Mat Collishaw 25 September — 10 January 2016

Exhibition guide Mat Collishaw is fascinated by the darker side of human nature. Gallery 1 butterfly in a way that combines He has never shied away from difficult or challenging subject beauty with brutality, echoes the matter and ideas that deal with death, destruction and decay are On display in Gallery 1 is the largest way in which organisms are prepared group of works from the Insecticide for study under a microscope. revealed as beautiful, hypnotic and compelling. In Collishaw’s series that has ever been shown Here we are also reminded of world, seduction meets repulsion, the shocking becomes together in a public gallery. Begun the popular Victorian pursuit of alluring, the beautiful becomes squalid and desire meets pain. in 2006, Collishaw has continued lepidoptery where butterflies were As an artist, he is especially aware of the power of the image to to return to this compelling series. captured in nets, collected, ordered Some of the earliest works included and classified. Traditionally they manipulate and he draws his inspiration from a range of sources a broader range of insects and were were presented on boards with such as the media, popular culture, nature, mythology, the slick produced on a smaller scale, often pins driven through their delicate vernacular of advertising, the rich seams of art history and the with a trompe l’oeil framing device, torsos, collectors marvelling at proliferation of images available on the internet. echoing the form of a daguerreotype, their beauty and relishing their an early form of photography often presumed authority over nature. used for commemorating the dead. This major survey exhibition brings together sculpture, film, Gradually Collishaw gravitated An earlier series of photographs, photography and installation and testifies to the richness and towards the exclusive representation Catching Fairies (1996), places breadth of Collishaw’s practice. It also provides an opportunity of butterflies and moths, positioned Collishaw himself in the role of against an inky black ground and catcher and collector. Wading to explore some of the overriding themes and preoccupations presented in a square format on through an East End canal, Collishaw within his work. a significantly larger scale. Each can be seen brandishing his net in of the compositions contains an pursuit of an array of tiny fairies, explosion of vivid and intense colour which flutter and hover teasingly coupled with rich and evocative around their potential captor. A textural variations. They are significant source of inspiration for undeniably seductive and alluring, these works was the story of the yet the images they contain are Cottingley Fairies. In 1917, 10-year-old of butterflies; squashed, smudged Frances Griffiths and 16-year-old and smeared for our delectation Elsie Wright produced photographs and magnified significantly so of themselves, seemingly in the that we can revel in every detail. company of fairies and gnomes, The butterfly, a powerful symbol in their garden in Cottingley. The of beauty and fragility, is placed photographs came to the attention between two panes of glass and of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author the image is then scanned at high of the Sherlock Holmes stories, resolution. This image is then subject who had recently lost his son. He to further digital manipulation, publicly endorsed the photographs as if an additional phase of as evidence of the existence transformation occurs following the of fairies which subsequently cycle of egg, caterpillar, chrysalis discredited his reputation. The Cover image ~ Mat Collishaw, Insecticide 14, 2008, C-type photograph, 182cm x 182cm. Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern and butterfly – broken only by validity of the photographs was a death. The process of capturing the focus for impassioned debate and Mat Collishaw, Catching Fairies 1, 1996, C-type photograph, 45cm x 65cm. Mat Collishaw, The Venal Muse, Augean, 2012, Enamel paint, glass, resin, Mat Collishaw, Last Meal on Death Row, Texas: Paul Nuncio, 2011, Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern steel, wood, 162cm x 52cm x 52cm. Courtesy the artist and Blain|Southern C-type photograph, 64cm x 48cm. Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern

