Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2024
Article written by Made in Plymouth Community Reporter Linda Bell
The Bloomberg New Contemporaries exhibition has returned to Plymouth after a hiatus of 60 years. Marking its 75th anniversary, this annual exhibition takes Britain’s Ocean City on a sincere yet energetic, often wildly and falsely humorous tongue-in cheek (or rather Apple-in-mouth!) excursion.
Offering a folk-inspired ballad to successfully aid your vehicle through its MOT along with self-care devices, guided meditation and a new, eco-friendly range of ‘designer’ furniture, the exhibition showcases 33 works of art by 35 artists. These artists have recently completed BA, MA, MFA and PhD courses or similar paths of artistic study from an array of universities and creative arts institutions across the UK.
The artworks in this year’s show have been thoughtfully selected by Russian-Ghanaian photographer Liz Johnson Artur (you may be familiar with her portrait of Amy Winehouse); Perminda Kaur whose sculptural and installation based practice explores themes of childhood and domesticity; and London based, Argentinian born Amalia Pica, who considers communication, language, and politics through sculpture, performance, and installation works.
Choosing such a high calibre of artworks - ranging from abstract and figurative paintings, installations, sound and digital works to moving-images and sculpture - we can only imagine the curators’ passionate discussions behind closed doors as they came to their final selection from this year’s entries.
Spread across three venues in Plymouth - MIRROR, The Levinsky Gallery and KARST - the exhibition offers an exciting opportunity for these three cultural venues to collaborate. Welcoming a range of audiences from art enthusiasts and students, to those brimming with curiosity, wanting to see, wanting to learn.
Each work on show ties in with one or more of the exhibition’s overarching themes: displacement, environmentalism, identity politics and consumerism.
KARST
~ A Cave of (Un)Earthly Delights ~
Let’s begin in KARST, on George Place in Plymouth’s Millbay with Beverley Duckworth’s (b. UK; MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths University) living installation of recycled clothes, fabrics and sprouting cress shoots.
Although Michelangelo Pistoletto’s ‘Venus of the Rags’ may be brought to mind (minus the plump Grecian behind!) Beverley’s mound of discarded, rejected clothing becomes an ecosystem, a life-giving source. Between the crumples and creases – like thick layers of a crusted-up oil painting – a sprawling mass of cress grows like tree saplings, or even lower body hair; a copse clinging on to a rugged landscape.
A monster at rest, slumped in the corner, our own haphazard wardrobes and overspilling laundry baskets suddenly flash before us – we are careful not to awaken this beast of disused clothing!
Half-concealed zips, buckles and studs punctuate this strange, otherworldly ‘clothes-scape’. A grey cardigan becomes a scree slope between these valleys and crevasses of dyed fibres and pull-over purl stitches. A withered pink t-shirt sprawls, flattened at the foot of the mound. And that bright yellow M&M garment, a luminous fleck symbolic of a blossoming bouquet, the attraction of advertising, amongst the mottled dark hues.
We see the word ‘Happy’ endlessly repeated on one t-shirt in bubble-gum Barbie pink – a touch of irony as we consider the meaning behind this artwork. Despite being a direct comment on the detrimental environmental impacts of fast fashion, a hopeful solution is suggested with the sprouting, even edible, seeds. Waste is re-defined and re-imagined as a life-giving ecosystem.
Floundering Fish
It’s the whirring and the twitching. If the electrical-mechanical sound doesn’t stop you in your tracks, Tom Fairlamb’s (b. 1993, UK; MA Contemporary Art Practice, Royal College of Art) quivering shoal of minnows will. ‘The Current Current of Current’ seemingly captures the fish at a moment between life and death. Arranged in a circular shape on the floor, the trembling fish pause before their shaking and rocking begins again.
Cables of electricity spread down from the ceiling and across the expanse of the circle, trailing like the routes of trawlers on a shipping map, or the strands of a purse sein fishing net. These individual fish are all connected. Have we become desensitised to the suffering of sea creatures? Is Tom’s artwork representative of some cruel Frankenstein-inspired ‘tested-on-animals’ experiment? And how does this piece relate to the fishing heritage of a city such as Plymouth?
