Part of the Ashmolean Museum's Pilgrimage: The Sacred Journey, Quest exhibits the results of eleven artists' exploration of 'notions of journey, ritual and gesture associated with contemporary pilgrimage'. Anyone wondering how eleven artists' responses to the theme could fit into the small two-level Ovada gallery might be rightly concerned, but allow me to allay those fears. Although Friday's preview saw the venue bursting at the seams, the broad range of exhibits contained a delightful variety of
interpretations and techniques, so that instead of worrying about a lack of coherence, I was excited by the sheer wealth of ideas the project had generated.
Annie Ward's A Curious Case has to be one of my favourite pieces. Look inside the oval shaped hole in the box on the wall and see the centre of your face reproduced over and over by a series of cleverly placed mirrors. Perhaps the most abstract interpretation of the theme.
Judith Yarrow's “Walking and watching” (Samuel Palmer), accompanied by author Shirley Toulson's new biographical research, is a series of paintings produced on a pilgrimage to Wales and the South West in Palmer's footsteps. The landscape depicted is enigmatic and Yarrow's use of layered canvas and paper is particularly fascinating, giving a greater depth and texture to chalky beach scenes and brooding valleys. Where Palmer had painted Tintern Abbey, Yarrow shows the view from the Abbey, thereby creating a new perspective on his original. Having been inspired by Palmer as a schoolgirl on a visit to the Ashmolean, Yarrow explained that the exhibition closed a circle for her, completing a personal pilgrimage.
Emma Fordham's The Homecoming and The Emigrant, both reveal the often crushing loneliness of the traveller-pilgrim. The former is heavy with dark greens and centres on a timbered hut which is the opposite of cosy, whilst the latter is a Spartan landscape of black-line pines on blank white. The lone female in the bottom right corner, hardly daring to encroach on the scene, announces her presence with colour, registering a difference with blond hair and pink lips upon an otherwise bleak foreign landscape.
Michael Newgass' El Camino de Santiago, described by him as “A two thousand mile walk towards a sacred place” features a series of black and white photographs, all equal in size. They depict chronologically the many footpaths he encountered on his journey through France and Spain, which range from stone flags, tarmac, grass and cobbles, to sand, leaves, mud and gravel. Newgass explained that for him, a journey was about the ground beneath his feet at every instance, not a constant yearning for the destination, but a satisfaction with the here and now.
Whilst the range of techniques and approaches in Quest is perhaps eclectic, I was not disappointed and would definitely recommend a visit before you hop on the bus to London.
interpretations and techniques, so that instead of worrying about a lack of coherence, I was excited by the sheer wealth of ideas the project had generated.
Annie Ward's A Curious Case has to be one of my favourite pieces. Look inside the oval shaped hole in the box on the wall and see the centre of your face reproduced over and over by a series of cleverly placed mirrors. Perhaps the most abstract interpretation of the theme.
Judith Yarrow's “Walking and watching” (Samuel Palmer), accompanied by author Shirley Toulson's new biographical research, is a series of paintings produced on a pilgrimage to Wales and the South West in Palmer's footsteps. The landscape depicted is enigmatic and Yarrow's use of layered canvas and paper is particularly fascinating, giving a greater depth and texture to chalky beach scenes and brooding valleys. Where Palmer had painted Tintern Abbey, Yarrow shows the view from the Abbey, thereby creating a new perspective on his original. Having been inspired by Palmer as a schoolgirl on a visit to the Ashmolean, Yarrow explained that the exhibition closed a circle for her, completing a personal pilgrimage.
Emma Fordham's The Homecoming and The Emigrant, both reveal the often crushing loneliness of the traveller-pilgrim. The former is heavy with dark greens and centres on a timbered hut which is the opposite of cosy, whilst the latter is a Spartan landscape of black-line pines on blank white. The lone female in the bottom right corner, hardly daring to encroach on the scene, announces her presence with colour, registering a difference with blond hair and pink lips upon an otherwise bleak foreign landscape.
Michael Newgass' El Camino de Santiago, described by him as “A two thousand mile walk towards a sacred place” features a series of black and white photographs, all equal in size. They depict chronologically the many footpaths he encountered on his journey through France and Spain, which range from stone flags, tarmac, grass and cobbles, to sand, leaves, mud and gravel. Newgass explained that for him, a journey was about the ground beneath his feet at every instance, not a constant yearning for the destination, but a satisfaction with the here and now.
Whilst the range of techniques and approaches in Quest is perhaps eclectic, I was not disappointed and would definitely recommend a visit before you hop on the bus to London.