Jaume Plensa IRMAI 2008
1st March – 5th April 2012
Mixed Media is a the latest exhibition at Haunch of Venison that explores contemporary sculpture through the works of nine different artists. Leading figures such as Richard Long, Giuseppe Penone and Jaume Plensa are presented alongside international artists and younger, emerging talent. Through the combination of works, Mixed Media highlights diversity within the practice and, beyond this, succeeds in reshaping our understanding of it.
Attempting to try and make sense of it all is not easy. Doll heads, feathers, eggshells, twisted mesh and glass beads are intertwined in a chaos of colour and that is just in the work of Rina Banerjee. For this exhibition, the entire gallery space has been flooded with materials. The vibrancy of Joana Vasconcelos’s brightly coloured crochet work, Carnaby, for example, is juxtaposed by State of Being which is dark and unnerving dystopia created by Chiharu Shiota.
Solitary sculptures by Richard Long, Giuseppe Penone and Jaume Plensa punctuate the mass of colour. Separately as individual works, and combined as a composition, they evoke peace, serenity and provide a sense of grounded security through their links with nature.
The exhibition’s non-linear format demonstrates that sculpture itself is not limited by boundaries. Indeed, the range of works provides evidence of the great scope that sculpture has. Mixed Media is an exciting exhibition that is filled with work that challenges our preconceptions of the medium and highlights all that it has to offer.
Sian Gray