Passing Danilo Zocatelli Cesco’s (b. 1989, Brazil; MA Photography, Royal College of Art) triptych of photographs, we observe the artist’s father in drag - first atop a tractor, then alongside an animal carcass and finally riding a motorbike in the photograph ‘Dear Father, it feels like leaving was necessary for me to realise that I needed to return.’ This Poussain-esque landscape seems almost of Greek arcadia, heightened by the inclusion of a distant ruin. We notice the fig branch which Danilo’s father clutches, symbolising healing and enlightenment. This father rides through his farm in drag more Greek god setting out to spread the word than Hell’s Angel.
As though in a petrified forest, we wander a little aghast between the tilting organic twists, bends and towers of Valentino Vannini‘s (b. 1976, Italy; Glass & Cast Fellow, City & Guilds of London Art School) ‘ANON - DFT’ installation. These stalactites of concrete, foam and petroleum jelly soar to the ceiling of the gallery like ivory tusks or charred-out tree stumps - a sort of re-imagining of Paul Nash’s painting ‘We Are Making a New World.’ Is this life or is this death? Is this the New World of the Anthropocene?
We meet the chain smoking, charismatic puppet version of the writer, poet and film director Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) in Joshua Whitaker’s (b. 1987, UK; PhD Researcher, Central Saint Martins) ‘The Form An Object Takes in Oblivion’. Sometimes a little amusing but always genuine, this puppet version of Pasolini explains the themes of his latest documentary ‘The Gospel According to Saint Matthew’. Joshua’s use of dual imagery - such as the two suns staring out from the screen like a pair of penetrating eyes along with the prop of a Zeiss eye piece – echoes the alternative, second title of this work: ‘To Live In Hell and Not Despair’.
Joshua’s moving image is in stark contrast to Fergus Carmichael’s (b. 1996, UK; MA Artists’ Film and Moving Image, Goldsmiths) ‘Rhadinance’. Shots of North Sea oil rigs in misty, dying twilight are juxtaposed with lonely city images, culminating in the community event of an oil-fuelled bonfire. The dynamic score by Cameron Graham is like a heartbeat, a treacherous, suspenseful sound indicative of time running out to curb emissions.
On a more light-hearted note, through photography, costume and song, Libby Bove (b.1991, UK; BA Fine Art, Bath Spa University) invites us to imagine a history of folklore and customs coaxing vehicles to pass their annual motor inspections. Centuries-old stories and beliefs imbue what’s commonplace today with the magic and superstition of the past.
Painted Velvet
Glistening with the cool transparency of an ice-skating rink, Max Boyla’s (b.1991, UK; Postgraduate at The Royal Academy Schools) ‘Violet Sun’ shimmers softly on the Gallery wall.
Separate pieces of velvet are visibly stitched together, puckering a little along the seams. We may recall Beverley’s abandoned pile of clothing, yet here the use of velvet, a composite material, addresses themes of sustainability and how petroleum products are ingrained in our lives, even reaching into the art world itself.
The delicacy of Max’s snowy white material is revealed, thin and frayed in places, its fragile nature apparent. Radiating forms in Naples yellow and light blue suggest organic, cellular structures studied under a microscope and the endless, incomprehensible realm of the cosmos. Piqued by the specks of silver glitter we perhaps connect Max’s piece to melting snow, to ice caps – cold, reflective and lonely. Scrapes and brush marks glide over the surface, as though a subtle, criss-crossing trail left behind by a figure skater. The overall sheen is as rich and luxurious as a priestly vestment, as luminous and silvery as the Moon, yet as cold as ice. The materials and minimal approach ensure a vision of balanced beauty as nuanced as an Agnes Martin.
Meanwhile, the artist’s ‘Wave of Mutilation’, installed in the corner seemingly encloses us, like a tidal wave about to break over our heads. Streaks of violet ink appear to bleed and separate, an almost - though not quite - repeated pattern, stretching like spilled fuel on the road after rain. Our sense of existence is reinforced by this pull of an ocean of ink. An ocean of ink for Britain’s Ocean City.
The central divisions in both paintings evoke the biological process of cell division and the unifying-dividing zips of Barnett Newman’s paintings. Max invites us to consider the power and beauty of nature, the cosmos and the relevance of abstraction in a digital age.
