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All things pass into the night |
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Wednesday, 02 July 2008 |
All things pass into the night
Utopian Slumps
5/25 Easy Street
Collingwood, Vic
(Until July 12)
Much of contemporary art today deals with the ‘ideas’ of the artist alongside the aesthetic look of the work. For the viewer, the catalogue that accompanies a show can be one of the main ways in which to understand the artist’s intent.
Collaborations between artists and writers have always existed, but in the last 20 years they have become more apparent. What I often enjoy about these collaborations is that whilst the art writer writes about the ‘ideas’ embedded in the art shown, they also have the freedom to explore their own take on the subject. For the viewer, this opens up the possibilities of interpretation even further.
Marcus Keating has created a memorable solo show at the non-profit gallery, Utopian Slumps. The exhibition, and the catalogue written by fellow visual artist Spiros Panigirakis, explore the manner in which symbols can communicate playful meanings that reference both history and popular culture.
Keating has been involved with CLUBS Project Inc, and previously worked as director of Visual Arts for the Midsumma Festival. Such involvement is a great way for artists to delve into the practices of other artists, and in the process, develop their own work.
Across two rooms, Keating has installed paintings and sculptural objects. The enamel paintings, with titles such as ‘Reflective Stripes’ and ‘Reflective Triangles’ can be read in a number of ways. Underneath their surfaces are geometric patterns that can be seen as referencing both minimalism, abstraction and - as Panigirakis has pointed out - the 1950s flags of American artist, Jasper Johns. The flag reference becomes, in Keating’s hands, a shifting signifier that cannot fit a particular cultural code.
As Panigirakis has written: ‘The scale, the stripes, the triangles, the bunting in fields of monochromatic enamelled black, simulate the flag but deny the possibility of collective representation.’
References to the body appear in much of Keating’s work. This manifests itself in the reflection of the viewer in the shiny surfaces of the paintings, whereupon looking at the works, you see yourself in the gallery space.
Alongside one gallery wall and floor Keating has placed skirting boards. Placed diagonally, these ‘sculptural’ boards disrupt the exhibition space, punctuating the viewer’s usual ease of walking around the gallery. The bleeding ‘wound’ visible where the board meets the wall emphasises this interruption.
All Things Pass Into The Night explores, amongst many things, the shifting nature of signs, how desire can transform itself into fear, and how the viewer can come to inhabit the art on display.
www.utopianslumps.org
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