Revelation?
Stephen Gosling
The progression of Modern British Art through the past 25 years is something to celebrate, no? Well, I thought so, but upon viewing the exhibition "Revelation: Reflecting British Art in the Arts Council Collection" at Salford’s the Lowry Gallery, it would appear as if I was the only one who thought there was cause for celebration.
When mentioning modern art in Britain, names and ideas automatically spring to mind. Tracey Emin and her ability to shock, Gilbert and George with their methods of desecration, and even Lucien Freud makes an appearance–his work of course, not him in person. The mere mention of these names and others brings giddiness to the art lover in me.
The exhibition’s smallness doesn’t disappoint but it would have worked better if there was more on view in the one location. The exhibition is part of six other venues in and around Manchester that together show a larger cross section of the work offered by the Arts Council’s collection. This all sounds great to me so far; the work, the ideas and the collection.
Now for the stumbling block: the exhibition at the Lowry, named for one of England’s most famous painters, appears to be ashamed of housing modern art within its traditional gallery walls. The modern art pieces are displayed round the corner from the main gallery, with its semi-concealed entrance, hidden away from the more traditional works. One could argue, I suppose, that this adds to the modernity of the work, by it being displayed in a very non-traditional way. You could argue this but, with the modern architecture of the building and the gallery’s setting in the urbanely regenerated Salford, it still seems out of place and sheltered away.
I refuse, however, to let this obstruct the power of the work displayed, as what there is displays inspiration and originality.
Tracey Emin’s work stands at the forefront of the exhibition as she is one of Britain’s foremost modern artists. The Simple Truth is the flagship of this very modern exhibit. Originally created by Emin to be her quilt as she was living in and traveling around America, it ironically states "HERE TO STAY" across the cover. Emin, known for her originality, is needed for any Modern British Art exhibit to be complete.
Other works at this exhibit’s location include Children’s Swimming Pool by Leon Kossoff, Sleeping by Paula Rego, Smash by Gilbert and George and The Lost City by Jeff Daniels. Each work is groundbreaking and original in its own right. The exhibition takes on a unique chronological progression of modern art, showing each footstep along the journey from 25 years ago, up to where we are today.
Another piece that stands out as a seminal work is Euan Uglow’s The Quarry Pignano. This oil on canvas piece created by the artist during the late 70s and early 80s poses numerous questions with relation to the standard oil paintings pre-Modern art movement. This nude shows no commonality with traditional nudes, decapitating the head of the model, giving her complete anonymity and allowing the viewer to place anyone in that role. The reclined state of the model is also more relaxed than the traditional nudes. The background of the piece, not wanting to be left out, is far from the norm. The strong yellow, green and red of the room are in stark contrast to the usual romantic settings of nudes draped across ornately designed sets. There is also an ominous blue shape floating in the top left of the piece, that, while not being the main focus, is distracting enough to pose the questions: What is it? What does is represent? Why was it included? It is a piece like this that challenges the traditional rules of what art is supposed to be, and while embracing parts of the tradition it also creates its own.
Each piece contained in the exhibit has its own story and its own original message but, for that, an entire book would need to be written. So in commonality with the small punchy exhibit, this review now ends.