THE LEVINSKY GALLERY
~ Fast, Furious and Strangely Lonely ~
We make our pilgrimage across the rush and rumble of the city to The Levinsky Gallery, the next venue of the New Contemporaries. Here, an arresting mix of the unnerving and the uncanny await discovery. Upon the whitewashed walls and poured concrete floor of the space, beneath an exposed, industrial style ceiling, we are encouraged to take to the streets and question the value of art itself as a contemporary commodity.
We are immediately drawn in by the opening bars of the Beatles’ ‘Come Together’; a shot of the artist back-flipping into a canal interspersed with parkour moves; snippets of Assassin’s Creed and a row of e-bikes falling like dominoes. Playing on a loop upon a screen akin to those found in fast food restaurants, or a megalithic mobile phone, this is the domain of Elliott Roy (b.1998, France; MA Fine Arts, Chelsea College of Arts and Design).
Hyperactive, over-caffeinated, and pushed to the limit – both our bodies and the planet - Elliott’s series of moving-images highlight our shortened attention spans, consequences of ‘convenience’ and make comment on the speed of contemporary life. We wait patiently during a slight pause in the piece, transfixed by the sight of the loading/countdown timer, like hunter gathers drawn to a fire’s glow. Poignant and articulate, the way the artist engages with the younger generation of today in ‘A Content Replaces Another’ becomes an art form itself.
The cardboard seating of ‘Veneer’ by Anna Howard (b. 1988, UK; MFA Fine Art, Slade School of Art) provides ample comfort from which to partake in this social media frenzy.
‘Designer, you say?
Inspired by Hermès? The New Collection?
Yes, I feel the anti-luxury, the smoothness of the taped designs. Patterns like a Mayan stelae, or a Celtic carving. Way cheaper than a certain Swedish brand…
And oh!
It’s sustainable too?! Well then, I’ll just stay here a while to admire and ponder the sitter’s eyes and string of pearls in Siomha Harrington’s (b. 1997, Ireland; Fine Art Painting BA (Hons), University of Brighton) intriguing painting ‘People Are People And A Fool Is A Fool’.
Then I’ll jump up to dance!’
Rebel Ballerinas
We may grand plié as we pick up our children’s toys, relevé when we do the dishes and pirouette as we take the wheelie bin out!
Mya Cavner (b. 2003, USA; BA (Hons) Design, Goldsmiths University) and Edith Liben’s (b. 2002, USA; BA (Hons) Anthropology and Media, Goldsmiths University) ‘Ballet For Non-Dancers’ encourages us to join this trend solely because we have a body. Paper cut-out dancers and postcards make an inspirational exhibition memento to take home. Whether in heels or at the grocery store, we can establish a daily practice because ‘the street is our stage’!
EAT ART REPEAT
In AC Larsen’s (b. 1994, UK; MFA Fine Art, Kingston School of Art) sculpture ‘Supper Time’ stereotypes associated with different socio-economic classes are explored. A dining chair is graced with a cushion fashioned from a pair of Adidas ‘Three Stripe’ black tracksuit bottoms and bejewelled with a stainless steel necklace. Vincent van Gogh’s 1888 painting of a rustic chair with a hole in it is called to mind, yet here AC Larsen patches up that hole with their immaculately stitched cushion and replaces the painter’s pipe with the subtle bling of a shiny, silvery chain.
The absence of a person calls into question what it is to inhabit a body and to take up space, along with the assumptions or prejudices we may have about certain brands, clothing and accessories. The reference to ‘Supper’ in the title, along with the 90’s G-plan chair and Street clothing, are all identifiers of a certain Britishness, as is the slinky Cuban chain, which is a deft recurrent motif in the artist’s oeuvre.
Karen David (b. 1976, UK; PhD Fine Art, University of Worcester) thoughtfully utilises books in her practice, so that their covers appear transformed into the glistening icing of extravagant birthday or wedding cakes. You can almost taste the sugar dissolving on the X-Files in ‘Arcadia (Season 6 Episode 15)’!
And thinking of sugar, Sophie Lloyd’s (b. 2001, UK; BA Fine Art, City & Guilds of London Art School) sugar and isomalt consumerist-junkie creation is eating an apple – though not just any Apple!
