wastelands

Newlyn Art Gallery

24th April - 16th May 2009

In this exhibition, both literal and metaphorical ‘wastelands’ were represented by a range of contemporary art.

Desolate landscapes, dysfunctional societies and broken minds were portrayed in a variety of media including painting, installation and performance, which in different ways seem to evoke the geographical and psychological themes of T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land of 1922. The show included work by Jane Bailey, Sarah Bunker, Paul Chaney, Joe Doldon, Andy Harper, Ally Mellor, Kate Parsons, Alison Sharkey, Lucy Willow, Alexandra Zierle and Paul Carter.

The exhibition was co-curated by Rebecca Darch, Jeni Fraser, Ruth Gooding and Phil Rushworth, who were students on MA Curatorial Practice at University College Falmouth, graduating in September 2009
Showing posts with label Ally Mellor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ally Mellor. Show all posts

Tuesday, 14 April 2009

Ally Mellor

“Someone once told me that by fearing things, you tend to invite them into your life.”
- Ally Mellor

Blind Faith

Ally Mellor’s work aims to create a disconcerting atmosphere, straddling the boundaries between the real and the uncanny. One prevailing influence is twilight: in this brief time before the onset of total darkness familiar objects can take on a darker and more sinister tone.
Her work encompasses sculpture, found objects and
photography and often involves the recreation of various weather conditions. Her occasional use of atmospheric rural locations and animal forms links her work to ancient folklore that can be both romantic and unsettling.
On the surface Blind Faith is depicting a terrible disaster. Tiny helpless bodies are thrown around by a powerful tornado. After closer inspection, these people aren’t victims but tourists; enjoying the ride. Children frolic in rubber wings whilst their elders photograph the fun, apparently oblivious to the potential for disaster their situation holds. The clean lines and crystal clear water give the sculpture an unreal quality. Is this storm a metaphor for the darker side of human nature, that which is seduced by danger?
- Phil Rushworth