Eyeing the Beast

EYEING THE BEAST AS THE BEAST EYES YOU.

This February artist, Robert Ford, will curate his own exhibition as a guest of the Conway Hall Ethical Society, to be held at Conway Hall.

The title ‘Eyeing the beast as the beast eyes you’, is a visual dialogue with among others Marx.

Is it an example of Art engaging the Political or the Political dictating the Art?

Can the two, politics and art, ever be happy bed fellows without the accusation of  ‘A didactic bigoted propaganda exercise’ , always waiting in the wings ready to pounce at a moments notice?

That depends on your mindset.

Are you prepared to be challenged, upset or are you ready to engage, decipher, to take the time to be entertained or even amused. Are you ready to share the joke or to be the butt of it or indeed the target of the criticism embodied within the images.

It will not be what you expect and probably not what you fear!

Robert says, “I hope to entertain, enthral, challenge and of course sell ! That’s of course the dilemma  facing all politically motivated artists of the left, the one of being democratic in both financial and moral terms as well as endevouring to make a living from one’s art practice”

All of Robert’s work is for sale but in two formats, original and digitally produced Giclee prints, this attempts to make them both affordable and collectable whatever your pocket dictates.

This particular exhibition is mainly focussed on the issue of surveillance and how we, as individuals, cope with the intrusions of the commons in all our lives.

BUT also as part of this show, will be a sample of Robert’s illustrations for a project that has occupied most of his last year. with probably still another year yet to go. The task of illustrating Karl Marx’s ‘Capital’, a venture as yet incomplete but if the first few samples are anything to go by the final exhibition of this project will be a wonder yet to come.

A visit to this show is essential for all that consider art to be more than just an adjunct to ones interior decor, more than a statement about ones taste or status, more than mere commodity! 

The show opens with a private view on the 1st February and will continue for all of the month. Apart from the Private View, the artist will be in attendance on several afternoons during the month of February, (dates to be announced).

A MAGICIAN LURKS

Through out this show within many of the pieces lurks references to magic and magicians, so what is that all about?

I use the metaphor of the magician to describe the capitalist system, the slight of hand that deceives us with dexterity, glamour and style.

We are trapped by our own acceptance that trickery is clever and skilled. Clever to the point that we think there is no other way so, ‘let’s accept the status quo’ and make the best of it and enjoy the show.

So skilled, that the magician carries on ducking and diving, swindling and stealing, among other things, our precious time, our precious future, with the demand that we must obey his version of how temporality is organised for his benefit, for the best, his best.

We are trained to be amused by his antics and he smiles with confidence, safe in the knowledge that we are powerless!

Are we powerless?