‘ILLUMINATION’ EXHIBITION
October 30th, 2007
Group Show Gerry Atkinson, Grace Lodge, Gary Wells, Shelley Wilson
SOMERSET MAUGHAM GALLERY,
Horsebridge Arts Centre, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1AF
Dates:- 1st - 12th November 2007
www.horsebridge-centre.org.uk
A fusion of four bright sparks creates a diverse show of spectacle, celebration, contemplation and hope. Working in a variety of media - photography, paint, gunpowder and wax, the theme of ‘ILLUMINATION’ is explored by these four artists, whose work has been shown in England and abroad.
Photojournalist Gerry Atkinson creates a colourful display, exploring the effects of light in different environments. The fire art of Gary Wells subverts the relationship between creativity and destruction. Shelley Wilson’s eerie wax sculptures of conjoined twins are a metaphor for life relationships. Grace Lodge demonstrates in her paintings the celebratory aspect of illumination.
The paintings of Grace Lodge bring an explosive, dynamic experience to illumination. They are unashamedly brazen and discordant, yet uplifting. An undeniable cacophony of celebration documenting the visual onslaught derived from the everyday. Bring your sunglasses.
Gary Wells turns gunpowder into a creative force. In his black powder and oil paintings, he acts merely as the trigger; once the fuse has been lit, the medium does as it will, creating works that can be seen as experimental, performance or two-dimensional, exploring the themes of energy, release and ultimate burnout.
Gerry Atkinson has worked as a documentary photographer with indigenous people in the Philippines and in an artistic community in New Zealand. She is interested in form, shape and colour and produces images that capture a certain light, mood or fleeting moment. This work is a change from her usual style. Atkinson is creating atmospheric, ethereal images from a variety of locations.
Shelley Wilson’s work combines the disciplines of sculpture and photography. She explores visualisation, experimentation, and interaction between materials and subject matter, taking inspiration from the physicality and psychology of the human form. Her concerns are with the complexities of the mind and body and how they interact. Perhaps more importantly, Wilson is searching for, and attempting to categorise and present, a ‘reality’ beyond the scientifically measurable.
