‘First Thursday’ and ‘I am Solitary’ at Beers. Lambert

This was not the most memorable First Thursday on Vyner Street we have ever seen. The initial parade of oddities and pagan like figures certainly caught the eye however. The reasons for the rituals were unclear but they certainly heralded in the gallery proceedings.

 

With only some of the Vyner Street galleries having openings for new works, and with the impending arrival of the easter time lull, First Thursday had a distinct feeling of calm about it.

Having said this one show did make its mark with us here at Pipe. Observing I am Solitary at Beers. Lambert was a thoroughly engaging experience. The show includes photography, painting and sculpture. However unlike a lot of the shows in the galleries around this area the work fit together effectively around coherent ideas, and the production of artworks was of a recognizably high standard.

i) device for disappearing (at sea) by Andrew Friend

 

Andrew Friend’s (i) sculpture held the centre of the room, appearing as a piece of driftwood, a weathered relic with a hoop - a sort of portal intervention into an alternative experience.

Tide by Andrew Salgado

This experience then took on a variety of different individual forms which are displayed by the other artworks in the room. Joshua Bilton’s photographs held my attention and definitely communicate with Friend’s sculpture. Their ‘quirky’ imagery shows a figure who appears as a latter day explorer, with his equipment. However he looks like he may have come from a slightly different world (iii). 

Transpositions IIII by Joshua Bilton

 

The luscious and textured paintings of Andrew Salgado (ii) also stood out for me, and show a very different reality. These sombre and reflective portraits have a power and a violence which is produced by the look of subjects and Salgado’s expert application of paint on the canvas. These paintings also have a slight Francis Bacon quality to them in places, but are still uniquely different.  

(ii)

I am Solitary is a well curated group show, exhibiting the work of interesting artists. I found it a joy to experience this exhibition.

Post (diptych) by Joshua Bilton

The artists who feature in this show, in no particular order, are as follows:

Joshua Bilton; Lindsay Bull; Andrew Friend; Tom Lovelace; Andrew Salgado; Alvaro Sanchez-Montanes; Adam Ball; Winston Chmielinski; Grace Kim; Jin Han Lee; Sarah Pager; Andrew Salgado

(iii) Buckle by Joshua Bilton

Thanks to all those involved, great work!!

Pipe