Autumn 12 - Cultural Quarterly

Unconventional Thoughts
CQ talks to artist Jo Welsh, curator of a new exhibition of surrealist art
soon to be on show at Hastings Arts Forum in St Leonards on sea.
Surrealism as a declared aim
of art first made an
appearance in Paris in 1924
when psychiatry student
André Breton gathered his
artist and literary friends
and issued the first surrealist
manifesto. Bound by the
common thought that
Western culture had no more
to offer the world, the
surrealists – including Max
Ernst and René Magritte – set
about looking for new ideas
by exploring the
unconventional thoughts of
the subconscious mind.
When Jo Welsh was asked to
curate the surrealism exhibition
In The Light Of Surrealism at
Hastings Arts Forum’s AF2
gallery in St Leonards on sea on
September14–25, she was
presented with the daunting
task of defining what
surrealism is or could be today.
Jo said: “Surrealism is a term
that is overused and misused in
everyday language to describe
anything from a weird situation
or encounter in a supermarket
to explaining a nonsensical
video on YouTube. However, as
a 20th century art movement, it
has gone on to influence a lot of
what we see every day in
advertising and design.”
Selecting artists for the
exhibition, Jo had a clear idea of
what she was looking for.
She said: “I didn’t want to
create a pure surrealism
exhibition so I tried to veer
away from fantasy art – like the
works of Dali – and select
artists that work in a surrealist
manner. Few artists today
would describe themselves as a
pure surrealist, yet many
acknowledge elements of
surrealism in their work.
“All of the exhibits we’ll have
on show will have the essence
of being either unnerving or
unexpected in its juxtapositions
and thought provoking about
16 Cultural Quarterly Autumn 2012
reality and the irrational.
Overall, I’m hoping to capture
a flavour of surrealism in its
many varied forms from
photography and film, objects,
paintings, drawings,
assemblage and objet trouvé.”
Fourteen artists, including
Jo, will be exhibiting their work
in the exhibition.
Jo said: “We’ve got work from
Anthony Penrose, who will be
bringing his own experience of
‘living with the surrealist’, as his
father was Roland Penrose, the
artist and major promoter of
the surrealists; the disturbing
objects of Kathleen Fox inspired
by Freud’s prosthesis and
personal artefacts; the
unnerving digital prints of
Michael Lank; the obsessive
constructions of Tim
Riddihough; the detailed
dreamlike painted scenarios
of Anthony Tiffin, and the
youthful edginess of
JOW’s photographs.”
In The Light Of Surrealism
Hastings Arts Forum
September 14–25
www.hastingsartsforum.co.uk
(Clockwise from top left)
Show Chair
by Claire Buckley.
Modern Man
by Anthony Penrose.
Plotinus Collage
by Tim Riddihough.
Response To Freud’s Prosthesis 3
by Kathleen Fox
Residue Of Memory
by Kathleen Fox.