is in many ways characteristic of the nourishment, appears inadequate production and consumption of were often loaded with symbolism struggles of the post-Darwinian era and toxic. Charles Baudelaire’s book today’s society and the challenges and frequently acted as memento mori, to reconcile the forces of science and of poetry The Flowers of Evil (1857) of waste disposal. Gradually we are reminders of the transience of life superstition. The tale of the Cottingley is a clear reference. Baudelaire’s poisoning the earth, the oceans and and the inevitability of death. For this Fairies is also indicative of our desire controversial literature reflected our environment yet we prefer to series of works, Collishaw researched for faith or belief in an existence on decadence and eroticism maximise our experiences of the the meals chosen by prisoners on that defies the rational. Importantly, and was scorned by many of his moment rather than preserving death row in Texas prior to execution. it is emblematic of the potential contemporaries. Collishaw also cites the planet for generations to There remains a tradition in US prisons trickery of photography as a medium, the influence of Jean Genet’sThe come. The diseased and decaying which allows a prisoner awaiting something that is a recurrent Thief’s Journal (1949), a voyage of plants also hint at the spectre of death a last moment of free will in preoccupation in Collishaw’s work. self-discovery, transcending moral genetic modification and where this choosing whatever they would like laws. Whilst imprisoned, many of route might lead in the future. to eat or drink; a rather ironic gesture The Venal Muse (2012) is a series of Genet’s lovers were covered in considering that legalised murder six sculptural works. At first sight, a wounds and scars but instead of Gallery 2 will follow. Each of the prisoners has range of exotic flowers are encased finding these repulsive, he regarded been individually named and their in vitrines, preserved like rare them as emblems of achievement. Last Meal on Death Row, Texas (2011) last meal carefully re-constructed specimens in museological displays. However, it is the contemporary consists of thirteen photographic and captured in meticulous detail. Closer inspection reveals the flowers references behind these works works created in the manner of 17th The mood of the works is sombre and to be made of painted resin, their that are the most pervasive; each century Flemish still life painting. reverential and in some ways they petals riddled with syphilitic sores individual work is named after a Traditionally the still life genre carries serve as individual portraits and a and pustules. The earth in which they British waste management company. associations of domesticity and memorial for the dead. The series plays are planted, which should be offering Collishaw reflects on the excessive intimacy yet these vanitas paintings with our morbid curiosity to learn of Mat Collishaw, For your eyes only, 2010, Hard drive, LCD screen, steel, surveillance mirror, wood, 95cm x 210cm x 21cm. Mat Collishaw, Auto-Immolation, 2010, Hard drive, LCD screen, steel, surveillance mirror, wood, Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern 300cm x 114cm x 52cm. Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern

the details behind these executions. from the opposite side. Slowed right is dominated by reds, oranges and a potent reminder of the fading of The idea of the last meal and the down, the body is caught in positions blacks. His pained and tortuous beings beauty and the inevitability of death. number of photographs in the that would otherwise be impossible were inspired by images of animals series also relate to the story of the to hold, evoking grace and elegance on hooks in the slaughterhouse. The works Children of a Lesser God Last Supper, the last meal that Jesus as well as tortuous pain. Additionally, Whilst the image of Christ on the (2007) and Single Nights (2007) shared with his disciples prior to his the slowed down soundtrack creates a Cross is a central icon of the Christian were both created when the artist’s crucifixion. Collishaw adeptly applies dark and sinister accompaniment. The faith, it is at the same time a brutal studio was in Bethnal Green, East the weight of art history and religion work appears loaded with references image of a slow and painful execution , prior to the move to his to encourage us to reflect on complex to religion, art history and popular and a powerful representation current studio in . For and emotive contemporary issues. culture; from the dancing silhouette of violence and suffering. both these works, the East End in the popular TV programme Tales community provided the inspiration. Gallery 3 of the Unexpected; the women that Auto-Immolation (2010) also presents feature as objects of our hero’s desire a moving image within a sculptural Single Nights is a series of For your eyes only (2010) is a highly in the Bond films; and perhaps framework reminiscent of church photographs of single mothers with complex work presented in the most significantly, to depictions of architecture. A beautiful red orchid is their children. There are obvious form of an altarpiece triptych. The Christ on the Cross. Francis Bacon’s licked with blue flames; the moving references to the potent religious title immediately casts the viewer in paintings of the Crucifixion are a image is compelling and hypnotic. At icon of the Madonna and Child. the role of voyeur as we watch the clear influence for Collishaw; each first the orchid appears to flourish, Collishaw has also harnessed dancer twisting and gyrating around of Bacon's intensely expressive despite the fire yet gradually, it is the influence of French Baroque her pole, occasional flashes of light paintings on the theme is presented destroyed. The work could be seen painter Georges de la Tour who illuminating the audience who watch in the triptych format and the palette as a contemporary memento mori, was renowned for painting scenes Mat Collishaw, Single Nights, Naima, 2007, C-type photograph, Mat Collishaw, Children of a Lesser God, 2007, Transparency, acrylic, LED lights, Mat Collishaw, Whispering Weeds, 2011, Fan, hard drive, LCD screen, wooden frame, 183cm x 140cm. Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern steel, 210cm x 200cm x 9cm. Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern 30cm x 26cm x 6cm. Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern

