POWER - WHAT IS IT?
The theme for this years D31 Art Gallery Summer Exhibition has been “Power”. What is power? Is the question that artists have been asked this summer and this exhibition showcases a variety of unique and interesting responses. Power is a very diverse topic, power can be something someone has, it can be a status, power can be a desire or a torment. Things can have no power or a lot of power. The power of Love, The power of Friendship, the power of emotion, the power of nature, the power of anything, and the power of nothing are all potential topics in the sea of infinite ideas that surround the theme of “Power”. To start with, the power of electricity is a topic that multiple artists explored, for example Susan Issac has created multiple pieces showing huge, towering pylons and the power that they carry in her “Lines of Power” and “Gathering Power” pieces. Lynne Dobson also created a piece demonstrating the power of electricity in her “Lightbulb Moment” piece which uses a lightbulb shape to represent the power of electricity, this lightbulb shape could also represent the power of ideas as the lightbulb is a common image seen to represent someone having an idea.
The power of nature is another thing many artists have explored, Alf Neil demonstrates this in their beautiful piece “Naked Sun” which depicts the cataclysmic power that the sun, one of the important things nature relies on to exist, bring upon the world. Anne Mallender shows the power of nature through the changing seasons in her 3 related pieces “Changing Seasons”. JWD Smith art shows how we are harnessing the power of nature in their piece “Harnessing the Storm” which shows another powerful storm, and the wind turbines we are using to harness its power.
Some artists have focused on the power of women and feminism, Siusan Pattersons pieces are all part of her “Gatekeeping Series” which all show the power that women have alongside demonstrating the strength they need to stand up against societal oppressions and the difficulties women face. Chris Hensher focuses on a similar topic, focusing on one of the huge difficulties women face, the negative power structure of many workplaces and the negative ways women are perceived. These are demonstrated in his pieces “She’s Not Their (Glass Ceiling)” and “Gender Perceptions in the board room”, two stunning pieces that show the unbalanced dynamic of power between men and women in the world of work. This year’s exhibition has been a great success allowing many artists to show a range of ideas, interpretations, and views on what power means to them. D31 would like to sincerely thank all the artists who took part in this exhibition for submitting and exhibiting their wonderful works at D31 art gallery over this summer.
