Phantasmagoria - Joint Show - Forman's Smokehouse

2012-01-24T11:58:00.001Z

Forman’s Smokehouse Gallery is pleased to present Phantasmagoria, an exhibition of paintings, prints, drawing, installation and sculpture. The title for the exhibition, Phantasmagoria will be themed around the ongoing cycles of sub-cultures and counter cultures, their art, and it’s eventual fuelling of canons of mass assimilation by fashion and media to the point of vulgarity and its serendipitous decaying of objective and social meaning in tribal and underground arts. In 1990 a relatively unknown Canadian essayist Gail Faurschou wrote about fashion’s “ingenious strategy of expansion.” As more artistic raw material that challenges corporate consumerism is made, the more marketable material corporations have to advertise its products. This systematic diffusion of any opposition continues to effectively dissolve and quash any of its subject’s capacity for growth and maturity. The exhibition brings together new and existing works: Jon Burgerman, Shin Tanaka and Boicut are global illustrators and custom designers. Isaac Cordal’s, Follow the Leader depicts debased failings of Western leaders. James Unsworth’s and Andrew James Jone’s work subscribe to horror and the grotesque that preserves the integrity of their art. Anwot makes art, taking inspiration from fetish clubs and the sex scene. Re-assembled pieces and new works from David Shillinglaw, pay homage to cult culture and philanthropy, Martin Wollerstam depicts corporations as monsters attacking the world and Roman Klonek prints are of mechanical cartoons and environments defined by logos. Otto Schade and Oliver Winconek paintings of surreal iconography can easily be found in the most fashionable parts of London’s East End. Dave Anderson and Agent Provocateur’s work satires fashion and commodity culture. Rebecca Strickson, incorporates contemporary art with creative industries, such as Nexus group and creative culture group, Soho House. Commissioned pieces by Todd Ryan White echo the psychedelic posters and record covers of Anton Kelly and Stanley Mouse. A new Matt Small sculpture addresses lost identity and inadequacy in youth culture. Curated by Sara Kwiecinski and David Marchant.

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Isaac Cordal - New Pieces in Galicia, Spain

2012-01-24T10:48:00.000Z

Photos by Isaac Cordal (Galicia, Spain)

Isaac Cordal ...is a sculpture artist from Galicia. His sculptures take the form of little people sculpted from concrete in 'real' situations. Cordal manages to capture a lot of emotion in his vignettes, in spite of their lack of detail or colour. He is sympathetic toward his little people and we empathise with their situations, their leisure time, their waiting for buses and their more tragic moments such as accidental death, suicide or family funerals. His sculptures can be found in gutters, on top of buildings, on top of bus shelters - in many unusual and unlikely places in the capital.

This book is the first time his images have been shown in together in one book dedicated to his work. Many images never seen before Cordal's concrete sculptures are like little magical gifts to the public that only a few lucky people will see and love but so many more will have missed. Left to their own devices throughout London Cordal what really makes these pieces magical is their placement. They bring new meaning to little corners of the urban environment. They express something vulnerable but deeply engaging. Left to fend for themselves, you almost want to protect them in some way, or perhaps communicate with them. Of course the 25cm high sculptures of people in everyday poses the artist creates in are not real, are they? Well you've opened a whole can of worms with that question.

Yes, the little scenes in Concrete Eclipse are somewhat poignant but they do not invite you to weep passively for lost worlds you never knew. They are there to provide a one handed clap to shake you from your reveries and plug you back in to the world. So Cordall's men in grey are a little message of hope in spite of their forlorn appearance and they are there to remind you that pessimism is not common sense, it's just pessimism. So make sure you do something inessential today. Go on, the grey men don't want you to.

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Phantasmagoria - Joint Show - Forman's Smokehouse

Isaac Cordal - New Pieces in Galicia, Spain