Social Deformity exhibition catalogue

A Beautiful Death Social Deformity Giant Snails

& Tiny Lions

st March 21 2013 16, 2013 SeptemberMay 19 - November 17, 2013

Copyright 2013 View Art Gallery The rights of View Art Gallery as author of the work has been asserted to them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

books

Social Deformity

View Art Gallery presents a group show

Social Deformity

September 19 - November 17, 2013

View Art Gallery 159-161 Hotwells Road Bristol BS8 4RY United Kingdom for enquiries: +44 (0)5603 116753 info@viewartgallery.co.uk

RAYMOND CHURCH CRAWW MICHAEL CROFTON DAMIAN DALY CLARE FERGUSON-WALKER GLENN IBITTSON PHILL JUPITUS DEAN MCDOWELL ADELE UNDERWOOD ADAM WHITE

CLARE FERGUSON-WALKER “As an artist if you can take a dark theme such as the blinding inevitability of death, and render that concept in a manner which is beautiful to observe, then you’ve done an alchemic job, you’ve spun gold from fear”.

Clare uses the human form as a starting point to communicate a universal language. She sees the body as a tool to convey expression, both poetic and humorous. Touching on the issues of sex, death and a loss of innocence Walker delivers her bold subconscious message in a disjointed form into the physical world. Symbolism from myths and folklore allow Clare to use metaphors to ingrain ideas about morality. The work has a perennial emotional and physical relevance that the audience can relate to, outside of time period or cultural status.

Her deep exploration into narrative does not hinder Clare’s utter dedication to creating aesthetic appeal, enjoying the challenge to make something of dark nature into undeniable beauty.

The Clockwork Heart (next page) paint, bronze resin 60 x 40 cm £3,300

Ladybird, Ladybird resin and mixed media 170 x 35 cm ÂŁ7,700

Everything is Relinquished bronze resin 50 x 30 cm ÂŁ2,200

CRAWW Skulls, crows and melancholic girls, Craww’s dark and disturbing works explore the secret stories and ambiguous connections of a constantly evolving cast of characters found in his imagination.

Influenced as much by accident and a short attention span, as they are by design, he enjoys seeing his creations taking on a life of their own.

Using oils, acrylic, graphite, charcoal, ink and whatever else is at hand, his work is realized with a mixture of elegance, balance and disciplined chaos.

Chaotic drips of paint and washes of colour provide a backdrop to his intriguing figures, who will entice you with their mysterious personas.

Hollow Breath acrylic on birch panel 80 x 60 cm ÂŁ1,060

Heirophant acrylic on birch panel 80 x 60 cm ÂŁ1,060

MICHAEL CROFTON Detachment, timelessness and an air of balance; Michael Crofton’s sculptures centre upon human beings and their complicated relationship with the environment.

As we will have all experienced throughout our lives, a strong sense of vulnerability can be felt within this relationship. Crofton portrays this feeling through his figures, as they seem lost and the environments themselves, strange and otherworldly.

Despite this illustration of loneliness, Crofton nevertheless instills a calmness and stillness emulating a profound spiritual peace throughout his serene works

Men in Box bronxe, aluminium 30 x 22 x 8 cm ÂŁ800

Time Wave mixed media TBA cm ÂŁTBA

RAYMOND CHURCH Classical imagery, Greek mythology and challenging commentaries on contemporary society, are all combined in Raymond Church’s satirical art.

Historically, Greek ceramics displayed social narratives relevant to the times. The scenes visible in Raymond’s vases retain specific symbolic elements relevant to Greek history, juxtaposed with contemporary images, in an attempt to convey a social discourse.

Through this modernising process, we are informed of the social differences of recent media discussions, bringing permanence to popular culture.

Beautiful, amusing and bold, Raymond’s technique brings modern issues to a pedestal.

One Is Not A Muse ceramic H 41 cm £550

Fear? Fear Not? Fearless? ceramic H 52 cm ÂŁ770

Feared by the Rich ceramic H 38 cm ÂŁ550

Generation XXX ceramic H 54 cm ÂŁ770

My My Grandma ceramic H 52 cm ÂŁ770

PHILL JUPITUS Phill Jupitus has been a keen cartoonist throughout his life. Receiving commissions from The Times, Beano and The Guardian, his love for creativity began at a young age.

Perhaps better known for his stand up comedy and TV appearances, Phill’s artistic streak was reignited in 2006 when he was asked by QI producer John Lloyd to contribute to a book they were producing. Since then, he has been creating a plethora of cartoon drawings.

His latest series focuses on bears, found in various formats. Fresh, modern and often infused with a comedic element, they will certainly make you smile.

Uncertain Shadow Bear print, edition of 25 43 x 33 cm framed ÂŁ275

Blue Bear Fucks Up Red Bear print, edition of 25 43 x 33 cm framed ÂŁ275

Robo Bear print, edition of 25 43 x 33 cm framed ÂŁ275

Cylindrical Bear print, edition of 25 43 x 33 cm framed ÂŁ275

Bear X-rays print. edition of 25 43 x 33 cm framed ÂŁ275

DEAN McDOWELL Sorrow is an emotion that is often kept behind closed doors. Using his skills of illustration and traditional painting McDowell dramatically captures this honest human behaviour for public consumption.

