REVEAL and CONCEAL

Seven artists from Cuckoo Farm Studios: CLARE ILES, MANDY BONNETT, DEMELZA FANSHAWE, ABIGAIL RYMAN, COLIN BROWN, CLAIRE RHODES and DAVID SMITH exhibiting Paintings, Sculptures, Collage and Assemblage.

A note from DAVID JAMES SMITH, Curator: It is my contention as an Artist, Art Historian and, in this case, Curator, that, so far in the 21st century, mainstream thinking in the Visual Arts is still rooted in the 20th century and that that century, in Art terms, has not yet concluded. More specifically I believe that the 19th century ended with Cubism and the next era began with Dada and Surrealism.

These two “isms” bred and we are their descendants. Think Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren and even Great Great Grandchildren.

For the line to be healthy, as I believe it is, the gene pool must be spread and it has been.

In “REVEAL and CONCEAL”, all the above is present. I believe, resolutely, that the seven Artists in this show are second, third and fourth generation Dadarealist.

What does that mean? Do they use urinals and soft watches in their work? No, of course not. Instead they continue to explore the PRINCIPLES of these two movements: Chance, automatism, the unconscious and contradiction. Above all, and the main point of the exhibition, their work is about something beyond the surface.

The challenge and hopefully the fun, is trying to figure out what that might be, given the number of options. However, the biggest delight should be in knowing that whatever the viewer might perceive is also valid and correct. Just rest assured there is more to it than meets the eye.