Escape

FIONN HARGREAVES REPORTS ON UCLU ART SOCIETY’S ANNUAL EXHIBITION

What springs to mind when you think about the word ‘escape’? Art Society has been pondering this very question and the results were on show last night at their annual exhibition.

Proud parents and students alike crammed into the Gallery on the Corner, Battersea, marking the first time that the show has been presented in a gallery space.

The society’s follow-up from November’s successful event ‘Destruction Day’ was impressive, with submissions ranging from short films to stained glass. The gallery space was used well, with every inch of the cosy gallery used to display the impressive range of work.

Artwork by Aurora Echavarria

Predictably, many of the artists interpreted Escape through natural surroundings and landscapes. This could be seen most strikingly in the photographic projects, where coastlines and cityscapes recurred. Most inventively, Aurora Echavarria combined the built environment of Mexico City with an outburst of emotion, creating a wonderfully intricate and powerful ink drawing, ‘City Unleashed’. I loved the screaming face exploding out of the skyscrapers – a very thoughtful piece with emotional impact.

Others turned to the imagination as a means to escape.

Anisha Muller presented her sketchbooks that looked at what it would be like have ‘Ostalgie’, nostalgia for East Germany. As a Germanophile and a lover of Berlin, I was captivated by the sketchbooks that looked back on a fascinating period of history. Will Thompson combined immediate environment with the imagination with ‘JUMBO’, an oil painting that gave a close-up glimpse of a vapour trail from a window.

Artwork by Natalie Engelhorn

One of the best interpretations of the theme came from Natalie Engelhorn, who took inspiration from Peter Pan for her photography project. By connecting the beauty spots on the backs of friends and family, she created her own constellations, looking to the stars for an escape.

Overall, the evening proved a great success, with some fantastic work and a great attendance.

Featured image shows a painting by Will Thompson