Still

Roberts, Sara and Gillett, John (2013) Still.

Abstract

What is the artistic legacy of the Olympic year? How has it changed the way we think about sport, about the body, about activity and rest? How are places subtly altered by human intervention, and what happens when everyone has gone home?

Through the work of contemporary British artists, the exhibition focuses on moments of stillness: of repose following exertion, of poise, bearing, balance and control; of space; absence; silence. It is intended to be post-Olympic – a shift from the Olympic focus on physical prowess, activity and exertion.

It is a positive examination of what happens after a period of the kind of activity which the Olympics represents. It is an intimate, reflective legacy of the London 2012 national project, using some perhaps familiar works and reframing their imagery for a post-Olympic Britain.

The exhibition addresses the potential and limitations of the human body: Melanie Manchot’s work examines the great mental and emotional, as well as physical, preparation which precedes winter sport of the highest calibre; Jo Longhurst’s photograph constructions capture some of the dynamism of bodies caught in flight during gymnastic manoeuvres; Clare Strand has suspended a body in space with no visible means of support, as if by magic; Gillian Wearing examines what it really takes to keep still, pushing the boundaries of decorum, poise and control. It also addresses place: Mary Maclean and Toby Glanville provide images which which are devoid of current human presence, but which suggest evidence of, and potential for, recent human activity, and furthermore the potential for further activity.

The exhibition will comprise video, photography and installation from British artists, made in the last twenty years.

Solent Showcase Gallery, 18 November 2013 – 11 January 2014

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