that were lit by candlelight and father to the river Tiber and left to die. watercolour painting The Large Piece of is an undeniable nod towards the his chiaroscuro techniques (strong However, they were found by a she- Turf (1503) by introducing a soft breeze recumbent young man that appears contrasts between light and dark). wolf who cared for them and protected to this celebrated work. The painting on the cover of The Smith’s record, Like his predecessor, Caravaggio, them from other animals. Collishaw’s is widely regarded as a masterpiece of This Charming Man (1983), a still de la Tour populated his mostly contemporary urban interpretation realism; every blade of grass and every shot taken from Jean Cocteau’s 1950 religious paintings with people of the tale shows two naked babies variation of colour, tone and texture film,Orphée . Despite the distinctly from the immediate community; on a battered sofa, one relaxing meticulously rendered; every species unglamorous environment, we are representing carpenters, card-sharps contentedly whilst the other appears of vegetation specifically identified. reminded of contemporary model and musicians. Collishaw employs to suckle on the animal’s teats. The What also seems remarkable about shots in today’s magazines. The myth the visual language of de la Tour to wolves are replaced by large dogs; one this painting is the modesty of the of Narcissus takes many forms and present serene and heroic images of snarls aggressively whilst the suckling subject matter. Collishaw further has been explored by many artists and the mother and child, resilient in the dog appears to have recently killed emphasises the reference to the writers yet the abiding element of the face of hardship, the emphasis on the a bird whose blood and feathers are everyday and the unremarkable by story is that Narcissus is so absorbed beauty of the bond between them. strewn across the floor. This is a dark, titling the work Whispering Weeds. in his own beauty when looking at his violent and unsettling scene but one Weeds are as much part of nature as own reflection that he cannot tear The initial inspiration for Children of in which the dogs are clearly feeding all vegetation yet their classification himself away from the water’s edge a Lesser God came from the young the children and keeping them safe, implies undesirability and inferiority and subsequently dies. Collishaw children that populated the East suggesting it is possible for a child to other kinds of flowers and plants. offers a contemporary twist to the End streets, some appearing almost to be nurtured and protected even tale that condemns excessive vanity. feral. Collishaw has looked to the in the unlikeliest of environments. The earliest of all the works in this mythological tale of Romulus and exhibition, Narcissus (1990) is a self Gallery 4 Remus to create this work. Romulus The everyday is also the subject of portrait of the artist lying in mud in an and Remus were the mythical founders Whispering Weeds (2011). The artist has urban landscape, looking down at his Deliverance (2008) is a powerful of Rome who were taken by their in effect animated Albrecht Durer’s murky reflection in a puddle. There installation which critically engages Mat Collishaw, Deliverance, 2008, 45 gobos, 3 moving head projectors, phosphorescent paint, dimensions variable. Mat Collishaw, All Things Fall, 2014, Steel, aluminium, plaster, resin, LED lights, motor, Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern 200cm x 200cm x 200cm. Courtesy of the artist and Blain|Southern

