Festival Visual Art

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Light in extension

Dominic Paterson finds that the pervading interest in the work of Robert Mapplethorpe continues to throw light on our social mores and hypocrisies.

NUMA's extensive and compelling exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe's photograph) is full of telling contrasts. To look at the images brought together here is to witness the changing character of the social and cultural milieu within which Mapplethorpe worked. especiall} the shift from the hedonistic sexual experimentalion ol‘ the 1970s to the somberness brought about b_\' the .-\ll)S crisis ol- the 1980s. which claimed the artist‘s own life in Wh’h’ aged just 42. This exhibition offers an opportunin for us to revisit the debates surrounding the cultural politics ol~ representation that these images invoke. In 198‘) Mapplethorpe‘s photographs so inflamed

conservative opinion in the ['8 that a retrospectne of

his work was pre-emptixel} cancelled b} the (‘orcoran (iallei'_\ in Washington. with curator Dennis

Barrie being brought to trial in (‘incinatti for

allegedly ‘pandering to obscenity. lntriguingl}. this exhibition. closely follows the line taken by Dennis Barrie's |aw_\'ers in their successful bid to acquit him. This defence of Mapplethorpe emphasises the classical deViccs used to compose all his subjects; it also draws attention to the w a_\s in which Mapplethorpe was attracted to subjects that reflect the essential conditions of photograph} itsell'. especially the contrast of light and dark. 'l‘hus.

Mapplethorpe is presented here. not as scourge oi conservative morality. btit as a modernist inheritor oi

the classical tradition. The exhibition maps onto this Mapplethorpe's interest in inVerting or siibxerting oppositions between themes such as heaven and hell.

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sin and redemption. flesh and spirit themes which ob\iousl} had a pressing urgenc} for so w holcheartcdl} lapsed a ('atholic.

This presentation of Mapplethoriw's woik is undeniabl} borne out in niaii_\ cases b_\ the work use“. btit it does present problems. the risk is of drawing a \eil of aesthetic generalit} met the specilic contexts in which these images were made. and the |i\es the} picture li\ed. ol' bland uni\ersalitics displacing \i\id particularities. li\en it we accept the \iew that the artist was himself obsessed with formal beaut} and indil‘l‘ei'ent to the subject before him. it is high!) unlikel} that the

\iewer will respond siinilai'l}. In the best of

Mapplethorpe‘s works this tltialit} is arresting it hits )ou bel‘ore )ott pa} an} attention to formal techniques. This is apparent in the man} iconic portraits of fellow artists on show here images that are ol'teit laiiiiliai'. i/r'liiiitii'r'. }c‘t retain their abilil) to surprise; none more so than the justl} famous l‘lXZ portrait of Louise Bourgeois in which the septuageimrian sculptor carries her own phallic work I'i/li'ltt' with a mischiemus smile. The pla} t'ul qualit} of this work is shared b_\ the se\cral wonderful selli- portraits included in the show. B} turns filled with humour. narcissism and latterl} with intiinations ol' mortalit). these photographs poignant!) suggest the scope of. the artistic personalit} which acctimmodated man} contradictor} worlds within its compass.

Robert Mapplethorpe, The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, until 5 Nov, £6 (£4).

Ilits

FESTIVAL ART

‘Every work of art is an uncommitted crime‘ Adorno

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* Robert Mapplethorpe “WIS exhibition is the first major Outing for Mapplethorpe's work in this country for a decade. lno work on show includes society portraits. penises. 88M gimps and a smattering of raunchy religioos imagery. See rot/km. left. National Gallery of Moder it Art, Edinburgh, until Sun 5 Nov. >l< Girlpower and Boyhood A vast exhibition of nightmares and daydreams in paint, thread, paper and ink. This expertly Curated show examines; the fantaSies and fears of childhood and brings together over twenty internationally acclaimed artists. See reView. page 101%.

Talbot Rice Gallery Edinburgh UniverSity, until Sat 30 Sep.

* Marijke van Warmerdam One Drop, an exhibition by Dutch artist van Warmerdam. attempts to bridge the gap between microcosm and n'iacrocosm, With her whimsical sculptures. photographs and films unifying the binary. See revrew, page 704. Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun I/ Sep. Free.

* Everyone Comes to Holyrood An exhibition of photographs. short films. ceramics and animation by 15 internationally acclaimed artists. examining the overlaps between Hollywood and Holyrood when the Festival of Iuvres comes to town. See revrew. page 103. Aft/C88”, Edinburgh, until Sat 2 Sep.

* Tolouse Lautrec The man. the myth, the legs. and the posters. This exhibition covers it all. Drawing on a vast array of ephemera Created by the artist. pasted about Paris and promptly scrapped back oft the walls by canny Parisians. these graphic works reek of brothels, the Seine and gauloises. City Art Centre, Edinburgh, until Sun 22 Oct, £5 (£3.50).

For venue addresses see index page 112.