3 Young Local Artists show at GX Gallery

Deviate Projects is an annual slot in which GX Gallery in Camberwell exhibits emerging artists whose work is more challenging, or less market friendly, than their regular portfolio.

'Second Guessing the Market' oil on canvas Chris Page

This year Deviate Projects features new works by the loose artistic trio, Christopher Page, Michael O’Mahony and Christopher Shilling.

These three are artists in residence at the other Camberwell art space Upstairs At The Bear. The two Christophers (Page and Shilling) both attended Dulwich College and all three came together at Central St Martins, where they all graduated two years ago. Since then they have worked alongside and in direct collaboration with each other many times. The three lived together over the summer of 2008 in a dilapidated house in Herne Hill which they turned into the site of numerous exhibitions and art focused parties.

Deviate Projects sees Page’s paintings take the upstairs gallery and O’Mahony and Shilling turning the downstairs gallery into a collaborative installation.

Christopher Page -
“My style of painting has evolved through a meandering route. In art school I tried painting in many different styles (at the same time) as a way of avoiding bracketing due to a scepticism about market forces and the pressure to brand oneself. Through a series of conceptual realisations, particularly the influence of such anti-heroes as Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, I decided that shiny paintings with “controversial” subject matter was funnier and more timely than austere market-dodging.

St Martins isn’t exactly a classical painting school, but there is a subterranean goldmine if you find the ‘Painting Technician’ Caroline List. The technique I have developed comes largely from painting morose adolescent portraits as a youngster. I have always been enamoured by the ability to render hyper-real scenes in oils, particularly Renaissance and French Enlightenment masters as well as Dali and more recently the likes of John Currin. The actual composition, particularly in this show, stems more from the likes of Magritte – essentially still lifes, but really odd objects/bodies displayed in relatively neutral existential/dreamlike voids.

The significance of the symbols is questionable. I can’t really say whether there is any genuine politics behind it, or simply a nice motif – perhaps somewhere in between the two. The titles for me are a space for free-floating ideas, a little extra thing on top to play with. Most of them have little or no relation to the imagery – they are more like an added thought, a P.S. as it were.”

O'Mahony, Page and Shilling

Mike O’Mahony and Christopher Shilling were busy hanging their work so couldn’t write something for DOV right now. This is how their work is described by GX.
“Paintings and sound work based on belief systems and their effect on Our Art Temple. Father Chris and Monk Mike talk about belief in art and the effect of aesthetics on aesthetics.”

PRIVATE VIEW: Friday 30 January 7.30pm
EXHIBITION: 31 January – 12 February
UPSTAIRS: Arrangements. New works by Christopher Page
DOWNSTAIRS: Our Art Temple. Installation by Michael O’Mahony and Christopher Shilling

Another DOV article about a show by Page, Shilling and O’Mahony
Articles about other artists who have showed at GX Gallery:
Randy Klein painter and film maker,
Carlos Cortes at GX, Cortes working in Spain, Cortes and dance