Great to have Dr Matt Retallick curate our show ‘Longya’ This is Matt’s speech at the opening event describing his curation process.
“Firstly, a huge thanks to the Newlyn Society of Artists for inviting me to select this year’s Spring show. I think I first spoke to Julia and Heather about this a year and a half ago, so it’s been a long time in the planning. I would also like to give a special mention to everyone who helped with the installation over the last couple of days, and particularly so for embracing, and unflinchingly so, the quirks of my curatorial approaches. I would also like to offer my apologies to the artists who are not represented this time round – choosing from so many incredible submissions (over 70 artists!) was certainly no easy task. I truly appreciate your understanding, and indeed your generosity in sharing your work. Thank you so much to you all.
On that note, in terms of those works that are exhibited here, I thought it might be helpful to give you a sense of the rationale behind my selections.
This exhibition unfolds mainly in three distinct phases, each of which reveal the diversity of contemporary art in Cornwall, in their different ways, while also highlighting the shared impulses that connect work created here, in this uncommon place.
First, a strong figurative engagement. The figure is seemingly re-emerging in Cornwall’s artistic landscape. This is particularly striking, I feel, given that the body has long felt, or indeed been made to feel, slightly awkward in Cornwall’s modern art histories. These works, however, suggest to me a clear shift; and I suppose, in our increasingly digitised world, the sense of humanity that is discernible here feels more vital than ever…
Next, we step into the mysterious and the unknown, themes of darkness, magic, and the untold stories that shape this land. Whether exploring the abandoned and forgotten, the uncomfortable and unsaid or even, as you will see, a graffitied flyover on the A30, this section reminds us that Cornwall crackles with an energy that often defies easy definition. It is this ever-present undercurrent that has always made this part of the world so unique, but here, the works are presented to not just speak of the past, as is often the case with this broad theme, but very strongly of the now.
Finally, in the upstairs gallery, we arrive at that I will rather sweepingly call a selection of minimal abstractions, works that, despite their apparent economy, seemed to me to remain deeply rooted to the complexities of the earth here. They capture the vibrancy of landscape, in both physical and perceptual terms; the rhythms, the ebb and flow of the natural world, and offer a profound connection to place.
Every work on display here responds to the theme in a unique way. I hope that has given you a bit of an insight into why I chose to display these works in the way I did. Thank you all for coming, huge thanks to the entire NSA team, to all the artists, and for making me feel so welcome.”
The show was reviewed in the St Ives Times & Echo by Mary Fletcher
Janet McEwan at the Tremenheere Gallery
