Moray College, Elgin, until 13 June 2009

Charlie Mclenahan - Violation of Sepulchre (Photo - courtesy of the artist)

THIS year’s BA (Hons) Degree Show at Moray College presents an exciting and varied range of work by artists Ailsa Robertson, Tony Humbleyard, Elizabeth Lewis-Nimmo, Charlie Mclenahan, Sheena Wilson, Sam Lawson, Duncan Campbell, Janet Gordon, Selena S. Kuzman, Lucy Johnstone, Catherine Mylles and Eilidh Thomson.

Particularly impressive is the degree of exploration of techniques and ideas in a variety of media together with the strength and resonance of individual voices in the show. This dynamism is something of which the graduating artists, college and region can be justifiably proud.

Selena S. Kuzman’s two channelled video installation F'(X)=0 is an accomplished and memorable piece of work demonstrating great promise in the field of digital art and film. The dialogue between the two screens facing each other with the spectator between presents a fascinating exploration of opposing principles, the Apollonian and Dionysian. These impulses represented by two characters, male and female emerge from the sea to face each other in a multilayered visual sequence of dominant white, black and red.

The overlaying of techniques written on the body and the tonality of the work contribute to its aesthetic quality. Visually it is beautifully composed, with a subtle and evocative soundtrack, strong enough to stand on its own without the accompanying written explanation. This intriguing video dialogue is an intricate work of ideas and striking visuals revealing an advanced understanding of painting, drawing, theatre and film. Stills from the video are individual works of art in their own right and it will be extremely interesting to see this artist’s work continue to evolve.

Janet Gordon’s everyday room installation is a deeply personal and affecting piece of work. The collaged white-out of the space with written pages of unheard and lost conversation is a poignant reflection on the effects of dementia. A domestic interior is instantly recognisable to the viewer and transformed into a meditation of loss. The arrangement of the table laid for tea and conversation between the artist and her mother is marked by human absence, distilled into every detail of the setting.

The linear pattern of lost conversation permeates the wall paper and soft furnishings, seeping into every detail of existence. The interior collection of objects and ornaments, an accumulation of a life without the colour of memory is lit by the white light of the hearth, emitting no warmth and the eerie blue static of the television screen.

The acoustic recording of Stardust Memories played on earphones adds to the intimacy and contemplative quality of the piece, this together with the artist’s words; “You remembered that song, word for word but you didn’t remember me” is a potent comment on the cruelty of the disease. This is an intensely moving work which encourages the viewer to pause and reflect on the ordinary aspects of life and the central relationships which define us. Although the catalyst for the work is personal experience, the sense of loss is empathic, palpable and ultimately universal, communicated visually with extraordinary composure.

Charlie Mclenahan’s body of work Sepulchre explores mankind’s exploitation of the natural world in a series of finely composed photographs and objects. There is a great deal of care in each visualisation of the subject, exemplified by the artist’s photographic image of a dead hare Violation of Sepulchre. This reads as both a powerful comment on humanity and a beautifully detailed tonal study. The soft texture of fur, whiskers and arrangement of form contribute to the perceived value and preciousness of the subject.

The artist’s large scale image of an owl (Untitled) introduces a metallic patina to the photographic image further extending this idea. These images are not shocking depictions of road kill as they could so easily have been in the hands of a different artist, but a considered response to conflict between the man made and natural world. In many ways the artist’s process is a restorative ritual in relation to each individual body, they are not displayed as curiosities or as sensationalised signifiers of death but actively encourage thought- the very thing which makes us human distilled into the creative act.

A sequence of five images depicting the bodies of two finches in different stages of decay introduces the element of colour, an acidic yellow green which heightens the sense of degeneration. The bodies of animals and birds perfectly encapsulated to preserve their essential DNA and identity link with the two dimensional images to convey an attitude of respect and reverence. The artist’s sketchbooks reveal the evolution and distillation of these images which is gratifying to see, successfully grappling with difficult subject matter in a refined and interesting way.

Sheena Wilson’s large scale mixed media works reinterpret the landscape and explore the dynamics of paint and abstraction. Eagles View, Corie An Lochan is a good example with collaged sections and layers of drawn and painted marks contributing to the vibrancy and energy of the composition accented with orange, yellow and alizarin. The exploration of paint handling together with the expansiveness of sky and landforms gives this work an aspirational, almost spiritual quality.

Duncan Campbell has contributed a series of mixed media paintings to the exhibition which are distinctive for their restraint and engagement with the painted surface. A fascinating dialogue is created by the progression from figurative work on the exterior walls of the central gallery space to exploration of a series of psychological interiors within the more intimate confines of the studio.

The imagery of these interior spaces is beautifully compelling, both in terms of the craft of painting – of “how much or how little information is needed to carry the work” – and of the human subject. The outer works consist of a series of three panels (a diptych and one in naked isolation) each containing a male figure standing alone in a corner, face turned away from the viewer. The verticality of the panels heightens the sense of confinement while the delicacy of the paintwork in liquefied washes conveys vulnerability in relation to the human form.

Within the studio space this exploration goes deeper still, beginning with a quartet of small scale paintings leading to a sequence of larger scale works, each containing a source of light within a dark interior. This high window is an anchor to the eye and also the mind as the viewer peers into darkness, barely able to discern the details of the surroundings or location. In each of the large scale works this window shifts, creating a sense of unease, like a world of sensory deprivation where the only certainty established in the visual sequence (the light) keeps shifting and we struggle to orientate ourselves within the architecture of the work.

In painterly terms these large scale works are well executed – a build up of drawn and painted marks and a subtle palette of complex darkness in ultramarine and umber. These are thoughtful, sensitively rendered paintings which activate the imagination of the viewer and are ripe for further development.

Equally thoughtful and complex are a series of photographs by Sam Lawson displayed overlapping on the studio wall in a non-linear narrative sequence. The viewer is free to construct these adjacent stills into an unfolding conflict between the outsider protagonist and heritage wardens in an urban or town centre. The dispersal becomes powerful social commentary, delivered not in an instant but slowly and more consciously.

Similarly the artist’s sequence of images exploring death is incredibly subtle in the way they reveal their subject, encouraging a shift in our perception of the everyday. Beginning with the undertaker’s trolley, which is unannounced and understated, it is impossible not to be drawn in by the stillness of each object or scene, absent of life but inextricably linked to it.

The documentation of the undertaker’s workspace in terms of absence is fascinating and the photographs seem to bring us closer to acknowledgement of the all pervasive denial of death and its necessary rituals in contemporary society. The final image of the urn cropped in close up, the dust which we shall all eventually become visible upon the rim, is both a beautifully composed abstract and a moving reminder of our own mortality.

This is not, however, a depressing or dour sequence of images; rather, it allows us contemplation of being human. The sticker within the undertaker’s room adds an element of humour to the sequence. Each image seeks not an instant shock value but a growing awareness that ultimately has far greater potency – the artist encourages us to form our own associations with the work which is precisely what makes it so engaging.

It is a pleasure to see highlighted in this show engagement with the actual craft of the artists’ chosen media. Students are grappling with visual language in a thoughtful, intelligent way which bodes well for the continued evolution of their practice and engagement with future audiences. Visual literacy is clearly in evidence and in this way Moray is fast establishing itself as a leading institution in Scotland.

The show is open Monday to Thursday 9am to 9pm, and Friday and Saturday 9am to 5pm.

© Georgina Coburn, 2009

Links

• Moray College