At Platform Cecilia Fogelberg and Trevor Flinn collaborated to produce ‘The Puma, The Stranger and The Mountain’ (there is an image from the exhibition on the cover of this months Trouble magazine and an article inside). This exhibition was previously shown in Dunkeld’s old train station in November, 2007 and was part of the Next Wave’s ‘regional kick of grant’. I wonder how it was installed in the old train station as the exhibition made good use of the cabinets at Platform for installations and dioramas.
The quality of work in this exhibition varies tremendously: the puma suits and their installations are excellent. Whereas, the rock band part is cardboard cut-out quality. I recognize the re-use of Flinn’s fake Marshall speakers from Fogelberg’s SuperGroupie show in January, 2008. Ultimately, I was disappointed with the loopy narrative of “The Puma, The Stranger and The Mountain”. This crazy story about fantasies of the legendary puma of the Grampians was further confused by the paintings and prints exhibited.
The Next Wave festival’s publicity has been annoying my eyes and I don’t want to look at the colors over text in the festival guide.
The Counihan Gallery has two exhibitions on this month from artists with immigrant experiences.
In Gallery One there is Helen Anderson and Jillian Kellie “Salvaging the fray: stories in two voices”. This collaboration between two sisters is a word heavy exhibition. I don’t want to stand around an art gallery reading; I prefer to read while sitting in a comfortable chair. Combining poetry, prose and art that incorporate words in it was too much for me.
Amer Rashad’s exhibition in Gallery Two was a relief from all the words, like an oasis for the eyes. Although Rashad, an Iraqi exile has been a writer and editor he let his paintings speak for themselves. Rashad is a modern artist who paints both abstract and figures in a divisionist style; divisionism is the name that the post-impressionists, cubists etc. were called at the time, it is a useful term for describing modern art with divisions in the colours and picture plane. Rashad especially enjoys painting women, including hieratic images of mother and child. Although they are not avant-garde Rashad’s paintings are beautiful and painted with a light heart.
Black Mark 