MARVIN GAYE CHETWYND
2018 Sadie Coles HQ
https://www.sadiecoles.com/artists/10-marvin-gaye-chetwynd/
Chetwynd exhibited ten new paintings at the Sadie Cole galleries in London. The exuberant artworks crosses over multiple art disciplines, as each piece incorporated painting, sculpture and performance. The artwork features monstrous, mythical creatures as the subject matter and the carnival-like aesthetic, is derived from the theatricality of each artwork. Some pieces featured three-dimensional creatures, almost puppet like, and the colour palette utilised within her artwork creates a fun, bubbly narrative due to the vivid colouration.
The title of this exhibition is 'Ze & Per', which are gender-neutral pronouns. The pronouns are typically used to describe a person who simply does not identify by male/female classifications. This title allows the beholder to not be immediately influenced and to expect the obvious. This is a very effective technique, as it affects the way we perceive her artwork.
My interpretation of her work is more in concern with her use of mythical iconography. Having knowledge of mythical understanding and cultural connotations of mythology, creates a narrative to her work that Chetwynd may not of considered. This could potentially be a problem with using imagery that represents the real, but with the 'ambiguous' terminology used within the title of this exhibition and the variation of artworks, its effective. It allows the beholder to create what ever narrative they want.
I was more championing of the two-dimensional paintings that were rested against walls and pillars. The attempt to defeat the traditional presentation of a painting is very successful. The paintings were encapsulated by a shoddily, gold painted frame, which ironically enough, added value to the painting. And made the paintings stand out in comparison to the vivid sculptural paintings that were hung on the surrounding walls. Removing the paintings traditional wall hanging presentation, allowed the pieces to be seen as an installation as opposed to a painting. The spacious room that inhabited the ten new paintings, utilised the space well, allowing the public to travel around the room, experiencing Chetwynd's work from all angles.
“I’m interested to see what I can get away with,” Chetwynd said in a conversation before the show’s private view with the artist Brian Moran.
Exhibition rating: 8/10