Meanwhile, Roo Dhissou’s (b. 1992, UK; PhD, Birmingham School of Art (AHRC Scholarship) meticulous table setting is complete with hand woven Punjabi craft stools and screen-printed napkins displaying quotes by writer Sara Ahmed. ‘Eat, Drink, Chill, But Don’t Hurt Anyone’s Heart’ is an installation where craft meets Jugaad culture: the art of resourcefulness. Even the spoons, Langar Thalis (plates with separate compartments) are hand-made by the artist, the rich blue tablecloth embroidered, topped with light-detecting faux candles for the full dining ambience!
We imagine the conversation, the laughter, the joy of a shared meal about to take place. If only Sun Oh’s (b.1996, South Korea; MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths University) family could see this table, from beneath their rock where a meal is consumed in a claustrophobic hush, with the artist’s profound looks of lonesome longing. .
Art of Narratives
Layered with meaning, Sun Oh’s bizarrely staged moving-image ‘Dinner With Family’ is followed by ‘Except This Time, Nothing Returns From the Ashes’ by Asmaa Jama (b. 1998, Denmark) and Gouled Ahmed (b. 1992, Djibouti) from Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN London). Originally commissioned for Spike Island, the five characters of this duo’s lyrical artwork form stunning tableaus in decadent, imaginative costume. We follow these impeccably dressed spectres as they haunt the streets of Addis Ababa, all the while Asmaa’s delicate, honeyed voice oozes her beautiful, poetic script of alliteration, alluding to ancestry, adoration and the After.
This sense of mystery is perhaps continued in Georgia Dymock’s (b. 1998, UK; MFA Fine Art Painting, Slade School of Art) painting ‘Roadkill’. The subconscious and the surreal fuse in her work, the two anthropomorphic figures planned whilst the artist was ill and cared for by her mother. Having exhibited digital versions of her works at Flannels on Oxford Street and solo shows at JD Malat Gallery, what is next in line for this talented painter?
We see narratives of spiders and rodents in Varshga Premarasa’s (b. 2003, UK; BA Fine Art, Middlesex University) paintings, recalling her parents’ memories of Sri Lanka, yet fragmented and combined with the plot twists we’d expect from a film such as ‘Oldboy.’ We put on gloves to turn the pages of Dageong Han‘s (b. 1993, South Korea; MA Illustration, Authorial Practice, Falmouth University) very personal ‘Dreams’ sketchbook, sharing in the artist’s angst and obsessive thoughts regarding the need to paint and to draw.
Then there’s Farzaneh Ghadyanloo’s (b. 1989, Iran; MA Contemporary Art Practice, Royal College of Art) ‘Thursday’ series, 3 photographs from the collection of 3,000. An intimate photograph of an elderly lady, possibly a relation of the artist, proudly smiles despite her bruised face following a fall. She smiles because she is beautiful.
The Daily Calm / Got Brain Fog?
In ‘To Do’ by Saul Pankhurst (b.1993, UK; Artists’ Moving Image Fellowship, Film London) scattered and humorously animated images of popular culture and everyday life fly before us, as though a digital version of a Richard Hamilton (1922-2011) collage. A swirling, whirring muttering list of things ‘To Do’ - from cancelling Amazon Prime to cleaning the hob - is just audible between the syrupy guided flow of Mo Langmuir’s podcast-worthy ‘Daily Calm’ feature. Will Saul’s take on a daily ritual help put viewer’s decision-fatigued minds at ease, or poignantly distract us with reminders of our own ‘To Do’s’?
With the clinical, sterile feel of hospital equipment, yet the curved solidity of young children’s toys and a peculiar buttery-smooth softness, Laura Kazaroff (b. 1993, Argentina; MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths University) explores concepts of self-care, self-pleasure and positive affirmations in her work. A zen-like poem occasionally flutters in the spout of her phallic-shaped ‘Gaslighting Device.’ In ‘Embrace your True Self!’ an oval screen set within a sculpted pod displays persuasive words of encouragement and reminders as though a curated Instagram story or an on-screen advertisement for ‘living your best life’. Laura’s self-help gadgets have a futuristic quality as they pose questions about the commodification of mental health and happiness in contemporary culture yet recollect the game-like essence of 90s Tamagotchis and Gameboy Colours.
