CP1: Andy Warhol at the Whitworth
I visited the Whitworth Art Gallery to see the work of world famous American artist Andy Warhol, exploring his encounter with death. The image of his face in bold colours is instantly recognisable, but I’m not sure that the symbol of death is, perhaps with the exception of the ‘Cadaver’ photographs. Could it be that the bright colouring is detracting from the dark message, maybe that was intentional to catch people’s eye and make them take notice?
Continuing to include self portraits in his work feels a little self-indulgent, but perhaps that’s your right when you’ve been shot, or maybe that was the point, it certainly resonates with today’s selfie culture. However, I can’t help but feel that someone with a public presence such as his, could have relayed a stronger message against gun violence. Could he have addressed the mental anguish victims suffer, or even the importance of getting help for schizophrenia, which his assailant was diagnosed with after the attack. I had a prior expectation that this series would be much different than the art he produced before the near death experience; that we might see a new found love for life, a recognition of a second chance, or something much darker such as anger, distrust or fear? On the other hand, perhaps his style remained the same because he didn’t want the incident to change him as an artist, maybe he didn’t want to give Valerie Solanas recognition of any kind, and the images ‘Gun’ and ‘Strangulation’ are his way dealing with the near fatality.
Another artist looking at death, but this time in nature, who really caught my eye during the gallery visit, was Anya Gallaccio. She has ‘explored the themes of loss and memory’ by erecting a stainless steel ‘ghost’ of a tree which once stood on the same spot, in the gallery’s garden. The installation almost twinkles as you approach and in its surface you can see the reflection of nature and other surrounding trees. The sculpture sits perfectly in front of the large windows of the recent extension, which also act like a mirror to the landscape of the park. This heavily influenced a recent project of mine to transform Victoria Baths into a sculpture park, which appeared less curated and more at one with nature.
