Nottingham Open Exhibition

Apple with Splashes of Colour Hilary Cartmel 2008

October always sees a flurry of artistic activity across Nottinghamshire with Open Studios at Oldknows, Harrington Mill and Southwell Artspace and the annual Nottingham Open Exhibition, this years hosted by Nottingham Castle. With solo exhibitions at the Castle and the New Art Exchange the Nottingham open is hotly contested, this year with 849 works submitted by 263 artists. Judges included Indian Artist and Curator Sutapa Biswas and Joanne Bushnell, Director of Aspex gallery in Portsmouth.

In the first room the links between the art and Nottingham are clear; Kelly Gardner’s photograms Peacock Fan and Lace Shawl alluding to the historical connections between Nottingham and lace. Whilst Hetain Patel’s trademark body decoration shown at frenetic speed seems to encapsulate a message about the contemporary make up and diversity of Nottingham today. Also in this room is Prize winner Sarah Key with two large painted canvases which appear at first sign rather bleak but on inspection develop into dark shapes, images and impressions of childhood memories and fantasies. Key’s repetition of the rabbit symbol represent her fascination with a distant kind ofr Wonderland.

The second room, aptly named the long gallery houses an interesting collection of art and objects. Most outstanding in this room are the two large photographs by James Homer which resonate solitude in a beautiful way through naturally picturesque scenes from town and country. Alongside these sit the unusual eye-catching work of Debra Swann who, no pun intended, is represented in the Nottingham Open by a variety of dead birds. Game can be basically described as a collection of severed heads of poultry with a mangled headless bird strung up for company. These homemade artefacts or specimens allude to the trophies of hunting and act as a cruel prop to the artists expression.

Harper's Rings, Tristram J. Aver 2008

Continuing in the tradition of objects, the long gallery displays some intriguing artworks such as Hilary Cartmel’s Apple with splashes of colour, a huge silver apple, beaten and battered yet bejewelled with colourful mosaic pieces. Also worth a mention are Mary Austins comical figures of grannies in chairs, doing granny things, drinking teas, wearing glasses and reading the paper. Titled Portrait and Births, Deaths and Marriages these small sculptures are a satirical look at being old.

The third and final room contains perhaps the strongest work. Edward Flack’s Oval hangs immediately inside the door. Flack’s delicately constructed and stitched pure white oval seat was the Judges Prize Winner and leaves viewers asking whether they should try to sit on it or simply admire its handywork.

Kasif Nadim Chaudry, New Arts Exchange exhibition winner, displays his excellent work Ossiary in this room. The sculpture, best described as a woven tree hanging from a sandy bell tower on a white pedestal, is intriguing and alluring. Chaudry’s insistence on craftsmanship and materiality in his art allows the weaving of disparate materials to create meaning. Alongside sits Alyn Mulholland’s corregated cardboard shapes F-Pod and Wave which are natural, rotund and peaceful.

There is also a strong tradition of painting in this room. Tristram J Aver’s colourful collages Monkeyshines and Harpes Rings are full and interesting works which owe to a variety of techniques. Finally Castle Exhibition Prizewinner Geoff Diego Litherland has two large works in the show; Multiverses and Flying Spaghetti God. His new body of work which deals with multi-culturalism in a non pretentious way, shows off Litherland’s talent with the thick and sculptural application of paint, best described as “bright, thickly brushed paint sitting roughly atop of dark, scumbled brown linen”

The 2008 Nottingham Open Exhibition is a collection of strong work done by artists living in Nottingham today, helped out of course by an excellent hang by Castle staff. Mediums range from felt to photograms to paintings which depict beautiful and strange subject such as giant apples and dead birds. There's certainly is a lot to see at the Castle.

The Nottingham Open Exhibition runs from 11 October until 2 November 2008 at Nottingham Castle

Review of 2007 Nottingham Open Exhibition

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