MIRROR
~ A Home from Home? ~
Following this intense, consumer-crush saga, the exhibition’s final array of artworks are installed across the road in MIRROR and explore ideas of home and displacement.
We are welcomed into the space by a conversation between Ramin and Amir. Through Ramin’s line of questioning we learn of Amir’s battle for survival during his treacherous journey from Iran, seeking safety in the UK. This is the compelling work of Millie Shafiee (b. 2000, UK; The Collective Studio, The Newbridge Project, Newcastle Upon Tyne) which leaves us painfully aware of the difficulties of language barriers and leaving home, all the while stressing how memories and stories can be diluted.
Portals to Another Reality
Immersed within the structural exhibit of ‘Grandma’s (gl) Ceiling’ which takes centre stage of the gallery space, we are conscious of the peeling wallpaper and holes in the ceiling above us. The ornately patterned wallpaper is ripped and stripped bare in some areas by the artist Motunrayo Akinola (b. 1992, UK; Postgraduate Artist in Residence, South London Gallery). Often using light and Biblical references in his practice, a scattering of translucent squares are silently illuminated by the gallery lighting shining from above, generating a golden glow as soft as nostalgia. A memory of another time, another place, another person.
Hazel O’Sullivan’s (b. 1998, Ireland; MA Fine Art, Chelsea College of Arts) paintings ‘Sidhe’ and ‘Geis’ are inspired by ‘The Book of Kells’, an illuminated Celtic manuscript. The artist reimagines this artefact from the visual perspective of Retrofuturistic architecture whilst also recalling the style of the late 1950s Californian Hard Edge Painters. Hazel reaches back through time, past the Renaissance and into the Realms of the Medieval and the Byzantine for inspiration. Biblical miniatures, text and design of the past are transposed into the visual language of the twenty-first century. The flat, 2D nature of the canvas is fully embraced by the artist.
Whilst ‘Sidhe’ translates to the cave home of a supernatural race in Irish folklore, ‘Geis’ relates to a vow or a curse. The sharp angles and soft curves lifted from the artist’s source material lose their religious semblance and instead gain the identity of mechanical diagrams. There’s an equilibrium where solid blocks of unwavering colour explore notions of space, depth and flatness.
The colour red is associated with the Otherworld in Irish mythology. Hazel’s use of the colour forms a portal or a gateway from one time and space to the mystical Other. After a while of looking, the colours and angles pulsate and radiate a particular energy, almost like the searching, esoteric works of Hilma af Klint.
Sara Graça’s (b. 1993, Portugal; MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths University) curtain of beads features various coins, mineral stones and even a pocket card holder. Beads of different shapes, colours and weights offer a playful tone, the diamond pattern evocative of lace, net-curtains and stained-glass windows. A boundary is created by the artist, but are we to pass through unnoticed? Or is access to what lies beyond forbidden?
In Yang Zou’s (b. 1987, China; MA Photography, Royal College of Art) moving-image ‘I Love You Life, I Hope It’s Great Again’, we are offered a now-rare glimpse into Russian culture from high jumping and types of milk to buildings no longer in existence. The artist records his observations and experiences across 8 days and 9 nights on board the Trans-Siberian Railway; the journey becomes the artwork. Google Translate enables Yang to communicate with fellow travellers about tattoos and the Ukraine war and to read food packaging labels - though the Translator is not always accurate! We may think of our own travels abroad to foreign places, possibly retracing the footsteps of others, learning about different cultures and sharing experiences with strangers.
Polka Dots n’ Plaid
In ‘Lapel Snare’ by Fi Isidore (b.1998, USA; MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths University) a fashionista’s dream of wood comes true. A polka-dot patterned divan-cum-podium in a trendy, autumnal camel shade becomes an offering, an altar to the history and craft of furniture making. Embellished with three steel rings like body piercings, ‘Lapel Snare’ is the Michael Kors of platforms, impeccably smooth and as finely formed as a catwalk handbag.
The polka-dots are contrasted with the Burberry-esque plaid pattern of ‘Curtain Call.’ Sand-shaded tartan is next season’s colour! The grid-like pattern of this work is revealed as though a curtain opening, exposing delectable Cherry marquetry. Alluding to Medieval and Victorian furniture of unprecedented luxury, the wooden inlays and perfectly constructed veneers come to symbolise fashion, costume and wealth whilst recalling the early grid paintings of Sean Scully.
