ACTION, CAMERA!

About

Compelled by different motivations these artists are connected by their fascination with the camera or lack thereof.

When Ion Bârlādeanu was discovered in an alley in Bucharest, the clandestine collagist was unprepared for the notoriety and success, which would accompany his artwork. A social commentator living on the outskirts of society, his satirical anti-communist and anti-capitalist assemblages reveal an astonishingly wry sense of humour and political savvy expressed with tremendous visual flare.

Ion Bârlādeanu’s works reflect the socio-political and economic shift in Eastern Europe. They comment on the horrors of war and dictatorship and subscribe to Hollywood archetypal formalities of power and beauty, blending the pornographic with the surreal. Ion Bârlādeanu sees himself as a maverick film director and his works as stills where he commands world famous actors and political figures to play for his own amusement in dystopian folkloric landscapes.

For Alan Constable what began as a childhood obsession evolved into an internationally celebrated practice with works in important collections including the National Gallery of Victoria. Constable started making model cameras as a child, salvaging cardboard from cereal boxes and crafting flimsy constructions. Throughout his life the artist’s fascination with the camera has intensified as he has developed beautiful and intricate ceramic works finished in metallic and pastel glazes. These sculptures replicate cameras ranging from early pinholes to 35mm point and shoot. 

Living with increasingly limited vision Alan Constable’s works are profound metaphors. As Constable’s sight diminishes his fascination with how others see intensifies. His works challenge the meaning of sight in a world where perception is increasingly defined by the camera lens. Alan Constable’s cameras may not be functional in the traditional sense but like sacred vessels of ancient civilisations, they act a channels for the powerful concepts evoked by the camera. 

The Gallery of Everything is proud to announce they are the exclusive representative of these artist for Europe. This is the first time these works will be presented within the United Kingdom in a sensory exhibition, which must be seen in the flesh to be understood. This is an exhibition about what the artist sees but the camera does not. ACTION, CAMERA!