Powerful as his work on paper is, Ian McKeever's pieces have sometimes been lost to me amongst the crush. So now I make a point of seeking them out. This is usually most rewarding, and especially so this year. Henge I excited so many reactions and thoughts, not least because of all my thinking about prehistoric sites - most recently Callanish of course. It is a lithographic print, but once I had seen the three pieces entitled ... And The Sky Dreamt It Was The Sea a train of thought about density was set off.
I am also a fan of Tony Bevan's expressive lines, and this year it was an architectural drawing which attracted my attention.
I was delighted to see one of Paul Furneaux's woodblock print sculptures. I just love the elegant combination of three dimensions and that watercolour finish.
Jane E. Allen: Shadowland (image from here)
There were many more individual pieces which I liked, but the last piece, on exiting the exhibition is a film installation by Isaac Julien - a beautiful, powerful, political work. It is in a class of its own. That really makes one think.
Western Union: Small Boats (image from here)
Ian McKeever is an artist I have not come across before, and what you have posted makes me want to learn more about the artist: so powerful and evocative.
ReplyDeleteEirene, I first learned about McKeever some ten or so years ago, and have been an avid fan ever since. I was not only drawn to the work itself, but also to his having studied literature first.
DeleteHe has been more exhibited in Germany and Scandinavia, but now seems to be more visible here. The Alan Cristea gallery in London shows his prints.
I agree that his work has the same power that Hughie O'Donoghue's has. And both look so much more effective for real.
The three McKeever pieces are among my favourites in the show, but I don't recall seeing some of the works you mention - must go have another look!
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