This piece, Pet Carrier No 2 by David Shrigley was on display at the Cult Fiction Exhibition I saw this week. It captured my imagination, partly because of the novel use of polyurethane foam which gives a quite alien look to an everyday object. At the same time it makes me wonder what exactly happened to the inhabitant of the carrier!
See the sidebar for linkage to more of his work.
Was invited to attend the opening of a new exhibition at Leeds Art Gallery last night. Cult Fiction: Art and Comics is an exploration of the art of the comic book, featuring the work of 16 contemporary artists and 12 leading comics and graphic novel artists.
It was good to see so much painting and sculpture influenced by this underrated art form. Particularly in this country (the UK) I think there is a view, held by both the art establishment and the general public, that comic books are for children. One lady I met at the show told me she always assumed it was "trivial", which is not an uncommon assumption, I think. I pointed out that there was more than one way to express oneself visually and that some artists clearly prefer to illustrate their literature with pictures rather than the written word. If we weren't open to the persuasion of images we wouldn't appreciate oil painting or photography, and that is clearly not the case!
I really liked the sculpture on display, especially the Jon Pylypchuk piece So then we will burn you when you are dead, sketch below:
It's a whimsical interpretation of a gathering of stuffed toys apparently debating how to dispose of their prone friend. See the side bar for a link to more of this artist's work. And a photo of what this one really looks like!
This exhibition is here in Leeds till 11th November with talks by two of the contributors, David Shrigley and Paul Gravett, taking place in that time. Tickets to both are free from the Gallery shop 0113 247 8256.
I'll leave you with a drawing of one more sculpture from the exhibition. Hairy Guy (Ballerina) Liz Craft. As you can see, I thought it was Captain Caveman, a character from a kid's tv cartoon of the eighties. So, through cultural conditioning, we all fall into the trap of thinking comics and cartoons are "for kids"!
Can't believe the irony of the father of orthodox animation (Walt Disney) collaborating with the ultimate dreamweaver (Dali)! I think this will be useful in considering what look to give an animation project of my own.
I thought if I got in to college early today I would find it easier to find a parking space. But no. I reckoned without all the uni students returning this week. I think I will have to get here about 4 am to find a space so I don't know if it's even worth driving in at all! Of course, I could park a million miles away and walk the rest of the way but then WHAT IS THE POINT OF HAVING A CAR!