Frustration is fascinating - its causes, its effects, its peculiarities. Turning to the plethora of different aggravations that we face in modern life, this exhibition looks beyond the mundane to focus on those frustrations that have no obvious resolution. Bringing together the work of Blue Curry, littlewhitehead, Ross Jones and Tim Phillips, the exhibition is faceted by the individual focus of each work yet they are united not only by the theme but by the crossing over and interlacing of ideas.
Tim Phillips identifies the materials, colours and shapes that convey and help legitimise the control or dominance of institutions, organisations and individuals. Stripped of unique identifications such as corporate logos, religious imagery and cult symbols, his works mix the different visual languages that form a barrier between us and those in control while naturalising that position. From the precious wood inlays of religious architectural screens, to the gleaming polished surfaces of a corporate reception, Phillips' sculptures draw from very different sources, yet interestingly this conflated array of seemingly distinct materials still convey the same message and perhaps even amplify it.
If the distribution and legitimisation of power is a subtle affair, the bombardment of 24-hour news and media is not. Ross Jones work is primarily interested in information overload and media bias. Each drawing takes as its subject a current political issue that is regurgitated globally by media corporations. The subject is then stripped back, placed in a large white space, and reduced to a detailed drawing creating an icon for an issue. During this process, Jones removes the confusion of colour, people and sound that complicate our understanding. Ross Jones' I.E.D. presents the unassembled components of an improvised explosive device, replacing the conventional subjects of a still life composition in a subtle subversion of that tradition. Made familiar by the news, the potential bomb appears eerily passive when presented in this way, yet the obscured simplicity of its production is made clear.
Blue Curry's sculptural installations fuse an array of 'tropical' signifiers with unlikely candidates to create works which suggest both personal and cultural frustrations. Splitting his time between England and The Bahamas, where he was born, Curry's works see his Caribbean background converge with his experience in London. Sculptures such Untitled, a car tire covered with a mosaic of thousands of black and white beans resembling snakeskin souvenirs in tourist markets, hint at frustrations with the effects of tourism and the false perception of life in paradise. At a personal level, Curry's work is imbued with his struggle against the demands and classifications placed on him as an artist by the two cultural spheres he inhabits.
Glaswegan artist duo littlewhitehead are well known for their irreverent views of modern society. A new wall-based work will be created especially for the exhibition using highly dangerous acidic fumes. The use of corrosive chemicals is a new addition to the duo's repertoire of destructive processes such as deep fat frying and burning, but unlike past processes, invisible chemical fumes rather than the acid itself that will be used to make the 'painting'. Just as the work makes visible the effect of an unseen danger, the painting highlights society's frustrations with effects of unseen chemicals, from industrial waste to radiation. However, there is a dark humour at work here as littlwhitehead poke fun at our fear of the 'invisible threat'. While there are very real dangers in life that are beyond one's perception, much of our frustration is rooted in what we believe or are lead to believe may be threatening us and which we are powerless to prevent.