They Paved Paradise at Beverley Knowles Fine Art

01 August, 2008
by: Katuschka

The Joni Mitchell referencing They Paved Paradise exhibit at Beverley Knowles Fine Art examines 'the desire to protect and the point at which preservation, advertently or otherwise, begins the process of destruction'. The show features work by three artists; and whilst they diversify in medium, they eloquently complement each other, weaving together different facets of the theme, using sculpture, painting and performance.

The element of performance art adds emotional and ideological clout to the static pieces, allowing the viewer to interact and mingle with the art, to become a part of its message. Kirsty Macleod's private view performance Emelan, saw the gallery and the street outside submerged under a huge train attached to the dress of a sleeping performer, forming a physical and psychological barrier between art and viewer. This subjugates the viewer into the position of destroyer, forcing visitors to trample on the fabric and potentially wake the performer. The show also features videos of Macleod's performances which focus on clothing and identity, with both wearer and item taking it in turns to eviscerate formerly implied meaning. The works are hypnotic and balletic, reminiscent of works such as Yoko Ono's Cut Piece and perhaps part of the onset of a current trend in costume performances.

There is a fairy-tale quality to MacLeod's work, stirring the conceptions of female stereotypes, whilst evaporating myths of romance, without clobbering you with feminist tracts. The same is true of Charmain Ponnuthurain's Veritas, which looks at the emotional destruction self-preservation can bring, Ponnuthurain takes as an example overprotective parents and hypochondriacs, whose quest for security and protection is often crippling and stifling. Ponnuthurain's chosen symbol, a glass-encased, child's frock coat is an interesting and exquisitely made choice, however Ponnuthurain states that she felt she had to make a visual statement; and as her statement encompasses the psychosomatic aspects of disease, the piece does not seem weighty enough to encapsulate her full meaning.

Ilona Szalay's work examines the sociological implications of preservation. Her work is reminiscent of Socialist propaganda or advertisements of the post-war era, albeit in sonorous muted colours; referencing decades when the preservation of the status quo produced some of the greatest social, emotional and economic destruction in history is perhaps confronts the validity of nostalgic perception. Medal's looks at the protective destructive dichotomy of war, and the stony-faced children in What We Were Formerly Told appear to be ghostly victims of lost innocence. Her technique of painting over existing images makes her scenes appear disconnected and distant, ethereal yet haunted.

Overall They Paved Paradise is a calm and elegant attempt to come to terms with a peculiar trait of humanity. It is a unique idea and the work carries it to unexpected yet satisfying conclusions. Although it should be an irrelevant observation, in the grand scheme of deciding what defines gender, there is an unavoidable yet innate feminine sensibility in the delicacy and detail of the work. Pastel coloured frock coats and ball-gowns may not automatically speak of destruction, but the subtlety of the pieces asks the viewer to contemplate and reach their own conclusions. The message may not be hopeful, but it is exquisitely and articulately delivered and as a result makes for intriguing viewing.

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