Hannah James - Pots Purr

Rhubaba Studios 22^nd – 30^th January 2011

Three Stars

Site-specificity is a notoriously over-used phrase in contemporary art, but certain spaces, such as the Rhubaba studios, simply demand such a response. Consisting of a uniquely angular architectural construction, the gallery is full of narrow passageways, meandering corridors and stairwells, which simply insist that artworks exist in a nuanced dialogue with the building.

Pots Purr, the first part of an impressively international exhibition by recent graduate Hannah James (next month it is being shown in Berlin), happily takes on this challenge. Each work is conceived in specific relation to the space. Making the most of the sharp-cornered walls, for instance, are slide projections, which launch large, flickering photographic stills in criss-crossed directions over the gallery. Each image consists of a simple, understated composition of still-life terracotta vases, a slightly archaic subject matter which is enhanced by the vaguely anachronistic tinge of the outmoded slide technology.

James specifies that her use of pots derives from their multi-referential nature, denoting décor, function, ancient history and primitive culture, but there is no singular interpretation demanded here. Presented alongside a soundtrack consisting of the murmured hum of a cat’s purr, her show presents subtle, surreal juxtaposition of disparate elements, allowing the viewer to compose their own meanings. The rustic photographs, for instance, are echoed and augmented by a skilfully simplistic wall painting. Textured smudges of grainy dark paint blotch one of the walls in an image which isn’t auspiciously related to the slides, but co-exists alongside them in entirely logical aesthetic continuation.

This sensation of unlinked, disparate encounters is entirely the point, yet one can questions whether perhaps in this context, the association are perhaps slightly too oblique to be truly evocative and thus allow for a genuine, engaged personal response. This show attempts to overcome the hazards of pared-down minimalism, neither wanting to be overly referential nor hopelessly obscure, it attempts to negotiate an effective mid-point. Whether it entirely succeeds is questionable, but its enough to confirm that as an example of recent graduate ambition, and promising new artistic ventures, Rhubaba is certainly a space well worth watching.

Originally published 25th January 2011