AirSpace Gallery

8-22 MAY

ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK:A conversation with no conclusion

BARRIE FELTON

GWYDDION FLINT

JILL IMPEY

CHRIS PARKES

MICHELLE PARR

LAWRIE SLACK

RUSSELL WILLETT

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back is an exhibition that brings together a diverse mix of works by seven artists reflecting on the process of creating contemporary Fine Art. It is a discourse on making art at times informed by irrationality, absurdity; bringing together incongruous, incompatible elements to co-exist in space; the sublime and the ridiculous. The works show a concern with paradox: lightness and darkness, harmony and discord, order and chaos, construction and deconstruction–subjects that are irrevocably bound up with the temporal issues of past, present and future.

Stoke artist, Russell Willett’s ‘Paradox’ consists of five paintings that draw from his industrial background, precision and control vie against freedom of expression, Willett notes, “ it’s the process of building up an image and then doubting it”. Balances of abstract and realist elements are poised together in space and time. The idea of a point in time also runs through the work of Michelle Parr, who uses deconstruction to deal with an inner fear, referencing Edmund Burke, The Theory of the Sublime “In order to understand the origin of our ideas of the sublime and the beautiful, we must examine the experience of pain and pleasure”. Parr creates wire drawings of large constructions, such as buildings and bridges (which she fears) and then deconstructs them up to the point at which the illusion of a building transforms into matted wire confusion. Through her de-structuring, she questions the beauty assumed to be inherent in art. What becomes more important is the expression of human frailty in the face of the monumental power of industrialisation.

Several of the artists respond to the concept of the sublime in this exhibition; Jill Impey’s film work, takes a philosophical look at existence with reference to Turner, Darwin and Joseph Conrad in exploring relationships between human expression, evolution and the timeless power of the natural world to overcome boundaries. Questioning the representation of History is a thread running through Impey‘s work, her installation; Compare and Contrast creates a dialogue between locally crafted, antique ceramic artefacts and contemporary conceptual art. Chris Parkes tackles tentative subject matter in which the mundane challenges beauty and seeks to articulate the more capricious and absurdist aspects of the sublime. His film, sculpture and painting installations play with the human instinct to engage and respond, that which “seems inescapable in our description of how the world appears to us. We take the initial steps to process what is perceived to be real, with the understanding that our perception is true”.

This is an exhibition of contrasts and dialogues between opposing forces, an element seen in the work of both Lawri Slack and Andrew Flint. Slack takes us into a world of macabre beauty and violence, with her paintings that retain a feminine elegance while their creation through the medium of blood and the action of boxing forces us to be both attracted and repelled. Flint’s works reflects his disenchantment with the modern technological world, in this show his idealised vision of how the world should be is dispersed by the interruption of an anthropomorphised item of technology.

In Barrie Felton’s site-specific work A Spiral Staircase, A Work in Progress, the mind and thought processes of the artist are visualised as a three dimensional structure. Alluding to the sentiments of the show’s title, the work implies that the creation of art and the means of achieving critical recognition, are not easy or straightforward.

This exhibition stands as an unveiling and questioning of human progress and a response to the art of the last two centuries. It also considers future evolutions, the pause for reflection before a leap forward.

April 2010

As an introduction to conjunction 2010, stoke-on-trent’s contemporary art biennial, airspace will be hosting Carl Gent for a two week long residency. The plan for the residency is for the artist to explore through creative means the organisational structures and strategies, both within the Conjunction Biennial and the regional regeneration environment. The process of working should endeavour to examine the way in which the biennial is supportive, contrasting, or developing the regenerative strategies developed by regional regeneration bodies, and the local authority. The work produced should represent a creative interpretation of the processes and avenues which the biennial already engages with and the way in which it can develop new ways of thinking. It will therefore influence the organisational development of the biennial to encourage production and consumption of contemporary art in the North Staffordshire region.

