KARST: Discord and Harmony, Beryl Cook and Others

This exhibition runs until the 18th April

This was my first visit to this lovely little gallery but it will not be my last.  The exhibition was inspired by the work of Beryl Cook and included several of her works.  Other artists had been selected for inclusion based on some sympathetic aspect of their work to Beryl's.  Some of these were obvious but others needed a little more digging I think.  This made for a diverse and thoughtful exhibition with plenty of fun pieces.

It's always interesting, visiting a show put together with various artists.  So many artists have a body of work that speaks as a whole as they develop a style, their own language and explore a theme.  Individual pieces do not always make as much sense by themselves, unless you have a knowledge of that artist and their work.  Putting pieces of work together from different artists changes what they have to say and understanding their relevance is an interesting thing to work out.

This exhibition had the title discord and harmony and I think it was a good choice.  I was clear on the aim of the exhibition.  It was to display artists whose work could be considered as growing from the same roots as Beryl Cook's, artists who have been inspired by her and artists who share her joyful humour.  It was lovely to see a number of Beryl Cook pieces throughout, ones that I was less familiar with.  It was also lovely to have the time and space to really look at them as the main Pride and Joy exhibition felt very busy.

Just because the artists can be grouped together in this way, does not mean they are all obviously similar.  There was considerable variation in styles and subject matter.  I think some of the pieces did not obviously belong in the same exhibition but there was no attempt to gloss over this.  The discord was as interesting as the harmony.  This title was actually picked to reference Margaret Thatcher's acceptance speech.  This country underwent huge social and economic change and while this was great for many, it marginalized others.  Beryl's own paintings were set to this backdrop.  She also loved to elevate the everyday overlooked things.

I think I would I have liked a little explanation of why each artist was chosen as it was not necessarily obvious to me in all cases and I would have liked confirmation that I understood.  It was lovely to have a really good exhibition leaflet though, with all the information I really needed.

Some artists, the connection was very clear.  Lucy Stein's Goddess at Ding Dong was noted as being inspired by Beryl Cook but to me, it also referenced the pose of the sleeping goddess of Malta, a ancient figurine of a voluptuous sleeping lady.  I liked this dull reference but I have no idea if it was intentional.  And Ding Dong, where is that?  Is it the mine in Cornwall?  

Olivia Sterling's pieces as well held voluptuous ladies and humour.  I liked Ode and Pasty Legs Begone! being placed together.  French Noises made me laugh for sure.  Her humour is I think in some instances a little more pointed than Beryl's but I think she is laughing at the absurd.  It wasn't until I read a little about her online that I understood she was a black british woman who was referencing the absurdities of racism by putting letters in some of her paintings to reference different colours.  In Ode and Pasty Legs Begone!  these letters are there referencing black and white in a way I did not notice at the time.

I really enjoyed Emily Pope's The Sitcom Show and intend to hunt them down on the internet.  I have no idea how long the episode shown was and I always really like it when exhibitions give this information.  It enables me to make better choices.  I watched for some time but I have no idea if I watched half or nearly all or...  I just knew I didn't have the time to devote much longer right then.  She made me laugh.  She raised really good points from perspectives I was unfamiliar with.  I had never considered that films such as Thelma and Louise were the models for young lesbian teens for instance.  I loved the funny holiday stories and they were genuinely funny, even if as adults understanding a little more, there are some painful notes.  

I loved Rhys Coren with their graphic style.  I had a look at this interview on their website and reading about their process was really interesting.  As a Plymouth born artist, that's an obvious connection to Beryl.  Reading about his process though, it's clear there is a playfulness in the creation of the pieces.  I could quite happily go back and look at his work again, study it more.

Emma Hart's ceramics exude playfulness and are exuberant with a pop art feel.  Were they referencing Roy Lichtenstein with his spiky kapow shapes and speech bubbles?  Certainly these shapes are familiar.  Slam! was a spiky shape with the profiles of an old fashioned door and it wasn't hard to read it as the slam of a door.  They were fun and clever pieces.

With Patrizio di Massimo, the links to Beryl are clear.  Beryl's work included women in racier clothing, strong women who are absolutely sexual.  These pieces still retain her good humour.  Patrizio's pieces definitely share an affinity to this aspect of Beryl's work.  They are sexual and humorous, and include pieces that reference LBGTQ+ relationships, as did Beryl.  It is always good to see this acceptance and I enjoyed the humour, especially in Chat2Me as I have been there!

Flo Brooks was another humorous artist but I must admit, I was left feeling like I didn't quite get the joke.  This is not an unusual feeling for me.  I don't know how many times I have had to ask my husband to explain a joke to me.  I can see there is humour there, but I just don't connect with it in a humorous way.  I liked her pictures though, there was a lot going on, complex stories and interactions, a lot to consider.

I think Eric Bainbridge and Anthea Hamilton were possibly included for their use of the everyday in their sculptures?  Anthea Hamilton's spaghetti boot series is very popular and incredibly expensive.  It is quite a coup for KARST to be able to show one.  I absolutely understand now why there was a barrier reminding people not to get too close.  Eric has a fascination with taking an object and dressing it up as something else, using everyday objects and I think it was this aspect of his work that was being referenced here.  There are many interests he has explored in his career.

Beryl Cook was a huge Little Richard fan  and a painting of Little Richard by Beryl Cook is included in the Pride and Joy exhibition.  I went to KARST before visiting Pride and Joy, so I didn't understand why Mark Leckey's painting of Little Richard was included initially.  I love that the exhibition included pieces with this sort of connection too.

Reading the bio's of the artists its clear that younger artists who are less well known have been included along with internationally renowned artists with long careers.  I love that Beryl has been placed with these artists and that these artists have wanted to be placed with Beryl.  It is absolutely time that art critics re-evaluated her place in art history.