From the dark recesses of fifteen artists’ reassuringly twisted imaginations came the gothic exhibition Danse Macabre. Being a card carrying member of The Cure fan club or overdosing on eyeliner every morning wasn’t necessary to have enjoyed this gothic fantasy. But, when you overhear Topshop’s latest primary coloured clotheshorse exclaim, “Oh, that’s nice!” You can’t help but picture the artist lurking behind the corner with a single tear rolling down his or her chalk white cheek. Nice is a puppy. Nice is a pair of slippers. Nice was not Danse Macabre, even if it did look pretty.

Entering the gallery, it’s not long before being confronted by the usual suspects, the crucifixion, the fallen angel, and the skulls. Any dark and brooding exhibition runs the risk of being a clichéd collection of whimsical variations of a skull ad nauseum. The diverse range of inspirations drawn by the artists from Victorian freak shows, Edgar Allan Poe, European folklore and mythology, and some very bad dreams ensured that wasn’t the case.

From ceramic sculptures to manipulated prints, collages to photography, the exhibition presented a variety of 2D, 3D, traditional and digital designs. Impossibly polished line work came courtesy of Andrew Cole, with his intricately detailed pen and ink surreal studies inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. Natalie J. Watts captured the beauty in the bizarre in her evocative black and white photography. Moving from the pin-up to the skin-up, the animation style illustration of Charlotte Thomson combined with her textured mixed media collages, inspired by grotesque carnival sideshows.


In his series of prints, Andy Hixon’s digital illustrations also had a cut and paste quality in the best possible sense to create their distinct fragmented style. Also displaying his designing chops with a set of digital illustrations was Matt Vickerstaff, an artist for many a grizzled metal band who corrupted religious imagery with aplomb within his striking compositions.

Danse Macabre featured art by a number of Nottingham based artists, once again proving how the city’s talent is alive and well, maybe a little miserable, and probably wearing a lot of black.

Danse Macabre was at View From The Top, 30 October to 5 November 2007

View From the Top Gallery