Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Until Sat 25 Nov
It’s necessary that ‘surrealist’ and ‘murmuration’ are depicted to understand the relevance behind this exhibition by John Richardson and John Welson. A surrealist image attempts to uncover a hidden reality, unveiling some sort of marvellous, unknown phenomenon. Surrealism is an adventure and is not restricted to visuals; it cannot be reduced to purely a literary or artistic movement. A murmuration refers to the thousands of starlings who nest in Aberystwyth and form patters and spectacles in the sea each night, disappearing and reappearing. These shapes are visible from the gallery window. The exhibition is a celebration of visual aspects and mindful ones. Welson’s abstract paintings are inspired by Welsh landscapes, and have previously been exhibited alongside the likes of Lucian Freud and Damian Hirst. Richardson is also a surrealist artist who enjoys discussing the ‘surrealist adventure’; he writes of the importance of imagination with regards to artistic meaning, constantly looking for new methods to corrupt visual and realistic meaning in the brain. His images use colour, style and technique to produce artistic opposition – his comic series is a brilliant example of this. This is complemented brilliantly by Welson’s more traditional bright landscape paintings. Both rely heavily on the concept of locality, yet both use surrealism to interfere with this concept.
Admission: free. Info: 01970 62 32 32 / www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk (BC)
