Monday 4 February 2013

The exhibition words


OUTRAGEOUSLY PRETENTIOUS - A One Night Stand (21st Nov 2012)

Standing in front of the urinal, contemplating life, the universe and everything, you find yourself drifting to that sunny day. That day with both feet barely touching the ground, proudly astride your birthday bike to grow into, the instruction to begin the race eagerly anticipated. With streaming tassels protruding from the end of your handlebars, you wait.
Your racetrack extends in front of you, the steady gradient rising past a frenzied throng of spectators. This is to be the greatest race of the day, the race for which all five spectators had ignored signs of imminent rainfall. They huddle, fixatedly, wondering ‘what’s for tea?’ Hoping for sausages.

As you strain against the peddle, two wheels slowly begin to move. The ten thousand mile race to the end of the road and back begins.

Five artists walk into a bar.

As you meander slowly through the first installment, a one night stand. Consider a hop, a twirl, a pretentious pose. Stop off for a moment to enjoy a slice of cake, before continuing on your journey with a smile of self-gratification.

Yuang Chai Wong, Ben Wardell, Richard Taylor, Nick Davie, and David Stanners come together in this, the first in a series of shows that witness their playful experimentation with collaborative development and curation. Unified through an interest in elevating the mundane, whilst observing the absurdity of existing as an artist, and having fun whilst they are at it.

As you enjoy their work, look at, through and beyond. Realise that we, the audience, become an integral component within the experience. We become the outrageous, the pretentious participants within the presentation of artwork. Its entire positioning meticulously calculated through the rules of pataphysics.

The sun continues to shine as your feet continue to push peddles to the speed of light, around the bend, close to the hogshead barrel to view your uphill return to the bottom of the hill. Relentlessly you toil, determined to win, to gain the adulation of the long gone crowd.

A butterfly passes, a momentary distraction. You put away your ‘shewee’, zip up you trousers, wash your hands and get on with the rest of your life.


We hope you enjoy the show.


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