- Venue
- Contemporary Urban Centre
- Location
- North West England
CUC
41 -51 Greenland Street, Liverpool L1 0BS
Contemporary urban Nova Centre CUC, Exhibition located on the third floor until 29th November Sunday, they are considering extending the exhibition. ring and enquire 0151 708 3510.
Laurie Lipton and Chris Von Steiner are located on the third floor, two large open plan rooms each set as a traditional style gallery the beams with spot lighting gives an ideal place to exhibit both, traditional and modern, These two rooms are both airy and spacious ideal for all-embracing pieces of work.
As you enter the first room Laurie Lipton presents you with thought-provoking detailed mind blowing drawings. In a retro Classical style her graphite, charcoal, urban domestic landscape conveys the mundane consumerism of modern life. The Human conditioning and natural selection comes to mind. You can hear an imaginary noise from the detailed mechanical mechanisms that are intricacy patterned upon the canvas. This and the plasticity of the mannequin presents you with the ugly reality of fitting into a society that breeds a mechanical archetype blueprinted formula that we predominately fit in to.
Look and stir because these drawings offer a unity of surprise, repetition and curiosity I am not going to tell you what’s lurking in the background, look for yourself.
The technique she uses is a build up of delicate mark making in a graduation of subtle grey tonal ranges, egg tempura is used to soften and harden the effect.
You can pick up on her life time influences ranging from a traditional to a modern projection the pictures become topically associated with the disquieting human behaviour that is felt through an era of time, From Bosch to the surrealist like Magrait through to Diane Arbus a photographer and much more.
There is a slight hysterical view that is picked up from some of the pictures those depicting the mannequin figures of the 1950s house wives and the ironical plastic looking idols these represent to me the irony of today’s transparency Ethos.
Laurie Lipton is originally from New York whom has been based in London since 1986, this exhibition is both inspiring and stimulating well worth a visit. For more information on these exhibitions www.contemporaryurbancentre.org
Chris Von Steiner
As you walk through the gallery into the adjacent room Chris Von Steiner Digital imagery, also offers intrigue into the imaginary desires of the dark side of life. I think once you read, Laurie Lipton’s projection you can proceed to be able to conjure up the night mares of Chris Von Steiner haunting mind. He likes to tell a story of the sick teenager in a fairy tale setting. Fairy tales are dark and often foreboding with romantic over tones.
These digital pictures to me have a pop art familiarity about them they are colourful and alluring. I like the laying on effects and the different mark making that is reminiscent of silk screen and abstract painting.
Chris Von Steiner born in France has shown his work through Europe and the USA he has exhibited a long side Banksy and Tracey Emin, Blek Le Rat and Sam Taylor Wood.
I have given a personal response to these two prolific artist to whom I feel I do not need to give details of their background as this can be obtained off the internet. These works of art said a lot to me without having to research their life time connecting influences because it is apparent, with what you see.
Written By Elizabeth Monks
