Recycled advertising light boxes European Wolf Canary_Wharf
Maslen and Mehra – Mirrored Lucy Bell Fine Art Gallery, Norman Road, St. Leonards on Sea, East Sussex
‘Lying behind both the Native images, and the images of the Mirrored series that are their antonym, lies a longing for an Edenic world that perhaps never truly existed in fact. I think it is part of the fascination of these works that they both preach a certain kind of morality, a morality of respect for nature, and at the same time question it. You can inhabit these scenes, but only as a ghost. The problems they pose are ultimately insoluble – there are no slick solutions to be found here.’ EDWARD LUCIE-SMITH Quote from Mirrored – Maslen & Mehra monograph published by Verlag für moderne Kunst Nürnberg.
I met up with Tim Maslen & Jennifer Mehra at the Lucy Bell Gallery to get a more personal perspective on their collaborative practice.
Perth/Sydney to St. Leonards…That’s quite a journey! What attracted you to this part of the South Coast?
Jennifer was born in London but then lived in Hong Kong and Sydney. We lived in London for over 15 years before relocating to St Leonards/Hastings. Neither of us have lived somewhere other than a big city before. We wanted to re-dress the balance…we wanted more time and space to work. We feel very lucky to have found somewhere so suitable. The area has a growing creative community. There are many interesting and accomplished creative people living in the area.
Was there a moment or a person or place in your past that influenced you or you feel set you on the journey to where you are now?
Early in our collaborative practice, Edward Lucie-Smith included a large sculpture installation we exhibited in London in his book Art Tomorrow. We forged a close relationship with him working on a number of international projects. To this day all of Edwards texts regarding our work remain amongst our favourite writing. His writing is eloquent, unbelievably well informed and unpretentious. In 2003 we did a residency at the Eden Project in Cornwall. We were granted access to the site and people who work there. This time gave us a valuable opportunity to experiment and develop ideas. In 2005 we were in California for an exhibition with Edward Lucie-Smith. Judy Chicago was amongst the exhibitors and she advised us to take the opportunity to visit Death Valley while it was in bloom for a very short time. We took her advice and created some of the early vivid pictures in our Mirrored series.
What other factures have inspired or influenced your work?
We are always questioning our place in the world. New Scientist magazine is a constant source of inspiration in our attempts to grapple with this question.
Where in the world would you most like to visit?
Borneo and Yucatan in Mexico.
What work of art would you most like to own??
Anything from the Alexander McQueen exhibition at the MET Museum. We saw it twice. The show was full of sculpture.
Where are you finding ideas and inspiration for your work currently?
Currently we are doing research in museums around the world for a series of sculptures including the Victoria & Albert and British Museums, London; Mares Museum Barcelona the Metropolitan Museum, New York; the Archaeological Museum, the Turkish and Islamic Art Museum, Istanbul; and the Asian Museum of Civilization in Singapore.
What advice would you give to those aspiring to make a living out of art?
If you operate in the art market you do need to be savvy, keep good records and documentation and it’s also a good idea to have agreements in writing so everyone knows where they stand. Be true to yourself and your work…you can’t please everyone but hopefully you will attract supporters.
What is the one thing we should know about each of you?
Jennifer loves color it’s a great mood lifter…our house is full of it. Tim is an extremely skilled guy he can make just about anything. We are very hands on and make whatever we can ourselves.
Words: Lesley Samms | Pure Fine Art
Maslen & Mehra – Mirrored officially opened at Lucy Bell Fine Art Gallery, Norman Road, St. Leonards on Sea yesterday the evening 25th Oct and runs until 15th Nov.
‘Lying behind both the Native images, and the images of the Mirrored series that are their antonym, lies a longing for an Edenic world that perhaps never truly existed in fact. I think it is part of the fascination of these works that they both preach a certain kind of morality, a morality of respect for nature, and at the same time question it. You can inhabit these scenes, but only as a ghost. The problems they pose are ultimately insoluble – there are no slick solutions to be found here.’
– EDWARD LUCIE-SMITH Quote from Mirrored – Maslen & Mehra monograph published by Verlag für moderne Kunst Nürnberg.
This is the first Solo Exhibition in the South East of Maslen & Mehra’s work, timed to coincide with the Hastings Photo Festival 2014
Tim Maslen was born in Perth where he studied for his BA before completing his MA at Goldsmiths, London in 1997. Jennifer Mehra received her formal art education at COFA Sydney and the National Art School of Australia.
Following an invitation to show in Sydney during the 2000 Olympic Games, Maslen & Mehra formed a collaborative practice which engages in dialogues that compare and contrast the natural and human world in which we live. They moved from London to St. Leonards on Sea, East Sussex in 2013.
Showing at the newly extended and refurbished Lucy Bell Fine Art Gallery – this paired back gallery space has a real retro vibe and lends itself particularly well to the display of Maslen & Mehras poignant and arresting imagery. As you enter the gallery you are greeted by beautiful, specially reworked, ex London Underground, light boxes, displaying images from the native series. Further into the gallery space to the rear, you are drawn into a more intimate space, displaying smaller wall hung works taken from the mirrored series.
In their practice Maslen & Mehra explore ideas that revolve around the coexistence of nature and culture in an increasingly complex world. They create temporary low tech installations in natural and urban landscapes, which they then capture with a medium format film camera. The resulting images are displayed as impressive sculptural light boxes, which seduce the viewer, drawing them into pre fabricated worlds of reflected light and texture. Creating a sense of urgency; leaving more questions than answers about our own civilization; its origin and its future….
For the Mirrored series they appropriate imagery of people, whose silhouettes are then made into mirrored sculptures. By placing these sculptures into the landscape and photographing them in this new context, Maslen & Mehra forge an unusual synthesis at first sight: the juxtaposition of highly urban people and wide-open spaces. The result of these forced combinations raises issues of the human existence and alludes to the impermanence and fragility of mankind.
In the Native series, Maslen & Mehra researched fauna that is, or once was indigenous to the country in which they are photographed. Then, by again posing mirrored sculptures of these animals in an urban environment, they in turn reflect the man-made structures around them. Heavily built-up urban landscapes are photographed in the early hours, when they are devoid of human activity. The artists take this fleeting opportunity to re-introduce native species into the picture in the form of mirrored sculptures – Roe Deer appear to graze in Canary Wharf; an American Eagle takes flight in Times Square, New York, capturing a skyscraper and brilliant neon on its mirrored wing.
I cannot recommend this exhibition highly enough. The artists themselves are articulate, passionate and travelled; the resulting artwork is, as a consequence therefore, well considered and truly authentic; exquisitely crafted with the hand of the artist clearly visible – I can’t wait to see how this duo develop their collaborative practice – I predict great things.
