Hannah Barton

The explicit questioning of what makes art began over ninety years ago, and is now to my mind a straw man. The pertinent question is what makes good art, and indeed what sort of remit does art fulfill. There is a danger in any creative sphere that the practice becomes a self-perpetuating affair that verges on inaccessible. The question then becomes who is art for.

This notwithstanding, art cannot be totally democratic and always requires an inflection of taste and intellectual rigor - but its rigor need not consist of self-set parameters; the truest gauges are found across culture as a whole.

In this regard I questioned how accessible the work in 'My Kingdom' was, and how accessible it was intended to be. Being lucky enough to know some of the exhibiting artists personally, I had prior familiarity to their practices. Much like when a book is adapted for film, I felt I was privy to greater insights to certain raison d'etres because of this - many of which I believe to be pertinent.

However the actual pieces presented as part of this group show lost degrees of their intellectual subtlety in translation - which in the most part was a shame. I left thinking that the artists could have gleaned more from of the fantastic venue that the show occupied.

'My Kingdom' was curated very well and attracted a large crowd who displayed genuine interest. The layout drew the audience in and used the space advantageously. As far as the pieces go "Memory One' drew the most praise, a sentiment I agree with, due to Ben Jean Haughton's beautifully presented, immediate play on your spatial awareness. The hyperbolic outlay of Xavier Poultney drew onlookers, as did Luke Montgomery's use of floorboards in absentia and a graceful sculpture by Nick Roberts.

However I could not help but feel that the body of work manifested itself more like a collection of independent sketches, with meanings yet to be deciphered by the maker. Group shows with no driving context, other than a desire to exhibit, easily confuse. It should be noted that this immediacy gave the show an honest sensibility - a praiseworthy thing - and similarly extended your interest in the exhibitors. However it did leave me just on the wrong side of 'wanting to find out more'.

In art context is everything, and though I am in no doubt that most of the artists have a lot to offer, on the whole these exhibits felt too detached. Though promise was tangible and an engaged ethos clearly present, I heard a warning emerge through the chatter - artists wanting to establish themselves will be wise to take responsibility for their work through mastery of context - this in turn will determine its relevance. Through continual self-questioning, art is assured its integrity, whether onlookers think it is 'good' or not.