City Crater
We crouch down or sit on the floor to fully take in the poignant work of Sara Osman (b. 1999, UK; MA Sculpture, Royal College of Art). In ‘Battle For Home’ shards of plaster and clay lie scattered around the circular periphery of a miniature cityscape. Houses and tower blocks, complete with indentations for windows and doorways, signify a city shattered and under siege. Sparse architectural details and the artist’s use of a uniform, monotone palette give the impression of a ghost town. Yet strength is found within the rubble. A city damaged but still standing - a testament to the unwavering strength of communities connected by suffering.
Arranged in a circle, Sara’s hand-built city has a void in its centre. A crater possibly indicative of terror, despair and total, incomprehensible oblivion.
Poetic, political and sentimentally loaded, this brave work is of timely significance in relation to the war in Sudan and the unfolding atrocities and war crimes sweeping across the Middle East, in Gaza and Lebanon and reverberating across the globe.
But we may consider battles of the past, closer to home. Sara’s piece could also make us think about the destruction of Plymouth during the Second World War and the evacuation of large parts of the city following the discovery of an unexploded 500kg Luftwaffe bomb earlier this year.
Sail Away
Perhaps one of the most visually beautiful works in the exhibition is Sai Stephenson’s (b.1997, Trinidad and Tobago; MFA, Glasgow School of Art) ‘Untitled, An Apparition’. Little gold weights secure two triangular veils of the softest shade of blue as though a pair of hot air balloons tethered to the Earth. We see right through this shimmering piece, the whole world infused by a subtle blue haze as if in a dream.
Sai’s soft shroud of blue emptiness hovers like a tipi, forming a sacred space or secret lair. The cradle of the sky itself. Upon closer inspection the tonal variations of blue rearrange themselves and we notice the vague forms of figures, of photographs. These people are suffused in the spirit of the work, remembered and loved. Yet the delicate artistry of this piece is not overshadowed by its concept.
Radiating a gentle ambience, ‘Untitled, An Apparition’ could also take the form of a ship’s sail, an interesting connection to Plymouth’s maritime tradition and the history of the Mayflower. Open to so many interpretations, we may sway along to the subtle undulations of this alluring piece which fuses past and present in a calm and meditative way.
It’s impossible to detail every artwork in this one article and to give each artist the attention they duly deserve, so go! Go and see this remarkable show. In your lunch break, between shopping in town. This is a real snapshot of visual culture today and there is so much to experience.
Molly Burrow’s (b. 2002, Germany; BA Fine Art: Painting, Camberwell College of Arts) delightfully illustrated Exhibition Guide for Young Readers is aimed for visitors aged 11-15 and is a good resource for all, whether your child wants to colour in the charming Nick Sharratt style images, or you intend to research the artists’ own artist suggestions. It’s a great idea and something we need to see more of!
We are incredibly privileged to have the work of these rising stars of the art world on our doorstep. ‘Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2024’ is not a presentation of the cynical or the critical, but a celebration of imaginative solutions to problems and a new way of seeing. It’s refreshing to see such poetic film pieces and installations you can sit on and walk through. Let’s hope Plymouth’s local social clubs, schools and university groups will have the opportunity to see the wonders of this exhibition before it heads up to the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.
The majority of the artworks are for sale through the Gertrude platform, so fingers crossed some of the works will be acquired for the South West’s public collections and civic spaces - not only to support these talented artists - but to ensure the future cultural prosperity of Plymouth and the South West.
The ‘Bloomberg New Contemporaries’ will remain on show in Plymouth until 7th December 2024. The show will then travel to the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, from 15th January to 23rd March 2025.
The artists will have access to mentoring, talks and workshops through the Bridget Riley Artists’ Development Programme. Look out for additional events, talks and projects in Plymouth for the duration of the exhibition.
LOCATIONS:
KARST - 22 George Place, Millbay, PL1 3NY, Plymouth
The Levinsky Gallery - University of Plymouth, 31 Drake Circus, PL4 8AA, Plymouth
MIRROR - Arts University Plymouth, Tavistock Place, PL4 8AT, Plymouth