UEL Fine Art MA show 2008

Fewer oos and ahs in this show than I was hoping for, but then I did the maths, and there are only a quarter of the students graduating from this MA course than this years numbers at Central St Martins! It is a confusing hang as there are many works in the corridors and gallery area separated from the main showcase of each individual artist.

There is more gimmicky painting than I expected, where the pressure to produce ‘something we haven’t seen before’ results in some very odd things – like the Artex texture on all the canvasses by John Costin! Similarly striving, Joe Avery has built a ten foot high triangle, to paint triangles on, and has achieved an early computer 3D graphics look. Max Dolding solves the problem of hanging conventional work by projecting images of her painting adjacent to an autobiographical film that has an extra voiceover in which she discusses her health and art. Various ‘off the wall’ sculptural paintings by Sarah Drew did little for me, but I was attracted to her installation “Forgotten Totems” which is a collection of rolled up paintings on brown paper, beautiful objects with extra tension created by the frustration of not being able to see the whole picture. It was somewhat refreshing to view expressionistic, naïve prints and paintings by Fatma Durmush where the challenge to the viewer is more to do with the day-glo palette. I was surprised to see published books by her on display, including a diary, seems to be ‘have to show you everything I can do’ syndrome gone mad. The word paintings of Tim Weston were supplemented by tongue in cheek ‘blackboard’ paintings. In his piece “Entrapment” I enjoyed Trap 3 which starts with the statement ‘Art has to be either interesting / puzzling (i.e. Duchampian) or aesthetically pure (i.e. Greenburgian or minimalist)………..’.

There are some interesting installations in the show with varying degrees of resolution. Hara Grivokostopoulou has produced a large clutch of lovely plaster eggs, open to show their coloured insides, but I think she over egged it with a recording of scratching meant to suggest the hatching process. A confusing fusion of religious themes and consumer objects (mainly fridge doors hung like paintings) is presented by Kimberley Bennett. In a separate area of the building she has built a huge wooden pulpit partly adorned with paper pulp. It is an impressive structure but I didn’t get the point.

The riot of junk surrounding Susan Cooper’s ridge tent smacks of autobiographical work, it speaks of a homeless family rather than a camping holiday, kids toys jostling with table, chairs and laden washing line. However in front of the tent, the objects include paintings and have more of a feel of a ‘box room’. On nearby walls there are mock-ups of a wedding dress and a ‘prince charming’ outfit and the words ‘The fairy tale has ended. I never found the prince. I tried so hard.’ Perhaps a diary would have been of some help here!

Sian Harris’ installation “Timber” has a forest floor of shredded bark, in front of a wall covered in strange plaster forms, on which was projected footage of woodland, but confusingly, in addition she is showing a whole set of photos with strange titles that I guess refer to the time she has spent in Canada. I think the titles are much more interesting that the images albeit that they are competently made - my favourite is “Saskatchewan (Detling, Kent)”.