We made the short hop to see the Fine Art degree show at Loughborough University and were not disappointed. Some of the work was quite breathtaking, particularly the painting and monotone mark making. Some of the pieces were huge in scale and it was easy to appreciate the time taken to produce them. I do like the simple process of mark making and the originality and subtlety shown by some of the students was astounding.
The gallery space and layout was equally well considered, with concise labels on the works, nice subdued lighting and plenty of space to move around. A particularly nice touch was a stall where the students were selling their work, prints, post cards and other pieces, which I thought was a great way to get them used to self promotion and ready for a commercial career.
It was good to see a concentration of drawing and painting (compared to other universities we have been to) but even the single video piece was a real joy to look at – a projection of a woodland scene onto a wall of irregularly placed silk which created a wonderfully amorphous 3D mix of shimmering shapes and colours.
We particularly liked the monotone drawing of an organic landscape. The scene had the impression of animal tissue, with veins, valves and muscle fibres making up the hills and valleys – all rendered and blended in such fine detail that it was compelling and almost believable.
If you haven’t been to this show before then just go before it ends, or else put it in the diary for next year.
