short life, entitled `Control`, this adds another level of narrative to the piece. (It`s a grim film, but someone had to tell it.) This piece is definitely not grim however; it`s quite wonderful.
There are several other exhibits/artists I was excited by; Nathaniel Mellors infamous `vomiting head` wasn`t one of them. His piece literally stank, (not of vomit, I hasten to add, but of plastic and unidentifiable toxic stuffs) and the accompanying Our House films were cruel and ugly. I may go back and have another `go` at them, but then maybe I wont. I found myself thinking a lot about the Karla Black knotted sheet of powdery pink - almost not there, but very memorable - why? And the dirt/soap cake/ziggurat too. My daughter, who`s an artist herself, says if you come away from an exhibition and keep seeing a piece days afterwards, then it`s doing something to or for you; the art`s doing its job. Well, this appears to be the case with Karla Black. I cant say I like it, but I am intrigued, in a right brain way. And I loved what I saw of the Clock film - from 5 to midday to about 25 past in fact. How I was turning it into a narrative even though it wasn`t one, but seconds from thousands.
More stories around than painting, for sure, but Milena Dragicevic`s `Supplicant` series will be with me for quite some time. I`m not sure they were unpleasant images, or even disturbing, just very unusual and component-ish. I mean, like they were built of `bits` that didnt necessarily have anything to do with each other. Curious. Vaguely distasteful even. I found an image. I`m posting it here.
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