This is our round up of the art events that we’ve seen and participated in, within this grand old town and sometimes further afield. The was originally written for York media outlet One & Other.
Exhibition: The Art of Shen Shan Ren (Truth Compassion Tolerance) International Exhibition – York Guildhall
I didn’t know quite what to expect stumbling into the Guildhall after being handed an exhibition flyer in market square. The paintings are at first bewildering. In a Classical style the artists have termed “New Renaissance”, the works span themes ranging from Buddha meditating in the sky to gory representations of organs being ripped out. The figures represented seem to traverse history; deities in traditional Chinese dress are accompanied by classical beings in roman costumes, a man in a suit and protestors in contemporary clothes. It is only once reading the exhibition information one understands what ties the exhibition together, the spiritual discipline, Falun Gong.
Falun Gong also known as Falun Dafa, is a practise which stems from the Buddhist tradition and its followers are currently being horrifically persecuted in China. The paintings therefore depict this persecution, the illegal organ harvesting, slave labour and torture methods, such as hanging bricks around the neck, as well as imaginings of heaven and hell and American protestors meditating on a busy Manhattan street. The exhibition was organised by Zhang Kunkin, himself subjected to persecution, to spread the word about the plight of Falun Gong’s practitioners and to “inspire the soul and ennoble the spirit”. In both these aims it is successful and I encourage you to make a trip to see the works, wherever the next pop up.
E.M.
The exhibition closes on 18th June but for details as to where the exhibition will next be displayed check out their facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/ZSRart. For more information about the Falun Gong situation in China: www.faluninfo.net.
Museum: Yorkshire Museum
We visited the Yorkshire Museum this week to finally get round the new ‘Mesolithic exhibition’ and ‘The Capital of the North’ in the re-vamped Medieval York section. The former was a fascinating geological timeline with artefacts dating back 20,000 years or so; the mind boggles. The exhibits are laid out in a simple and coherent way with tiers of objects falling into place when looked at from above or from the side. It’s perfect for families because of the layout, and it’s clearly designed with kids in mind with many interactive activities placed low down, some even on the floor. There’s plenty for the adults to learn too. My highlight was the stag skull hat/helmet. Oh, and there’s a teepee to sit in!
The Capital of the North exhibition, which reopened a few months ago, is still the best part of the museum. Taking us from the Anglo Saxon stone work through to Henry VIII’s high medieval pageantry, the artefacts give a brilliant, if sweeping, introduction to York’s illustrious medieval centuries. There’s a room dedicated to Richard III showing some lovely white boar brooches. Key artefacts are accompanied by very informative info-sheets which give just the right amount of background.
R.H.
Both exhibitions are part of the York Festival of Ideas which has many lectures associated with the respective periods. For more information on the museum check out their website.
Exhibition: York Six – The New School House Gallery
Stepping in to the New School House Gallery the familiarity of the gallery sunk in immediately. The record player was still sat in the corner with the nice mixture of vinyl ranging from Handel to Paco de Lucia and the couches were all still arranged as I remembered, yet the exhibition works themselves were undoubtedly different. The combination of ‘six of the most interesting contemporary artists working in York presently’ fitted perfectly into the space, with each of their styles complimenting the other.
Jane Blackman’s work, especially, provides something different, with her beautiful abstract landscapes being placed on the inside of bare earth vessels. Their bleak outside forms contrasting with the inside in a play of pocketed colour. Contrasting her, literally across the gallery space, Beccy Ridsdel provides her ‘peeled back’ plates and ceramics, which play upon the nature of the materiality of the object. String holds together the ‘peeled back’ corner of each piece with the layers forming their own sequences of texture and colour within the object.
All of this set is within stunning gardens and right next to not only a great cafe, but also very fine bakery and delicatessen. The ‘York Six’ exhibition is definitely not one to miss out on.
J. O’S.
‘York Six’ will be running until the 28th of June and is located in the New School House Gallery, please visit the website for more details.
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