Using a surreal palette of red blood-like lips and shadows with blue frigid skin, each portrait has an enchanting essence of personality on display. Dean captures a cold glaze within his pulchritudinous clown-like subject’s eyes, expressing a tale for each character. They each have something to tell from humility to anger the subject displays its true feelings to the viewer (or perhaps towards the artist). Either way you will find yourself questioning the artist’s intention.

Inviting, off guarding, vulnerable, strong, fierce. The traditional paintings deliver. This is not an emotion that you could view lightly. Truly captivating elegance.

Post Modern Divinity acrylic on canvas 40 x 40 cm £750

Humours Dark Embrace acrylic on canvas 30 x 60 cm ÂŁ880

The Joyful Darkness acrylic on canvas 30 x 60 cm ÂŁ880

Rage Against the Divine acrylic on canvas 30 x 60 cm ÂŁ880

Be Absolute acrylic on canvas 60 x 90 cm ÂŁ1,650

GLENN IBBITSON Fascinated by Japanese culture, Glenn Ibbitson’s latest series of work is inspired by the sometimes hostile reality of living conditions in Japan.

Many middle-aged men often find themselves forced by the state to leave their families and become homeless, in order to better benefit their children, as only in their absence can mothers receive state benefit.

The artist refers to these homeless men as sharing residence with the Shinto Kami (deities of Japan). They are the unseen spiritual force that makes an object, place or anything that creates feeling, to be what it is.

His work focuses on the conflicts implicit with this culture. Namely; the ignorance of the city commuters towards the homes of these dishonoured men and the Japanese ability to see natural beauty in spite of surrounding despoliation.

Bringing forward these homeless abodes set within elegant landscapes, his work unsettlingly challenges you to ignore the situation.

Homeless of the Japan handpainted kimono 160 x 180 cm ÂŁ6,600

Spirits of the Rock Garden acrylic, oil on canvas 90 x 83 cm £3,300

Kama Gawa Egrets watercolour on paper 73 x 57 cm £660

Murmerings at Dusk graphite, acrylic on paper 73 x 57 cm ÂŁ660

Plunge Pool graphite, acrylic on paper 73 x 57 cm ÂŁ660

The Zen Garden watercolour on paper 73 x 57 cm ÂŁ660

Homeless of the Water Garden watercolour on paper 73 x 57 cm ÂŁ660

DAMIAN DALY Within the conscious world we see the projection of others; but what would happen if others were to see the projection of our inner-selves and you could see the projection of inner-others?

A collection of collaged thoughts exploring the juxtaposition between form and chaos. Damian’s artwork is fused to life using fragmented figures collected together by a dense scatter of memories, thoughts and ideas of social behaviour.

He plays with proportions and eroticism, directing a melange of ambiguous and precise linework.

Abstract imagery showcases dominant humanised subjects that are disassembled vivaciously, fractioning them from their original boundaries.

This alluring imagery is both peaceful and questionable. Invoking curiosity towards this artist’s perspective on the human thought, position and capability within our realms of reality.

It would be impossible not to find beauty in these confusing images manifested from a large breadth of sources; Daly’s work lives outside the realms of our receptive reality.

Mother and Child (Happy Teeth) pen on paper 82 x 72 cm £750

A (Adam) -WIP pen, oil on board 92 x 72 cm ÂŁ1,300 each

E (Eve) - WIP pen, oil on board 92 x 72 ÂŁ1,300

ADELE UNDERWOOD Challenging and perplexing; Adele Underwood employs a totally unique creative style, converging traditional oil painting methods with charcoal. Her work has an undeniable charm whilst being simultaneously unnerving. Adele’s disjointed and captivating characters invoke a story to the viewer, propelling and inspiring them to create their own narratives.

Adele inquisitively works social statuses within her work. Paying homage to Velasquez and his Baroque period portraits, her work adds something of the supernatural. It invokes the viewer to look beyond our society and towards the higher emotional and immaterial world.

Within these phantasm paintings Adele creates a path of unresolved narrative. Bringing an audience to conceive their own ideologies.

Life is Death is Life oil on canvas 90 x 120 cm ÂŁ2,640

To Do, To Have oil on canvas 120 x 150 cm ÂŁ3,960

ADAM WHITE Talented, award-winning, dynamic and illustrating an experimental use of watercolour. White uses this canvas to derive a large amount of information via a visual feast of delicacy. Reconciling and clashing belief systems, Adams work challenges the discourse around the supernatural and science, fusing his own belief systems about life, death and beyond.

The magnitude and surreal intricacies of his work accentuate the unknown and the viewers own perception of existence itself comes to dispute. Questioning one’s own state of mind and what is beyond or before this social existence.

Although traditional in materials White pushes the boundaries of his medium making the work supernatural in both narrative and form.

Star Jelly watercolour on paper 115 x 114 cm ÂŁ550

Excursions in Ivory watercolour/ink on paper 152 x 121 cm ÂŁ3,300

Slave Making Instinct watercolour on paper 90 x 60 cm ÂŁ1,870

Eating the Machines watercolour and ink on paper 90 x 60 cm ÂŁ1,870

viewartgallery.co.uk

VIEW ART GALLERY