Visual Art ~
.__- __-_ .___1
,..__ _-__.- -._ __--__._ ...<......_..-. -fl--- __.-.
RE‘VIF: W SCULPTURE & PRINTS
IAN HAMILTON FINLAY
Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sat 25 Jul 0000 Off in a side gallery at this quasi-retrospective show of Ian Hamilton Finlay’s work sits a neat pile of brown bricks arranged on a pallet. On the top of each of the bricks, their look and colour reminiscent of a loaf of bread that’s been fired in a conventional oven rather than a kiln, is printed the word ‘i-lovis’. The literature which accompanies the show makes the joke plain: quite literally, the late Finlay has produced a piece of concrete (or in this case brick) poetry.
The piece, also entitled ‘Hovis’, is surrounded by prints of more familiar works of concrete poetry as published by Finlay’s Wild Hawthorn Press during the 605. Six individual pieces by artists like John Furnival and Franz Mon are mounted over display cases containing original cards by Finlay, and across from the artist’s 12-part calendar series, ‘The Blue & Brown Poems’. This last selection is wonderful, both formally and aesthetically, and in its sheer joy at the shape and connotation of the simplest individual words.
L_u___-_._____ . .u.
88 THE LIST 9—23 Jul 2009
IN mnmtrl'r ollhew wha-
There is a wealth of material on display in this anteroom, but the larger sculptural works spread out over the rest of the gallery delve even more deeply into Finlay’s considered use of mark-making and of symbolism. The lower floor expands upon the nautical themes which would often attach themselves to his work, particularly tooled lumps of marble, slate and wood inscribed with their own one- line-poem titles (‘Blue Water’s Bark', ‘The Boat’s lnseparable Ripples’, ‘A Last Word: Rudder’). As with a trio of stone sculptures cast with shapes and serial numbers that suggest sailing yachts, these works bring to mind erosion - both physical erosion from the tide’s movement and erosion of meaning from the advance of language.
Upstairs, a range of works inspired by the French Revolution, including three strangely art deco window panes individually inscribed with the words ‘Liberty, Equality, Eternity’ and the Gian Lorenzo Bernini-inspired wall-painting ‘Apollo & Daphne’, are more inscrutable. The presence of a Georges Sorel quote on a slate tile hints at a thread of the mythic, but again the origin of each quote or phrase seems secondary to Finlay’s very considered method of presenting them. (David Pollock)
I7; E‘. VEE w MIXED MEDIA
large scale pendulum ceramics.
CYCLING UP THE HILL WITH MY DAD Wine Gal's» 9'3§9°w' until 8631.5 629. m
www.list.co.uk/visualart
REVIEW FILM ‘ I AM A CAMERA
Sorcha Dallas, Glasgow, until Fri 17 Jul ”.0
Brace your retinas. this show demands ' endurance. A seduenced screening l presents eight films by artists Len Lye. John Latham. Steina & Woody Vasulka. I Craig Mulholland. Katy Dove and Kate Davies. Focal encoding and processing take place as the retina functions much f like film in a camera. slowly pulling you 1 into a trance. To be precise: a vivid J cross-legged mind-altering, image- 3 induced hallucinogenic trip.
The sequence is important to truly ' feel the effect. It kicks off with Kate Davies' film. Etching lines onto the inner surface of your eye. the film is interspersed by an uncomfortable chanting. Just as you're about to get up and leave. Len Lye's 1950 ‘Free ‘ Radicals' strikes your lenses. and ‘ initiates a cascade of chemical and electrical happenings that cause your consciousness to pulsate. Then Craig Mulholland feeds candy floss directly to l your brain. In the same vein. films of pleasing trippiness follow. Historic treats sit alongside contemporary works. John Latham's 1962 animated 9 abstraction flashes an archetypal battle terrain. The Vasulkas' home-made 1973 psychedelia exemplifies their pioneering of video art and founding of The Kitchen in New York.
As you step out into the brightness. the optics of the eye adjust slowly and throw the embedded images back onto an overwhelming sunlit silver screen. . Don't miss the resource section with books. a documentary of the GPO's experimental filmmaking in the 19308. and animations. A lucid experience not to be missed. (Talitha Kotze)
This father and daughter exhibition features ceramics by David Heminsley and textiles by Claire Heminsley. The pair undertook a cycling trip together in order to 3 start planning their joint exhibition. Intended as a contemporary show with new work. the focus changed when David passed away in 2007. Older ceramic pieces have been included and the result is a show underpinned by very personal motives and memories as Claire's collection of works showcases a homage to her dad. Their love of drawing evident throughout. David kept many notebooks and these ; are exhibited alongside new works by Claire. who incorporated her father's old ' essays into ceramics cast from his originals. She has also recreated his 703-style
Fusing traditional skills and modern resources, Claire has used David's tools — many of them self made — as prototypes from which to make a number of drawings, mock-ups. and textile-based objects presented as two-dimensional works. David, founder member of the Scottish Potters Association. was always searching for versions of objects in the style of Plato's original form: aesthetic appeal was as important as function and he endeavoured to create the perfect teapot, the perfect pot of jam. Claire consolidates this pursuit into a tea towel, a domestic symbol on which she has printed her father's drawings.
A considerable amount of thought. dedication and skill is evident, but its personal nature could potentially alienate. (Talitha Kotze)