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Review Mar 17 2009 « | »
Return to Reason at Gallery 77 Gallery 77 has a surprising amount of exhibition space given its deceptive shop-front, yet the walls are busy with......

Gallery 77 has a surprising amount of exhibition space given its deceptive shop-front, yet the walls are busy with canvases and clusters of photographs. The hang fits neatly into the subjective vision of the exhibition. By their own admission, collaborators HRL Contemporary and DegreeArt.com firmly aspire to undo the notion that beauty is 'a dirty word' in the art world.

Defined by contemporary commitment to technical ability in oils, sculpture and photography, 'Return to Reason' asks for a reappraisal of the role of beauty in the conceptual era. This passion is enforced by the thirteen participating artists, the majority of whom are still in full-time education as is the curator, Henry Little, who is currently undertaking his Masters at the Courtauld Institute.

Artistic variations on the theme seem to fall into two distinct groups. One strand is devoted to painterly portraiture and purposely kitsch commentaries on post-modern working methods. The implied irony here seems self-conscious and constructed. The other identifiable group of artists share an acute sensitivity to their subjects.

Questions of human existence and its representation through the abstracted figure are raised. Benjamin Cohen's portrait series are conspicuous in their dominating scale and evasion of the viewer's gaze while heavy with implication built up through unexpected focus on heads, hands and naked torsos, which dissolve into satisfying, tactile drips. Eerie displacement is implied through Cohen's absent backgrounds and similarly implicit in the work of photographers Lisa Byrne and Juliana Cerquiera Leite. Tangles of indefinable female limbs staged in a Baconian setting of crumpled bed sheets and absorbing black vacuums demand attention in Byrne's 'Simultaneous Persepctives' series. Leite's small but haunting prints also muse on the inscription of the female body in space, simultaneously displacing and implying it through projections onto stark interiors. These images are counterbalanced by Debbie Scanlan's photographic collapse of the nude and stretching landscapes, resulting in an effusive and erotic celebration of nature.

The show is awash with vibrant colour and these young artists are united in their conception. The bustling private view last night proved that they are not alone under this banner. The familiar sight of an exclusively young art crowd was replaced by a mixed bag of generations spilling unceremoniously onto the pavement of Kensington Church Street. If a revival of aesthetic beauty encapsulates your aspirations for the future of contemporary art, 'Return to Reason' is worth a visit for its brave intentions.

Return to Reason runs from 16th - 21st March 2009 10am - 6 pm. More information can be found by clicking here.

JB

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