Samsell, Kennedy, Hodson

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The Blue Oyster is pleased to present Molly Samsell: Interfaces | Alexandra Kennedy: anisotropy | Catharine Hodson, Antoinette Wood, et al. : 4.00am Tondo Rondo

MOLLY SAMSELL | INTERFACES  An interface is the area shared between two distinct bodies. To interface is the coming together of two distinct bodies. Molly Samsell’s photographic prints function in both linguistic senses. Active interfacing occurs where the artist joins the print facsimile with the wall, which in turn creates a static interface where the wall meets the print. Both psychic and physical interfacing occur within the gallery space. In the preparation of ‘Interfaces‘ Samsell photographed sections of the gallery walls, noting their exact placement within a meticulously measured gallery floor plan with the goal of re-aligning the images with their origins at a later date. This seemingly scientific process belies an emotional and thoroughly subjective experience. The textural elements of the prints that expose the gallery wall invite touch - something Samsell encourages - and thus trigger sensory memories thereby creating a new batch of personal interfaces.

ALEXANDRA KENNEDY | ANISOTROPY Anisotropy is a spatial property characterised by non-isotropic, non-Euclidean geometry. Conceptually - and visually - it challenges a number of painting’s established canons and re-ignites some of the ideas set in motion by the Russian suprematists in painting, architecture and design. Working alongside a tradition of spatial and geometric assault - both in the gallery and within / without the canvas - Alexandra Kennedy’s ‘Anisotropy’ is a discombobulating and disorienting experience that embraces anti-gravity, the void and Rem Koolhaas’ notion of ‘architectural nothingness’. The installation succeeds in suggesting an altogether alternate perspective while the sharp end of Kennedy’s painting raises the question: what shall we paint when there is nothing left to paint?

CATHARINE HODSON | ANTOINETTE WOOD ET AL: 4:00AM TONDO RONDO LOWER GALLERY 4:00AM Tondo Rondo is a collaborative project between the artist Catharine Hodson and a surface engineer and her team, Antoinette Wood et al. The title ‘surface engineer’ (Apparaître l'ingénieur) is in fact a moniker for commercial cleaners coined by Claude Berri in the film Ensemble, c’est tout. By re-imagining the detritus provided by her creative collaborator, Hodson meshes the roles of cleaners and artists together. As rescuers of objects both the artist and the cleaner perform similar duties. This correlation between the two jobs raises the issue of how menial labour and creative labour are accorded unequal value in society. Furthermore, the carefully considered rondo formations highlight the perceived disparity between the previously unconsidered aesthetic value of the found objects as disposable ‘junk’ or ‘trash’ and their now stylised renaissance in a gallery space. Yet, in a Duchampian tradition Hodson’s artistic gesture is geared towards highlighting the surreal equivalence of materials and roles rather than distinguishing between the two.

Download the gallery text in PDF format.