SUMMER SHOW
15th July - 5th September
The Jack Bell Gallery is pleased to announce a group exhibition of painting, sculpture, photography and textiles by five contemporary international artists.
André Eugene and Lherrison live and work in and around Port au Prince. Their works reference or embody the ideas and archetypes found in traditional Vodou practices and ephemera. Eugene uses materials found in the areas around Port au Prince's Grand Rue. These assemblages are both post- modern and contemporary – statements of both Haiti's perceived position as a repository of the worlds waste and indeed on the apparent wastefulness of the rest of the world. Lherrison re- interprets the traditional Haitian Vodou flags that have been made there since the 19th century. Many Vodou customs remain prevalent in Haiti, especially in rural areas, and this work is part of a tradition that, unlike many African religions from which Haitian practices originated – are very much alive.
Over the past six years, Stephen Dupont has travelled to Papua New Guinea, photographically documenting its changing face and the powerful impact of globalisation on the fabric of its traditional Melanesian society. From the recasting of tribal society into an urban proletariat and the effects of violence and lawlessness in Port Moresby to the westernization of traditional society in the Highlands, his photographs are an in-depth study of cultural erosion as well as a celebration of an ancient people.
This body of work will counter stereotypical myths of Papua New Guinea with honest representations of the people, their culture and identity. It is an attempt to relate the experience of communities that would otherwise just disappear, people at the bottom of a half ruined country.
- Stephen Dupont, 2010 Robert Gardner Fellow in Photography.
Manoj Joshi is a third generation studio photographer from northwest India. Approximately once a year desert tribes from the surrounding provinces make the journey into town to have their portraits taken. Family and friends crowd into the little space where Manoj employs the work of accomplished background painters and a rich array of props to transport the subjects into fantastic other worlds. The traditional desert garb of his subjects resonates against the painted Metropolis and rich colour of exotic, Eden-like gardens. Kajal Kanti Dey is a Bangladeshi artist working primarily for the local photographic industry. His background paintings – similar to those seen in the photographs of Manoj Joshi – imagine idealised urban landscapes depicting wealth and modernity.
Jack Bell Gallery opened at the beginning of 2010. The focus of the gallery is to exhibit, represent and champion artists from all over the world, tending towards politically and socially engaged artwork.