What are they building down there? - a-n The Artists Information Company

Venue: Elysium Gallery
Location: Wales

The storied history of Elysium galleries has seen them inhabit an old haberdashery shop, a former brothel and now, fittingly an old nightclub. The gallery and studio spaces have been divided and given over to different artists, each one creating a small artistic microcosm. Each room shouts and vies for your attention, loud noises punctuate the space, as the exhibition becomes a sensory overload. Between the noises, visuals, flashing lights and calm white walls lies the beginning of something…

The former occupation of the building becomes a recurring theme in the exhibition. Helene Roberts installation re-creates a garish cloakroom haunted by the buildings former inhabitants. Neon’s and a large disco ball fill the room with 80’s horror; a discarded shoe sits lonely in the centre of the dance floor, basking in the neon glow. A space cannot escape its history, Robert’s installation reflects this revealing the past ghosts and possible events and encounters that may have happened on many a drunken weekend.

Installations dominate the first few rooms, with Kim Fielding large projections of male figures moving to a slowed down version of You Really Got Me by the The Kinks. The video is reminiscent of nightclub culture, another nod to the buildings former use.

In the centre of a bare unfinished room, a figure wrapped in gaffer tape hangs by his feet. Illuminated by a flashing multi-coloured light, the figure sways as the strobes change from green to red to blue. David Marchant’s installation looks like the result of a night out gone badly wrong.

Adorning the hallways and corridors are Dave Marchant’s neon signs made after a participatory performance/research trip on Wind Street, a hub of bars and clubs on a busy night.

There is a rather endearing video piece showing the initial drawing phase of the work. Women in high heels and men in their best pulling shirts stop to pick up some chalk and leave an imprint on Marchant’s blackboard. This child like gesture couldn’t be much further away from the intention of the night, but the act of leaving an imprint compels them.

The resulting neon’s are littered throughout the building, displaying phrases gathering on this research trip such as cowin’ lush and on it till we vomit, accompanying figures and drawings recreated from that unconventional night out on Wind Street.

Entering into a dark space, behind a light proof curtain, Jason and Becky have constructed a cellophane barrier concealing two laptops, back to back glowing in the centre of the room. Light and noise emanate from it, but the barrier obscures, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere.

The louder, brasher spaces give way to quieter more contemplative works as the installations sooth into traditional white wall spaces. At times the work becomes less frantic, a welcome relief after the sensory overload encountered in the first few rooms.

Kapspike and Goebbels inthebrightfield hints at a room behind a swaying mix of white cloth strips. In the gap, brought on by a gentle gust of wind, a seated figure emerges, moving to try and see, the view is constantly obscured. Questions about whether to break through this barrier emerge, and what might be on the other side. Pushing through layers to the room inside, a seated masked man and a rudimentary sail occupy the space, filling it with a sense of mystery and tension. On the wall outside lies the quote “… But that was the pearl of great price, the one field that had treasure in it. I realize now that I must give all that I have to possess it…” by R. S Thomas. This series of symbols add up to form an enigmatic narrative, never answered, only offering further layers of mystery.

John Anderson’s sculptural objects are created from natural materials rooted in the landscape from which they came. Pylon Totem casts an imposing figure within the space, the natural material from which it is constructed is in contrast to the objects use. Pylons, a source and structure of power litter the British landscape. Through reconstructing this structure in natural material, Anderson gives the emphasis back to natural forms, and questions our use of power and how we engender the landscape.

On a shelf sits Stasis on Objects: two buddhas, two owls and one cat, a collection of traditional household ornaments made out of chips of wood. The rough surface of the objects offers a counterpoint to their ornamental nature.

Peter Finnemore photographic and video works reflect upon the layering of time and suggest at a visual narrative. As Above, So Below presents a chair with an inflatable world sat atop it. The chair sits in a room, with stripped wallpaper and a bare floor, it is impossible to date the mise en scene, but it’s definitely not recent. The image sits, perched atop two wooden blocks, with what looks to be a plastic mass underneath it, upon inspection, this plastic puddle revels itself to be an inflatable world, deflated. The title As Above, So Below points to the relationship between the object and its representation, the inevitable narrative sequence between the passing of time of the image, and the world subsequent deflation.

The video piece Stray shows a kitsch porcelain figure of a cat fade in and out of various rooms and locations in a stripped bare house, the sound of a jewellery box tinkling in the background. The cat stays stationary within the frame as the background changes. The aged interiors offer a visual contrast to the presence of the figure, whose features hint at a pensive sadness and melancholy. The effect of time on these two objects, the house and figure seems in contrast, as the house shows its sign of age, whereas the cat remains a constant, evoking ideas of home and memory.

Eva Bartussek’s The Minutes depicts St Non Wells in West Wales, just outside of St Davids. According to legend, Non was the mother of St David and this spiritual well was considered as a sacred sign and linked to fertility. The Minutes acts as a portrait of this place, rooted in Welsh landscape and history, but also of the journey of Bartussek and her friend, who was hoping to become pregnant. This evocative series of images explores the themes of ritual, routine, and spirituality. Religious figures interspersed with poetic images of everyday life form the narrative through a carefully edited series of images, mixing the mundane and the sacred to create an evocative portrait of the repeated visits to this site.

In John Abell’s intricate woodcuts and wood block prints, the classical and contemporary collide using allegorical imagery referencing the human condition with a dark humour. Abell charged imagery references classical iconography but explores contemporary themes such as life, love and lust. Medieval woodcuts were used to document events and stories, from executions to love stories, and Abell’s work can be seen as a modern equivalent. Using wood pulled from the skip, Abell refashions them into intricate artworks and repurposes the material to reference contemporary society, its hopes and fears.

What are they building down there? marks the latest chapter in Elysium’s history. As these temporary installations are vacated, and the new studio tenants move in, Elysium appears to be building a new hub and artistic community in a building historically used to a very different kind of performance. This exhibition, bringing together 16 Wales based artists lays the foundations for this future endeavor, celebrating past relationships and forging new ones.