Past, present and futures collide in the exhibition pieces of Yvonne East, Nevin Hirik and Andrew Baldwin, currently showing 6 September – 6 October at the Art Images Gallery, Norwood.
Lady Poodle introduces the gallery space, a gregarious dog puppet painting displayed in the front window. A seemingly eclectic mix of artists and works, upon closer inspection the exhibition space is brought together through broader themes of presentness, nostalgia and elusive longing, with the images and objects adept at hiding their secrets, tantalisingly beneath the surface.
The works of Yvonne East offer tribute to the colourful world of theatre and performance, as in the elaborate froufrou of the Les Ballet Contemporains, Le Carnaval. The stature of these pieces are impressive, not just for their sheer size and colour but for East’s masterly representation of costume design, with the velvety folds of lace and exotic silks tempting the viewer to touch.
East’s other pieces, though no less grandiose in size, offer, rather intimately, a rare glimpse into what lies backstage, beneath the performer’s mask; covert desires and dressing room whispers are epitomised by the scanty undergarments of an anonymous performer, a corset no less, left to dangle and entice, as in Showgirl I, II and III.
Finally East’s puppet paintings, her richly painted Vietnamese water puppets and her quaintly battered, pre-loved Pelham puppets, Horse, Bengo Boxer Dog, inevitably invoke a surge of fondness or sentimentality, for a childlike wonderment at all things magic and make believe.
Nevin Hirik, in comparison, wears her full artist’s heart on her sleeve. If the eyes are the window to the soul Hirik has thrown herself open for all to peer inside. Her exotic, doe-eyed female motif, soft but angular, is starkly juxtaposed against sumptuous background tapestries, and is threatened with being overwhelmed but for her penetrating gaze, which draws the viewer into a conspiratorial intimacy with the artist.
The rapturous colours and moody textures complement the seemingly self-indulgent, yet poignant titles, such as I opened my heart and let you in and I love you but I don’t know what to do. The artist is lain bare before us, as her artist’s statement suggests in all “my passion, my experiences, and my desire”.
Finally we have the tactile blown glass works of Andrew Baldwin. One of two series on display, aptly titled Void, these intricate, delicately crafted pieces offer a quietly meditative quality; futuristic and aloof, subtle blues are set against the clear glass with detailed ribboning; other pieces are warm, sensual and voluptuous, like the viscous New Seasons vase.
Baldwin’s pieces, as objects, stand empty, allowing the viewer to inscribe/invest them with their own meaning, offering a strong counterpoint to the highly emotional, sentimentalised works of East and Hirik. Against the backdrop of past and present, of nostalgia and longing, they function as translucent looking glasses, forward looking, to a future filled with possibility.
Reviewed by Jordana Lennox
Exhibition of Yvonne East, Nevin Hirik and Andrew Baldwin
Where: Art Images Gallery, 32 The Parade, Norwood
When: 6 September – 6 October
Free entry
Photo: Pelham Puppet Horse by Yvonne East
- Want to know more? Read our interview with artist Andrew Baldwin
More News
