Richie Culver
5.-29.9.13
Skur 2 Gallery, Stavanger
Photos, paintings, drawings
Massive marketing on a scale quite uncommon in Stavanger and a rare chance to visit the Skur 2 building as temporary gallery, made it impossible not to miss this exhibition by Richie Culver. Presented are photos playing with light and forms, drawings of faces and text, and paintings of text.Titles ranging from "Untitled" and "XXXX" to "Love" and "The Understanding And Evolution Of A Man Gone Wild" are obvious attempts to lead the visitor's impressions.
Evol + The Understanding And Evolution Of A Man Gone Wild + Forget About Information In A Land That Is Just Too Confusing + To Believe In Constructing And Reserving A tangled Culture
These photos have similar expressions, giving the sense of abstract landscapes or the miniature details of flowers. But the titles have you looking for totally different meanings of each photo.
XXXX
The title of this photo confirms what you thought you saw. But still the visual expression leaves much to the imagination.
Jason And The Astronauts
The title leads us Greek mythology and the story of Jason and the Argonauts.
Untitled x 3
Then again, for some works we are left to ourselves, as the artist gives no clue through the titles. It is disturbing, but at the same time refreshing, as the artist for a moment lets go of his control of our minds.
I Love You
I consider this as a key piece of the exhibition. First of all the two similar paintings have a straightforward message: "I Love You" is vagely visible, and you probably do not discover it until you have read the "you just couldn't see it" below. A great, simple way of expressing something so complex. At the same time it is a punch to the viewer. The content of the photos and drawings were all there, you just could not see it. You needed the guiding titles from the artist to be looking for what was there. Otherwise you might have found something else, or found nothing at all.
Addition: I was notified that the painting actually says "I Loved You". That makes a large difference, especially for the sender and the reciever of the message. I just couldn't see it.
