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Rose Finn-Kelcey The Restless Image: a discrepancy between the seen position and the felt position, 1975-2011 Selenium-toned bromide editioned print. © the Estate of Rose Finn-Kelcey, courtesy Louise Clarke Collection, London
ROSE FINN-KELCEY
British artist Rose Finn-Kelcey was a central figure in feminist art in the UK, working in a variety of media, including performance, video, sound, installation, sculpture, photography, papercut and posters. The photograph included in the AllBright West Hollywood hang is a self-portrait of Rose re-enacting a photograph she had found of her mother performing a handstand. In it the artist calls into question our perceptions of reality. The portrait depicts a seemingly carefree and confident figure as the artist’s skirt billows, revealing her legs. However, the fact that her face is obscured is telling. The photo’s title, The Restless Image: a discrepancy between the felt position and the seen position, points to an inconsistency between the internal experience and the one we see externally. As such, we question the ‘reality’ of a captured moment in time and space, where what we see isn’t always what we are being shown. A pertinent piece in the time of social media.
MARY KELLY
Mary Kelly is an artist that I have admired since I could read art history books. Practising from a feminist perspective for the past 50 years, Kelly interweaves the conceptual concerns with personal ones. Back in 1976, her installation at the ICA in London called Post-Partum Document caused a stir for its contents - an honest and objective depiction of the meaning of motherhood and discussions around the sexual division of labour. Mary Kelly is now based in LA but studied in the UK, at which point she became involved in the early women’s
addresses the history of cinema, referencing people such as Charlie Chaplin and exploring Modernist film devices. This is often done through a Cubist approach, such as her work on display in the club called Odeon. This portrays an old camera - like the one used by Chaplin - which has been reduced down to its parts and planes in a Cubist reference. It’s no coincidence that Story makes a connection between early cinema and European Cubism – both in their own way sought to reconsider the illusions within a given reality. Through her works, Story asks us to look at these realities via different dimensions. But these works also suit their surroundings, providing an aesthetic echo of the AllBright West Hollywood building itself – a modernist structure of glass and concrete.
Mary Kelly Peace is the Only Shelter, 2019 Duratran mounted on acrylic, powder-coated aluminium LED light box. © the artist, courtesy Vielmetter Gallery, Los Angeles vielmetter.com
liberation movement, and feminist theory and political discourse remain a constant theme throughout her practice. Displayed in the AllBright West Hollywood inaugural hang is Peace is the Only Shelter – a piece specific to LA because it employs slogans from the Women Strike for Peace group, which was formed in 1961 to protest against nuclear weapons testing in California. It’s a really beautiful light box where you see Mary’s silhouette with the desert behind her, holding an umbrella with the slogan around the rim.
CATHERINE STORY
Within the context of film, Catherine Story is another artist to highlight. In her practice, the English artist often
Catherine Story Odeon, 2011 Oil on wood, 76 x 102 cm photo: Stephen White © the artist, courtesy the artist catherinestory.com
I really hope this hang encourages you to actively look when you encounter the work. Whether that is by questioning how natural surroundings impact upon us, or thinking about how artificial, external factors like technology influence us, I hope these works encourage you to look in new ways and question what we’re seeing. I want the artists I’ve selected to inspire you to be active members of the AllBright community. After all, one way or another, we share an experience with of all of these artists.
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BETH GREENACRE LA ART KW.indd 14
19/09/2019 05:55