- Venue
- BayArt
- Location
- Wales
In a region of Cardiff so set on redevelopment and metropolis, Helen Sear: lure at BayArt, Cardiff Bay, provides an attractive, bucolic alternative. Pastoral Monuments (2012) provides a greeting upon entering the gallery that continues with more from the series inside. These arrangements of select species of flora and assorted vessels transcend their ‘pretty’ formalities and become compositions that begin the rural dialogue.
The conversations that occur around these works are not one sided, and broken up by fiberglass & limewax sculpture: the Plinths for Imaginary Birds (2013) series which, although have instant links to the natural with leaves and wood stump forms, their kitsch quality simply overrides it, and they become self referential objects, in the grand scheme/ curatorial drive behind the exhibition. Their look of fake marble helps to focus the question, “what is it that we are looking at?” (not in the xenophobic sense) as a motivating force behind the artist and her work. It is through this looking, this optical investment that we understand and appreciate the work as a catalyst for questioning.
The self-reference mentioned earlier is realised in the Sightlines (2011) series, square format Giclee prints of adolescent women with ceramic birds on familiar ‘natural’ plinths, masking their features and gesso painted over the background. These are some of the most highly charged of the works on show, the eyelashes, wisps of hair and glimpses of jewelry say more than an expression could, it bears true that information obscured is often the most interesting.
Questions on looking, and the rural dialogue seem to both become animated in the Chameleon (2013) video projection in a specially constructed room where throughout the 14-minute film the excitement of moving image is combined with the regality of the traditional still life. Here a lone sunflower gradually emerges, dawning and coming into light. Appropriately taking on the appearance of anything you like, through its gradual emergence, Chameleon (looking through the guest book comments) is a crowd favourite.
Lure is full of seductive works, that truly draw you in, and with the suggestive dichotomies laid out for just enough interpretation, they are triumphs of creative vigour behind the lens, and more importantly a real triumph of observation without one.
