'PRESENCE IN ABSENCE' BY IAN CUMBERLAND JD MALAT GALLERY IN DAVIES STREET, LONDON FROM 7 SEPTEMBER TO 5 OCTOBER 2020
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IAN CUMBERLAND: PRESENCE IN
ABSENCE
7 SEPTEMBER – 5 OCTOBER 2020
“Encountering the
work of Ian Cumberland is a peculiar, unsettling experience, as if the viewer has
intruded into a ‘space’ and a ‘moment’ to which they are alien. Positioned as
an outsider, Cumberland’s series of multi component tableaux seem to offer a
viewing experience that falls somewhere between an invitation to eavesdrop and
an unintended moment of voyeurism.” David Campbell,
writer and curator.
JD Malat Gallery is pleased to announce Presence
in Absence, a solo exhibition by Irish artist Ian Cumberland, from 7th
September to 5th October 2020. Born in Banbridge in 1983, Cumberland
is best known for his hyperrealist portraits of isolated subjects in detailed
interiors, exploring themes of mass media culture, surveillance and the notion
of the human ‘self’.
Presence in Absence consists of installations that
utilise portraits as part of a multi-part tableau, establishing a dialogue
between objects. Cumberland’s works involve an assemblage of theatrical
objects, adding abnormal touches and
unsettling atmospheres within mundane interiors, giving rise to an acute
degree of realism. The subjects are caught in
moments of escape from their psychological containment, similar to one
experienced by people during the pandemic. This is Presence in Absence,
a social commentary on a sociological crisis.
Cumberland is meticulous with his choices,
everything is precisely controlled from the colour palette, the outfits, the
lighting and the overall set. This staging and organisation are a commentary on
our society, how we are manipulated to believe in lifestyles and material
goods. Get the Look 2020 perfectly demonstrates this by containing text
that itemises the cost of every element in the staged scene with the neon sign
reflecting our image saturated commodity driven world.
The woman is surrounded by objects of
capitalist desire, get the look, the dress, the Persian rug. It is a command;
we are being told what we should be wearing and how we should be living. Behind
her, the television shows a still from some unidentifiable ravaged landscape,
possibly caused by deforestation for the creation of materials, mass pollution
in fast fashion, spurred on by our insatiable desire to get the look. Reminiscent of Brecht and his theatre
sets, the individuals in Cumberland’s works are faced with a multitude of
choices and possibilities and it is up to the viewer to decide what those
choices will be. Although Cumberland begins the story, the audience finishes
it.
Cumberland’s
genius shines through when he challenges conventional ‘painting’ and produces
something wholly original and unique, transcending traditional painting as we
know it and questioning representational strategies. By utilising paintings
within a wider installation, Cumberland adds another layer through which the
viewer, or the voyeur, must engage with the complex subjects in his work.
Presence in
Absence explores different manifestations of ‘Realism’ by
bringing together painting and installation. In so doing, Cumberland presents a
wholly unique experience of the effects of mass media, culture and control on
humanity’s notion of self.
Cumberland’s work is in the collections of
the G2 Kunsthalle, Leipzig, Germany, Hildebrand Collection, Leipzig, Germany,
Northern Ireland Civil Service Art Collection, Northern Ireland, National Self Portrait Collection of Ireland, Ireland,
Office of public works, Ireland, State Art Collection, Ireland, Arts Council of
Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland, Belfast City Hall, Northern Ireland, Queens
University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the University of Ulster, Northern
Ireland. He is the 2010 recipient of the Davy Portrait Award.
Exhibition Opening Hours: Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm, Saturday,
12am – 6pm
JD Malat Gallery, 30 Davies Street, Mayfair W1K 4NB
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