ART 'n' Ab ART - Post Petrochemical Practices Exhibition

Cromer Artspace continues through the summer and into the autumn, to bring an interesting mix of exhibitions. Some are solo artist shows, others are a group of artists gathered around a theme, creative focus or medium.

An interesting example of the latter was this exhibition called Post Petrochemical Practices. Though it sounds like some multi-national manufacturing initiative, it is a portmanteau exhibition that showcases a range of approaches to art making that avoids the use of materials derived specifically from petrochemicals.

What we have presented here are ecologically more sound, less polluting or invasive methods of expression. All the four artists in this exhibition use natural sourced mediums or effects.

Yelena Popova sources soil from radioactive areas and paints these into carefully controlled swirls of tone. 

Geoff Litherland makes use of the effects of mould and light to create in work on plaster.

Liz Mc Gowan uses found objects like shells and moss to create circles of texture. 

Sam Hodge uses an unfolded piece of packaging as printing templates utilising pigments made from soils, then layering them

The inventive diversity of approaches is what I found most interesting in this exhibition. Much of the work shown here owes a debt in form or medium to the late 20th century land artists, with elements of Cornelia Parker and abstract minimalism. 

Its probably something built into the nature of the mediums they choose to work in, that the effect of these works is quite subtle and often mimics effects you find in nature itself. Nothing in it did I find astounding or got my creative juices going, but it was a stimulating show that challenged ones preconceptions and assumptions about what you can create art from.