Review: P*Belcampo: Retrospective
2009-03-17 14:23:43
As far as second year art college exhibitions go, P* Belcampo has an interesting concept: choose at random one from amongst your ranks, and create an exhibition as if retrospective of their artistic achievement. Though the idea brings a sense of collective to proceedings, it is only of passing importance; the pretence is even dropped within the exhibition itself, as the original artists are revealed.
The work of each individual tends to feel unique to each student's own ideas, but this lack of cohesion highlights how good the work actually is. On the surface, P* Belcampo is a typical student display – dry humour, sly comment and even the now almost obligatory dead animals make a fleeting appearance. Taking centre stage, however, is a piece consisting of rubber bands which flow across the immense space, eliciting a tactile response – the desire not only to touch, but to leap, as if it were a trampoline hammock.
Locked away in cabinets, a dismembered synthesizer presents itself – presenting exactly what requires a far higher intellect than my own. Nearby, the wonderful Holstein Freisian Procession exploits the pop up book with delicate skill. Other highlights include painted refrigerator doors which feel oddly homely and nostalgic, and a thread series which juxtaposes this re-appropriation of the everyday, with the geometric patterns of Sol LeWitt.
One work reminiscent of Robert Rauschenberg's Erased De Kooning is hung with its front to the wall – a welcome return for anti-institutional discourse. Those with a far more subdued taste are also catered for, with some more than accomplished paintings, both abstract and figurative, with a fascinating mix of colour, pattern and style.
Of course, the exhibition itself doesn't rival the various retrospectives made famous at larger commercial institutions, the Tates and National Galleries of this world; there just isn't enough exploration of the concept it attempts to employ, no united theme, no apparent attempt to conceptualise the artist and explore what that would mean. However, as a document of fledgling talent it is a wonderful exposition. Free your mind of Belcampo's retrospective allusions, and the art on display opens itself to you, as quirky, thought provoking and, overall, enjoyable.
4/5 Stars
Monday 09 March 2009, The Journal Issue 20
nb rubber bands piece called "woven space" by Daniela Justiniano is not part of P* Belcampo exhibition, but is part of "in between", an exhibition of MFA students of Painting, Intermedia, sculpture and Tapestry.
The work of each individual tends to feel unique to each student's own ideas, but this lack of cohesion highlights how good the work actually is. On the surface, P* Belcampo is a typical student display – dry humour, sly comment and even the now almost obligatory dead animals make a fleeting appearance. Taking centre stage, however, is a piece consisting of rubber bands which flow across the immense space, eliciting a tactile response – the desire not only to touch, but to leap, as if it were a trampoline hammock.
Locked away in cabinets, a dismembered synthesizer presents itself – presenting exactly what requires a far higher intellect than my own. Nearby, the wonderful Holstein Freisian Procession exploits the pop up book with delicate skill. Other highlights include painted refrigerator doors which feel oddly homely and nostalgic, and a thread series which juxtaposes this re-appropriation of the everyday, with the geometric patterns of Sol LeWitt.
One work reminiscent of Robert Rauschenberg's Erased De Kooning is hung with its front to the wall – a welcome return for anti-institutional discourse. Those with a far more subdued taste are also catered for, with some more than accomplished paintings, both abstract and figurative, with a fascinating mix of colour, pattern and style.
Of course, the exhibition itself doesn't rival the various retrospectives made famous at larger commercial institutions, the Tates and National Galleries of this world; there just isn't enough exploration of the concept it attempts to employ, no united theme, no apparent attempt to conceptualise the artist and explore what that would mean. However, as a document of fledgling talent it is a wonderful exposition. Free your mind of Belcampo's retrospective allusions, and the art on display opens itself to you, as quirky, thought provoking and, overall, enjoyable.
4/5 Stars
Monday 09 March 2009, The Journal Issue 20
nb rubber bands piece called "woven space" by Daniela Justiniano is not part of P* Belcampo exhibition, but is part of "in between", an exhibition of MFA students of Painting, Intermedia, sculpture and Tapestry.
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