West End Centre, Queens Road, Aldershot
16 - 27 January 2012
I had the pleasure of attending the private viewing last night. This exhibition is inspired by the riots last summer and reminds us of the role of religion and faith in society.
There are four aspects to the exhibition. The first is a series of seven mixed media paintings on canvas with the theme 'Mortality'. These dark subjects are set against beautifully painted floral backgrounds. 'Avowedly I'm Coming to Get You' depicts a ram head through a fence surrounded by rambling daffodil flowers. Although the theme is a bit dark, the paintings seem to be showing the fun side of our mortality.
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| Gaps in Trees, Robert Green, 2011 |
The third aspect of the exhibition is a series of twenty-one delicate and intricate Faith-themed paintings (oil on canvas-board). These colourful paintings explore the theme of Faith in a thought-provoking way. Some are very uncomfortable to view, in that they depict a critical look at something in all of us. I felt that the paintings depicting vanity showed particular insight. There is some adult content, too.
The last aspect of the installation is a life-size installation depicting The Last Supper (mixed media). This installation is not for sale. The individual depictions of the apostles are contemporary, colourful characterisations. Each piece contains so much detail and depth of thought that it warrants its own viewing. Perhaps it would be helpful to view these pieces as a flat-against-the-wall installation, rather than seated at the table. The impact as it is displayed here is of the installation, rather than on the individual pieces, and I would have liked to be able to get the full impact of the paintings. Perhaps, next time.
A thoroughly engaging exhibition. I hope it will get Rob Green's work many new admirers. You can find more here.