Visual art exhibitions and events with a platform for critical writing
Debenhams Store, Manchester
27 February ' 22 May
Reviewed by: Jennifer Vickers
Just off Manchester's Market Street, an enterprising partnership between Debenhams and Comme ? Art continues to capture the imagination and attention of inadvertent audiences opportunely passing by. For the past four years the store's Tib Street windows has been devoted to contemporary displays featuring a range of works by artists engaged in a variety of creative disciplines. Whilst some works are highly saleable and obviously targeted at a young and prosperous market, others are considerably less commercially viable and frequently bear witness to experimental or site-specific practices.
The surprisingly liberal content of exhibitions staged in Debenhams windows is in keeping with Comme ? Art's pioneering agenda of championing art and artists in spaces habitually reserved for non-art activity. In spite of the public domain in which work is displayed, participating artists continue to embrace controversial themes of a topical nature: the current show features pieces exploring sexuality, homelessness, cultural difference and religion.
Displays at Debenhams have transformed a redundant space for the department store into a thriving showcase for artistic talent, conveniently situated near numerous residential developments and cultural industries sector. Subsequently, exhibitions have tended to reflect the anticipated interests of local inhabitants and visitors, maximising commercial possibilities with shows such as 'Home is Where the Art is' and 'Shopping: The Nation's Favourite Pastime at the Nation's Favourite Department Store.'
Nonetheless, the difficulties of attempting to appeal both to high street shoppers with conservative tastes and the more culturally savvy consumer, are no more evident than in the latest exhibition. The word 'reformation' implies an improvement in standards, or the rescue of practices from the path of error to a more rightful course of action. How this relates to the work on display is not made clear, nor is the underlying principle or theme that unites the exhibition's eclectic composite elements.
Despite the lack of curatorial intervention, individual contributions continue to warrant critical consideration. Emma Reeves' Odd Dolls comprises the grotesquely distorted faces of friends and relatives, photographed and transferred onto fabric maquettes with protruding knitted limbs. The comical figures lampoon Tony Ousler's more disturbing creations, and amuse countless passing observers. Similarly the work of Andrew Bracey appeals to the public imagination at a time when retail therapy is traditionally promoted as a means of combating post-Christmas blues. His transformation of a fir tree, from redundant and neglected seasonal accessory to highly decorative objet d'art, cleverly masks discussions on the role of painting within current artistic practice. Equally well presented is the site-specific installation by Richard Boyd which makes maximum use of the light and space in his given window, using minimal composite elements.
Where the exhibition is less successful is in its presentation of overtly conceptual pieces such as Paul Hartfleet's Feather Chair and Wardrobe, which loses all sense of domesticity within this context and, through references to Freud, requires extensive prior knowledge on the part of the viewer. Some of the more saleable works also suffer as the result of competing for attention with the high-impact works already mentioned, and would greatly benefit from a visible indication of their saleability and price range. For instance, Light Portraits by Siobhan ingeniously personalise modern, clean-line furnishings and, together with Kirsteen Aubrey's sleek glass sculptures, would make the ideal centrepiece of any stylish apartment.
Lest 'Art Reformation' causes us to forget that Debenhams is first and foremost a shopping outlet and Comme ? Art a highly successful commercial enterprise, this begs the question: What's wrong with the notion of art as commodity, especially when it's this good?
Writer detail:
Jennifer Vickers is a freelance artist and writer from Manchester.
Venue detail:
Comme Ca Art Ltd
PO Box 74, Manchester M60 1PE
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