isual Art
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‘CONSTANT SURPRISE IS A MUST'
Several perceptions
Artist Jimmy Robert talks to David Pollock about his fascination with the instability of representation in photography, text, film and performance
it an adaptation of Yoko ()no's ‘Cut Piece‘ for his show figure (1(’ Style at London’s Cubitt Gallery
last year. Jimmy Robert bound his torso in strips of
tape. which were then ripped off by members of the audience. The performance didn‘t stray too far from the original. except in one crucial sense: while it was being done. Robert read out press reviews of Ono's seminal performance.
Born in Guadeloupe in l975. educated in Amsterdam and London. and now based in Brussels. Robert‘s work goes beyond mere representation to break down the boundaries between audience. art and artist. While there‘s a certain flavour of the postmodern to what he does. his work isn't cloaked in haughty irony so much as it‘s opened up and expanded upon by a sense of natural curiosity.
‘The themes. materials and techniques in my work are the same (throughout my shows). in that they probably constitute a language] says Robert. in a recent email chat. ‘I am not afraid of sounding vague by saying that the very instability of representation is what motivates me. and still acts as a source for multiple experiments where constant surprise within the self-imposed limits is a must.‘
While he's vague about the precise nature of what will be shown at this. his first solo Scottish show and first exhibition here since 2007's group show Re- mukc/Re-mmlel. he does reveal that he'll be working in a variety of different media. as usual. The gallery promises a series of two- and three-dimensional work incorporating found and personal photographs. sculptural and drawn elements. while Robert himself
teasingly describes 'collages. photographs. sculptural elements and a performance on opening night only.'
He says: ‘The title of the show plays with the notion of displacement and received ideas of masculinity and its representation. Some of the work tises paper as a main surface. just as in writing and photography. a starting point . . . that is necessarily limited. The transformation of the image into an object [alludes] to another dimension which is not always visible on the surface. reminding us that reading images is a complex activity.‘
In past shows. Robert has created complex three- dimensional paper collages and then displayed their scanned. flat images. He’s also shown Super-8 films of mundane. found scenes which loop back over one
particular movement. giving them a hyper-intensity of
significance. propped a photograph against the wall as if intending to lever the significance ottt of it. and even projected films against his own back.
‘I don't always appear.‘ concludes Robert. "but
when I do I believe it‘s to underline a sense of
urgency — making images is a physical activity. performances are an expansion of this. I guess it‘s all about questioning the validity and power of the various elements that come to play within an exhibition and looking for meaning in the dialogue of the pieces rather than individual ones. L'sing various media implies different interactions and experiences where failure as much as success is the main point.‘
Jimmy Robert: Grey Flannel Suits Any Man, Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow, Fri 20 Feb—Sat 28 Mar.
THE BEST EXHIBITIONS
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* Claire Barclay: Openwlde Acclaimed sculptor Barclay uses a range of familiar materials. including leather. wood and metal to create beautifully balanced and crafted installations whose meaning is intentionally ambiguous. See review. page 88. Fruitmarket Gallery. Edinburgh, until Sun 72 Apr.
* The Dirty Hands Glasgow-based emerging artists Clare Stephenson and Alex Pollard explore their shared fascination with excess and amorality. Stephenson exhibits a series of free- standing ‘drag queen' figures. with names like ‘Our-Lady-of— the-Conscious-Optics' and ‘Madame Toute-Pliee'. striking camp poses within a theatrical installation, while Pollard's paintings play with notions of mythic criminality and the carnivalesque. all presented in a distorted hall of mirrors. CCA, Glasgow, until Sat 21 Mar.
all Tlmecode DCA celebrates its tenth birthday in appropriate fashion with an enjoyable group show of works exploring the theme of time. Featured artists include On Kawara, Kelly Mark and Christian Stock. See review. page 88. Dundee Contemporary Arts, until Wed 78 Mar.
ll! Jonathan Owen Owen examines and subverts notions of suburban domesticity in this series of intelligently installed works, which includes a wine rack wrapped in chains and a broken hat stand. See review. page 88. Doggerfisher, Edinburgh, until Sat 28 Mar.
* Jimmy Robert: Grey Flannel Suits Any Man Guadeloupe-born. Brussels- based artist Robert explores the fragile nature of representation in his first solo show in Scotland. See preview. left. Sorcha Dal/as, Glasgow, Fri 20 Feb-Sat 28 Mar.
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