Orkney Museum, Tankerness House, until 21 January 2006

Dress by Marion Yorston.

THE SNOW QUEEN, a magical winter’s tale, just right for yarning away the long dark nights of mid-winter. This classic fairytale from the pen of Hans Christian Andersen describes how the power of friendship and love overcomes the darkness of evil and corruption; themes that run deep in the exhibition of the same name by artist Marion Yorston.

The exhibition explores a diverse range of ideas ranging from romantic love to the often blighted prescribed state of women in Victorian society, interspersed throughout with landscapes and contemporary renderings of traditional classic fairytales.

The historical resonance of Tankerness House provides the perfect setting for this exhibition. The heady Victorian atmosphere redolent throughout much of the work is reinforced by the dark green walls and polished wooden floor of the gallery.

Marion’s background in interior design and work with Opera North is clearly felt when viewing the exhibition as a whole. Her skill at creating an atmosphere is demonstrated through her keen eye for detail; the pungent aroma of lilies, heavy antique furniture, ornate gilded frames, tassels and velvet, serve only to enhance the overall feeling of entering another era.

The work is beautifully presented and skilfully rendered, yet the attraction of Marion’s work is that it functions on a multitude of levels. She creates a particular world in which the viewer is invited to enter on whatever level they choose.

Like that of the Pre – Raphaelites the work is heavy with symbolism which adds a certain complexity to pieces such as Nature and Industrialisation or the large funereal centre piece, Fallen Parasemia, and its counterpoint, Sesame and Lilies.

It is this heady mixture of dualities – sex and chastity, passion and death, purity and corruption – that make these latter pieces so disturbing when viewed in a historical context. Redemption can be found in the series of small intimate drawings that portray romantic love. Reminiscent of Charles Rennie Mackintosh in their style, there is an enjoyment of line and decoration similar to that of Art Nouveau.

As Marion explains, she wants to “return back to different times, look through keyholes and melt through windows into other rooms”. This is an exhibition that achieves just that, and should be visited time and time again to fully appreciate the subtle nuances, layered imagery and accomplished use of materials. By holding open the door into her own unique world she is inviting us to cross that threshold with her.

© Sheena Graham-George, 2006