24 April 2008 at 6pm
Enrico David first came to attention in 1999 with a series of large-scale, embroidered canvases, exhibited in the group exhibition New Labour at the Saatchi Gallery. Always using drawing as a backbone but also borrowing from traditional craft techniques and stylistic design, David employs these with mischief, playfulness and a certain knowing crudeness: setting before us a cast of characters in theatrical situations and mock stage sets. Sources of inspiration include 1920’s Picasso and design styles such as Italian Carnivalesque and Art Deco.
Central to the exhibition is the work that bears its title. Ultra Paste is a re-imagined facsimile of the artist’s childhood bedroom. Taking his inspiration from a 1935 photo-collage by artist Dora Maar, we see a teenage Enrico engaged in a perverse embrace with a generic anatomical mannequin. Other works range from objects and photographs to large canvases and installation.
Joining us to explore these bizarre, and sometimes disturbing, exhibits, will be Zoe Fothergill – Curator, Education and Development of Talbot Rice.
25 February 2005 at 6pm
Celebrity, glamour, icons repeated; this is what we think of as Andy Warhol‘s defining work. It made him as famous as his superstellar subjects. But Warhol was prolific for many decades and there is a lot more to him than a few (perhaps overexposed) images. Ranked alongside Picasso and Duchamp as a 20th-century giant, Warhol’s importance is measured by the impact his work has had on a vast range of artists since the 1960s. He deals with the big questions – identity, death, love and pain. Yes, his deadpan persona was the epitome of 1960s ‘cool’; but genuine pathos and humanity run through the works. The humane side of Warhol is becoming more visible now, and this exhibition of self-portraits is a revelation – more stimulating and poignant than you might expect.
One person who knows Warhol’s legacy better than most is Jean Wainwright. An art historian and critic based in Kent, Jean has been given unique access to Warhol’s private audiotapes and his time-capsule boxes – all now housed in the artist’s archive in Pittsburgh.
The CAS members travelled to Pittsburgh recently and it was Jean that arranged for Warhol’s now elderly brother to show them round the places he and Andy frequented as kids. He had never spoken in public before. Jean is a colourful character in her own right, so don’t miss the opportunity to see the show in her company.