with press and media coverage of harshness of the light, the revolving life, is a device dating back to the Collishaw approaches the subject distressing and traumatic events. In and clicking of projectors and the 1860s used to create the illusion matter in the form of a zoetrope as September 2004, gunmen occupied rhythm of the changing images evoke of a moving image. Collishaw this proto-cinematic optical illusion School Number One in Beslan in North both the assault of a machine gun and characteristically combines both engages and seduces the viewer Ossetia in the Russian Federation. The the frenzied flashes of news cameras. old and new technologies to create before they fully realise they are worlds press de-camped to Beslan the work, with over 300 figures complicit in a scene of genocide. with their TV vans and cameras and Whilst the morality of the media designed in computer software and Its visual similarities to the form relayed live footage of developments is called into question, we are also then 3D printed as models in resin. of a carousel allude to leisure and to a global audience. As those challenged to consider our own The subject is the Massacre of the entertainment yet the cyclic narrative captured emerged from the building, reactions to scenes of terror and Innocents, the biblical tale of King suggests a frenzied orgy of violence. terrified, wounded or carrying the suffering. Our bodies experience Herod’s act of infanticide in order dead, they were met by a barrage of a biological response to scenes of to protect his throne. This dramatic Mat Collishaw creates stunning flash lamps. 1,100 hostages were taken danger, stimulating adrenaline and story has been interpreted by many visual imagery, which draws us in, at the school and 777 of these were making us feel more alive. However, celebrated artists such as Rubens, only to expose the learned codes of children. At least 385 were killed. just as they do in the installation, Reni, Giotto and Tintoretto. behaviour and veils of illusion which our memories of atrocities through mediate the act of looking. Whether For this installation, Collishaw has news coverage are immediately The circular sculpture rotates at we are looking at media images of drawn on press images of the disaster vivid but continue to fade. speeds so fast that when combined atrocities from across the globe, victims and re-staged these using with a stroboscopic light, the static works of art or slick advertising volunteers. The images are projected Floor 4 scenes become suddenly animated, campaigns, Collishaw encourages onto walls coated with phosphorescent the eye struggling to focus on one us not just to look, but to see. paint where they linger like ghosts All Things Fall (2014) is the latest in a point. It is constantly urged to move before disappearing again. Poses that series of zoetropes by the artist. The on and explore the multiple bodies Deborah Robinson echo the Pietà and the Crucifixion zoetrope, its name derived from the in various states of movement Head of Exhibitions add a further layer of gravity. The Greek zoe trapos meaning wheel of and contortion. This is partly why The New Art Gallery Walsall The Gallery, The Library of Birmingham For the installation, Collishaw has drawn on twelve crime scenes Concurrent with his exhibition negatives made for Birmingham in Walsall, Collishaw presents City Police Force in relation to an exhibition of new work, In crimes committed in the city in the Camera (2015), commissioned 1930s and 40s. Extracted from their by GRAIN and the Library of original context, the images become Birmingham and inspired by the emotionally charged, arousing our Library’s internationally renowned natural curiosity over the nature of photography collections. the crimes and their perpetrators. The images are presented in a series In Camera is a phrase loaded with of illuminated vitrines made visible meanings. It refers to a technique by intermittent flashes of light. The of photographing a subject without artist challenges us to consider the resorting to post-production as well medium of photography, its role as acting as a legal term for a trial as witness and the ways in which that is hidden from public view. images are interpreted.

Mat Collishaw (b. 1966) is a key figure in the important generation of British artists that emerged from Goldsmiths College in the late 1980s. He participated in (1988) and since his first solo exhibition in the 1990s has exhibited widely internationally.

Recent solo exhibitions include: Black Mirror, Galleria Borghese, Rome (2014); Bass Museum of Art, Florida (2013); Pino Piscali Museum Foundation, Bari (2013); Mat Collishaw: Afterimage, Arter, Istanbul (2013); and Magic Lantern at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2010). Recent group exhibitions include: How to Construct a Time Machine, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes (2015); Corporeality and Sexuality, Votive Church, Vienna (2014); GLASSTRESSS: White Light/White Heat: Contemporary Artists and Glass, collateral event of 55th Venice Biennale, Venice (2013); About Caravaggio (curated by Anna Imponente), Museo Tuscolano – Scuderie Aidobrandini, Frascati, Rome (2012); 720*, as part of Ron Arad’s Curtain Call Project, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (2012); Made in Britain: Contemporary Art from the British Council Collection, Benaki Museum, Athens (2012); Out of Focus: Photography, , London; Otherwordly – Optical Delusions and Small Realities, Museum of Arts and Design, New York (2012); and the 12th International Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul (2011).

Collishaw’s work is in several public collections including: Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; Museum of Old and New Art, New South Wales and Tate, London.

matcollishaw.com thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk