ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM
CY TWO Highs and lows of Cy Twombly .0.
Twombly is an oft-overlooked American abstract expressionist who, though not really in the same league as Jasper Johns, is an extremely interesting footnote to a movement that inspired the work of everyone from Warhol to David Mach.
This, his first solo exhibition in Scotland, is a bit of a mixed bag. It is his signature childish flower paintings that first greet you when you walk in, with their preponderance of orange and purples, half-mangled colours and thick cracked lumps of acrylic. But it is his Untitled (In the Garden) series of two that really impress with their excellent use of space as the filthy strands of green and violets are pushed ever deeper into the bottom right hand corner of the frame.
The Gaeta collages (set of three) have a calming effect on the viewer, as do his series of eight ln's drawings in the fourth room. Elsewhere the sculpture and photography work is exceptionally poor: whether reaching out for Giacometti-esque incongruity or bargain basement kitsch, they fail every time.
The exhibition thankfully ends on a high note with his gorgeous set of four Sunset paintings, sweeping majestically from right to left, ochre and yellow finger lines smothering the whiteness. (Paul Dale)
I Inver/eith House, Royal Botanic Garden, 552 7777, until 27 Oct, free.
GROUP SHOW SIX Engaging graduate show .0.
Tranforming a former shop into a gallery. six Edinburgh College of Art graduates present an exhibition of site-specific work. The first things that catch your eye are Zoe Fothergill's spherical forms hanging in the window. Weaving together translucent strands of synthetic fibres, she creates a beautiful sea of marine creatures. Using the man- made material to excellent effect. Fothergill's forms effortlessly float within the space.
Leesa French explores themes of death in a three-part installation. Placed on a shelf are seven zinc plates. originally used in etching. Acid has been applied to the plates. and the works vary in grey/black tones and fragility. Below these is a pile folded felt blankets. The felt works. covered in a dusty ash, recall a funeral pyre. On a more humorous note. Alberta Whittle has made some interesting headgear out of bras. Entitled Amazon Bras. she uses feathers and clothes pegs to transform her supporting undergarments. Jo Ball's Fallen Fowl. a series of 12 plaster panels. reveal intricate markings. Tiny mercury-like globules and loops of blue dyed string are embedded like modern—day fossils into the plaster.
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Untitled (In the Garden) 1990
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Detail from Zoe Fothergill‘s Untitled installation
Choosing works that complement each other well and making good use of the space. 45 Six is an engaging and enjoyable exhibition. (Helen Monaghan)
I 45 William Street, until 37 Aug, free.
82 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 22 Aug—5 Sep 2002
MIXED MEDIA SUMMER SHOW
Back to the drawing board 00
The summer season is a chance for new talents to emerge into the sunlight and be noticed. The exhibition of artists from WASP studios is unfortunately not the place. It is largely mediocrity that graces the walls of Patriothall. not
fresh bursts of brilliance.
Re-hashed collages, murky oils in lurid yellows and frankly bad watercolours are some of the efforts on display. One in particular. entitled
Essence of Lily, is a nauseous abstraction with washes of purple.
There are some notable exceptions in the shape of Joyce Gunn-Cairns sensitive sketches, including one of Richard Holloway. and two subdued portraits. Holy Man and Holy Woman. Trude Blows' paintings including Seagrass Iona and Mull Over The Sound of Iona also stand out.
Not wanting to put a dark cloud over the show, a little more time at the drawing board is needed before many of the artists on show here will begin to flourish. (Ruth Hedges) I Patriotha/l Gallery, 225 7 289. until 28 Aug, free.
Holy Woman by Joyce Gunn-Caims