“In my residency at AirSpace I will aim to manufacture an intellectual bond between the environs and people of AirSpace gallery and Stoke-on-Trent in general through something akin to a “town twinning”. Through isolating the age of the Westphalian coal deposits that are so linked with Stoke’s history I can identify two possible candidates for this cosmic town-twinning. The age of Stoke’s coal lies between 313 – 304 million years old. Using this information I have identified both the Coma galaxy cluster (at 310 million light years distant) and the barred galaxy NGC 7318B, a member of Stephan’s Quintet (at 304 million light years distant) as potential twinnings for Stoke. The goal of this twinning is to experience these galactic objects, and the entirety of Outer Space, in a more meaningful manner than just looking at them. The light that is currently being received from these galaxies left their hosts at the same time as the ground beneath Stoke was being formed. There is a connection here that simultaneously identifies Stoke as having a direct relationship with somewhere of an infinitely more exotic nature whilst highlighting the extremities of distance and time inherent within and beyond Earth’s structure.” – Carl Gent 2010

There is beauty in the city

5th – 17th April

as part of Dialogue Box

AirSpace Gallery Window

after 2 years and consisting of over 200 images sent in by 40+ artists and photographers, there is beauty in the city has become a mini-phenomenon. the little black magnet has been flagging up urban beauty sites from the project base in stoke-on-trent throughout the uk and as far afield as jakarta and sydney.

the exhibition presents all submitted images, each of which represents the respective artists’ unique visions of what they find beautiful about their cities, in the form of a looped film, and set in its own tableaux in the window exhibiting space of AirSpace Gallery.

so, be sure to come to AirSpace Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent to see the first step in what is promising to become a truly global event.

www.thereisbeautyinthecity.blogspot.com/

Katie Shipley – If I Write in Yellow

As part of Dialogue Box

AirSpace Gallery Window

Yellow is the last colour in the spectrum that someone with dementia loses.

If I Write in Yellow is a list, something that many of us use as an everyday tool, small reminders of what we have to do or things we have to buy. But this list is full of small, seemingly insignificant, things that most of us would take for granted. The list is written on a pane of glass and describes the area seen through and surrounding the glass, as well as events that might happen as the list is written, such as a person walking by. The artwork becomes a memory, a snippet of a diary in the day of the window, or the person looking through, and exists only temporarily until it is wiped away.

If I Write in Yellow illustrates a desperate attempt to communicate with a loved one. The list, written in yellow ink, becomes a description of life and experience for the sufferer. It visualises attempts to allow a person to remain independent for as long as possible. For the onlooker the list is written backwards, it shows an outsiders view of a relationship between a carer and the person with dementia. A relationship that is not understood by many but may only be avoided by a few.

www.katieshipley.com

Harminder Singh-Judge includes a sculpture piece in the ”home” exhibition entitled ‘Madonna & Child’. The sculpture consists of an ape cradling a baby ape with a white neon circle surrounding them. Controversial in its content and with the use of this particular title, Harminder Singh-Judge is clear to make a point and not be afraid at stating it with volume. Madonna and Child are normally seen as pictorial representations of Mary with the infant Jesus. Mary being seated and seen holding the baby Jesus is a typical representation produced during the 15th Century in Florence where Roman Catholicism is still strongly followed today. Where Roman Catholicism focuses on spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, here the artist presents us with Darwinism and challenges the idea of religion and how it shapes society. Representations during the 15th Century of this nature where usually symbolised with the Passion of Christ emphasising the suffering both physical and mental that Christ endured. The fact that the artist chose this particular representation of Mary and the infant Jesus, may be linked to the connections of the Jesus suffering and highlights how we as people are in fact suffering and have no God to turn to as a saviour. It tackles ideas of existential nihilism and plays with notions of meaning and purpose. This could be a revelation from the artist that we are not dictated by religion, but we are in fact responsible for our own lives and should act in accordance. It is clear that the artist wishes to raise questions over aspects of people’s lives that give them comfort and challenge their views. This piece has been created through a process of the artist questioning his identity, heritage and personal experiences of different cultures and gives insight into the struggles which can occur from being linked to a strong religious background.

This exhibition successfully entices the viewer to sample pieces of the artist’s personal experiences of life, personal development and fitting into a particular society or culture whilst remaining sympathetic towards others. The selection of works in this exhibition allows the viewer to see different perspectives and understanding towards Asian culture without it being presented in a biased manner. For those looking to challenge their views, or gain a better understanding of Asian culture and identity, this exhibition is a must see and notable as being one of Airspace’s best exhibitions.

By Stacey Booth