UNDETERMINED PATHS | ART REVIEW
The Abacus, 18-20 St. David’s House, Wood Street, Cardiff. Info:www.theabacusrooms.wordpress.com
Need some bus schedules? You won’t find them on Wood Street any longer because the bus office is gone. What you will find in it’s place is The Abacus, an exciting new art and event space.
It’s the brainchild of Modern Alchemists, a Cardiff-based arts collective who give emerging and student artists exposure, who wouldn’t necessarily get that at an established (read: snobby and expensive) gallery.
Their fourth show, Undetermined Paths , was an antidote to and a reflection of (some would say) of our over-urbanised , techno-charged world. The multi-disciplinary show – photography, sculpture, ceramics, illustration, visuals, collage and printmaking – was a take on the different ways the artists related and responded to their surroundings and nature.
Arron Kuiper’s three-dimensional interpretation of his girlfriend Rowan’s head (in a glass vitrine) beckoned to me from it’s pride of place in the centre of the room. What popped into my head initially was Damien Hirst’s animals floating in formaldehyde, but thankfully this wasn’t stomach-churning. From a distance, Head Fall looked like it was made from organic materials such as rocks and moss but the fact that it wasn’t is a credit to Kuiper. Co-curator Ruth Hitchens explained that the artwork was actually oil paint injected (using a needle) into hydrogel. It was so detailed and precise, from the skin tones to the waterfall (complete with footbridge!), surreal and natural at the same time. His colourful greenery in small jars looked deceptively real, too. He is someone to watch!
At the other end of the spectrum was Hitchens’ and Mary-Alice James’ separate simple pieces made up of flowers and plants that were really street weeds, not flora picked from parks. The two made you see the beauty coming up through cracks in pavements. Elaine Begley’s floaty, inventive sculpture looked like cool quartz but up-close revealed it was made of wax. The lines running throughout were produced from layered photos and ephemera such as pine cones were also suspended inside.
Photographer Colin Nichols’ work, in particular his colour pics of majestic ruin and isolation, caught my eye. So did Katie Horodecki’s abstract prints. At first glance, they seemed to show just random squiggles, scratches and splashes but on closer inspection proved to be detailed, thought-out, strategically placed designs (some using cross-hatching), each one different. Sometimes you need to have a second look to open up your eyes!
words RHONDA LEE REALI