This review was first published in the Hackney Citizen, 31 October 2009
This
new exhibition in Stoke Newington showcases works by two artists: both female
and originally from Germany,
but the similarities end there.
Gburek
is primarily a photographer, and most of her works here are
digitally-manipulated self-portraits. In various guises (‘Aphrodite’, ‘Addict’,
‘Lover’), Gburek’s expressionless face regards the camera flatly from behind an
assortment of wigs, make-up, and digitally-superimposed filigree patterns or
text. These large, clean, lustrous photographs are visually appealing, with a
distinctively Oriental aesthetic, although it’s difficult to draw out definite meanings
from these (re)presentations of the self.
The
gallery itself is an unusual space of hidden nooks and staircases; the heavy
wooden beams and metal chains that hang from the ceiling evidence its former
role as a sculptor’s studio. Gburek has exploited its potential; the charred
fireplace in the gallery wall holds ‘Paradox of Intension’, a pair of shiny red
Carvela shoes atop a pyramid of salt, and ‘I Love Your Brain’, a delicate
Chinese fan, while an oryx skull draped with pearls is presented on the wall
above.
Meanwhile,
Dreyer’s paintings contrast sharply with this contemporary glossiness. Describing
herself as a landscape painter, her works are vivid, near-abstract explosions
of colour and texture. ‘Sand Circle, Large’ is a glorious spread of gold,
silver, and dark chocolate trails of paint on a grainy background, with a
cluster of grey pebbles in one corner, while ‘Energy Line’, a tall slim rectangle
of oranges and yellows with a thick line of dark red paint curling its way up
the length of the canvas, glows from one corner of the gallery. ‘Sleepthief,
Large’, a stand-out work, is a lush burst of deep blues and purples, streaked
with lumps of whites and paler blues and suggesting some kind of moonscape.
These
are unusually direct and unpretentious paintings which communicate a powerful
sense of the richness of the natural world.
'Spirits
Of Turpentine' is at Madame Lillie’s Gallery, 10 Cazenove Rd, N16 6BD,
until Sunday 8th November. Opening hours Friday - Sunday 12-6pm. To view by
appointment: 07990695363. www.madamelillies.org
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