Visual Art
www.list.co.uk/visualart
Andreas Dobler, ‘Up in Smoke'
‘HOPEFULLY IT'S GOING TO BURN'
Altered images
In a new exhibition of painting, Scottish and international artists create work that recalls the 19605 spirit of rebellion and playfulness, as Neil Cooper discovers
ccording to cliched legend. if you can remember the 1960s. you weren‘t really there.
The artists taking part in Altered States of
Paint at DCA who were around during that heady decade were still in their wide-eyed infancy. The ones who weren‘t are still barely out of theirs. For a show that posits the gallery space as a portal to leap through en route to self—knowledge. this is how it should be. The very fact that this exhibition aims to capture the spirit of Aldous Huxley‘s maxim from mind-expanding handbook The Doors of P'rt‘eptitm that “The man who comes back through the Door in the Wall will never be quite the same as the man who went out’ through painting alone. is itself something of ajolt.
‘These are paintings that do something more.’ says curator Graham l)omke. ‘l‘ve always been fascinated by this idea of the mad scientist who looks for life‘s meaning and takes it very seriously. but takes it too far. Like in The Man with X -Ru_v lives. where initially everything seems great and he can see girls‘ pants. but ends up seeing too much. That‘s why the exhibition starts off psychedelic and gradually gets darker.‘
While Jutta Koether. Till Gerhard. Andreas l)obler. Angela de la Cruz. Neil Clements and Rabiya Choudry aren’t involving themselves in some Stuckist
reaction to Conceptualism. as with the poets. mystics , and psychedelicists who inspired them (by way of
William Blake leaping into Lewis Carroll’s Looking Glass). these artists are desperately seeking something. Something other, at that.
Which is why the work in Altered States of Paint, named after Ken Russell’s crazed I980 sensory
94 THE LIST 3—1 7 Jul 2008
overload flick. will appear on walls and doorways. painted as murals. and. in the case of de la Cruz. deliberately twisted. smashed and mangled.
‘The show started with Angela‘s paintings.‘ says l)omke. ‘The way she transgresses the canvas and literally breaks on through the paintings and physically pushes herself with it.‘
Accotnpanying the show is a season of films by
Kenneth Anger. which sit alongside a set of
reference points that include Zachary Lazar's ambitious ()()s novel Sway. Also invoked are a bunch of very Scottish counter—cultural icons. from Aleister (‘rowley and The Wicker Man to l’rrl‘urmam-e director Donald (‘ammelL l)omke maintains. however. that this is more contemporary than hippy revivalism. something which the presence of Neil Clements. the youngest of the group. testifies to.
(‘lements has previously shown black-painted shapes based on llamboyantly sculpted guitars. Here. as (‘lements points out. ‘They are all from the 1980s as opposed to my previous interest in those originally patented by (iibson in l95‘). Whereas the original guitars were adopted further down the line by rock musicians. the later generation was made for a market of metal fans.‘
‘We‘re trying to do something less tight—assed with this exhibition.~ says l)omke. ‘You can be intelligent and playful about how you do a show. Hopefully it‘s going to burn.‘
Altered States of Paint, Dundee Contemporary
Arts, Sat 5 Jul-Sun 7 Sep.
LIST >l<
’ THE BEST EXHIBITIONS
* Nicky Bird: Beneath the Surface/Hidden Place Nicky Bird’s project assembles family photos past and present by amateur photographers to explore the power of nostalgia. and the reliability of our own memories. See review, page 96. Stills Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 20 Jul.
#3 Mladen Stilinovic: On Money, Zeroes, etc Croatian artist Stilinovic’s art draws on his life growing up under Tito’s regime in the former Yugoslavia. exploring the shift in political ieology from socialism to capitalism, particularly our relationship with money. See review, page 95. CCA, Glasgow, until Sat 19 Jul.
* Fete: Modernity in Central Europe
1 918-1 945 The Dean’s summer exhibition brilliantly demonstrates how the new photographic vision extended into all areas of modern life in Central Europe between the wars. See review, page 96. Dean Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 31 Aug.
alt Three Blows A weekend of live music performed by practitioners rooted in visual art, which takes full advantage of the unique acoustic properties of the oldest purpose-built concert hall in Scotland. See preview, page 95. St Cecilia 's Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 5 & Sun 6 Jul. Ill Altered States of Paint Named after Ken Russell’s crazed 1980 sensory overload flick, this exhibition places psychedelic 60$ iconography. including films by Kenneth Anger and Zachary Lazar’s novel Sway, alongside work created in a spirit of rebellion by Scottish and international contemporary artists. See preview, left. DOA, Dundee, Sat 5 Jul—Sun 7 Sep.