Project 2012 / End of the World Exhibition Part I

Project 2012End of the World Exhibition

Part I5th-9th October 2011Ground Floor Left Gallery

PROJECT 2012 - End of the world exhibition

1 | Project 2012/End of the World Exhibition

Edouard Burgeat - Geoffrey Cervantes - Nadège Druzkowski Kelly Jackson - Patrick Jannin - Sarah Kirk - Lili Phelouzat Tal Regev - Katrine Roberts - Pierre Winkelmann

Curator: Lili PhelouzatPR and Media: Lucía BurbanoDesign: Clara Gaya - [email protected]

Printed in London in 2011

10 Artists

Project 2012/End of the World Exhibition | 2

The aim of Project 2012 is to use the possible end of the world predicted for December next year as a vehicle to express what

this apocalyptic end could mean for us. But also, to reflect on the path our society has taken and the several crisis which are a

consequence of our decisions: wars, global credit crunch, famines, environmental disasters, a merciless nature…

The works of the artists taking part in Part I of Project 2012 are a strong statement which makes us cross the boundaries of reality.

Each of them conveys their view and technique to create a present and future based on reality and the imagined.

We hope you enjoy their works. We also want to invite you to join them in their reflection.

Project 2012 will be an itinerant exhibition around London. There will be 5 shows, one week long, per season (Autumn 2011/Winter

2011/Spring 2012/Summer 2012/ Autumn 2012) and the Grand Finale on 21/12/12 which will gather all the artists who have taken

part of the previous shows.

Lili Phelouzat | Lucía Burbano

Project2012exhibition.blogspot.com [email protected]

Prologue

Human responsibility


Edouard Burgeat

My work is the result of the inspiration drawn from the

different practices I studied over the years such as Fine Art,

Photography and Design.

My perception has been sculpted by the travels I have made

around the world (Europe, Russia, South America, North

America, Africa...) which are the sources of my expression.

It transgresses different forms of creation which explain the

mix of techniques in my work.

For Project 2012, my idea was to create, through mixed

technique drawings, lifeless spaces where the spectator gets

transported into the mist of the painting and has to interpret

different symbols, classic & modern, that relate to our

responsibility in the crisis of today.

For me, 2012 doesn’t mean the end of the world as the Mayas

view it, in the sense that the world is an infinite circle and the

calendar ends to transit into a reborn – the start of the World

of the Fifth Sun; however my end of the world started the past

10 years of the 21st century – crisis is everywhere, in nature,

economics, uprisings, riots, famine...

Through my drawings, Human responsibility is the central

idea behind what could be the Apocalypse, where the Mayas

symbolize a spiritual answer to our society’s malaise.

Edouard Burgeathttp://www.edouardburgeat.com/

UntitledMixed media on Paper, 29.7x42cm

2011

Edouard Burgeat | 4

Escape from a Dying Planet


Geoffrey Cervantes

Whilst resident in the Albayzin, Granada (Spain), and

preparing my first exhibition at Caja Rural in 1991, I was

bombarded with terrible images of the beginning of the Gulf

War shown on TV.

I could not believe the total destruction, pollution, burning oil

fields and loss of lives that was occurring in front of my eyes...

My inspiration, hope, needs and desires could only be

acknowledged through artistic expression. I was desperate

and needed to ‘’escape’’ spiritually. I painted this scene, not

only as a statement of my disgust at this unfortunate side of

‘’the human condition’’, but as a personal therapeutic release

from this horrible reality.

Unfortunately, we all live under a constant threat

of apocalyptic proportions with the ease of media

communications: natural disasters, famine, war and terrorism

are frequently broadcasted and are now part of our daily life.

It has to be accepted.

We all suffer now from what experts have called ‘’Future-

Shock’’ syndrome, which is the cause of worry, stress,

depression and many other illnesses...

Geoffrey Cervanteshttp://www.artmajeur.com/axis/

Geoffrey Cervantes | 6

Escape from a Dying Planet Oil on canvas, 61x50cm

1990


Nadège Druzkowski Dreaming of Crystal Palaces

Dreaming of Crystal Palaces... This painting was inspired by

the Great Eastern, a steam ship built in 1858 by Brunel. In her

day, she was the largest ship that ever sailed on the oceans.

She suffered a terrible fate, proportional in tragic measure

to her great size. Legend has it that misfortune struck even

before she was put afloat. The phantom of an unlucky worker,

buried alive in the hold of the ship during its construction,

was said to haunt her. She was certainly plagued by many

accidents, costing numerous lives, including Brunel’s own. He

died of a heart attack shortly after the ship’s launch, his health

ruined by financial setbacks and technological nightmares.

Also baptised the Leviathan, the sea monster of biblical fame,

the ship squarely marked the end of an era and the peak of

the Industrial Revolution. Machines were soon to take over.

It was the dawn of an increasingly mechanized world where

man started to compete with nature through superhuman

structures. Was this the beginning of the end of the world? At

the very least the end of one world...

I like to experiment with different media including painting,

photography and printmaking. I enjoy the somewhat

unexpected results techniques like etching can produce and

how I can integrate these into my final works.

My work is predominately centred on landscapes, which are

grounded neither in reality nor fiction but a subtle blend of the

two. By using the interplay between colour and light I want to

capture, specifically in my paintings, a dreamy quality that

very often only exists in memories.

More recently, I have begun to investigate abandoned

industrial buildings of the 19th century. I am interested in

how these desolate sites, commonly viewed as blots on the

landscape, are gradually being reclaimed by nature.

Nadège Druzkowskihttp://www.ndart.fr/

Nadège Druzkowski | 8

Dreaming of Crystal PalacesAcrylic on canvas, 220x170cm

2010


Kelly Jackson

The drawing technique I have developed is incredibly labour

intensive and often consists of forming layered tonal imagery

from thousands of tiny lines in Biro pen, the strength in

it lies in using an everyday object to produce something

extraordinary which reflects the way that social groups

are formed by individuals being compounded together,

this is contrasted by blunt text borrowed from instinctively

selected yet relevant forms of popular culture such as film,

contemporary literature and graphic novels.

My work is realized through an examination of the

psychological relationship that we hold with mortality and

how this relationship affects the societies and social groups in

which we live. It encompasses references from both popular

culture and significant historical shifts in social attitude and

morality. My thought process has been somewhat influenced

by the philosophical theories of Julia Kristeva, Georges

Bataille and Ernest Becker, with particular note to Kristeva’s

development of the notion of the abject and Becker’s view of

society as a defence mechanism serving to protect us from the

recognition of our fear of death, an all encompassing complex

distraction of sorts.

Kelly Jacksonhttp://www.wix.com/kellyin5/kellyjackson

They Bury The Dead So Quickly They Should Leave Them Lying Around For Months

They Bury The Dead So Quickly They Should Leave Them Lying Around For Months Biro on paper, 1mx1m

2011

Kelly Jackson | 10

Patrick Jannin Le Jugement Dernier (Judgement Day)


Life as a stage. It plays the Grand Return of the Ridiculous - code

name and acronym: GRR. Fear and anger are a must in times of

war, and time, we no longer have it, since TV and the net vomit

daily, the End of the World approach. 2012. The date is set. On

21/12/2012, you have an appointment with the Grim Reaper. Not

you alone, no, all your sisters and brothers are with you. Ready for

the plunge?, Ready for the Age of Aquarius?

The great Zany is back. It is Mickey Christ, Jesus Clown for the

intimates, who puts on his own show. “Scene II, Act 1”. On the

menu tonight, we propose a reversal of the poles. Elected officials

will be drawn at the end of the show. History has not yet told us if

the winners will get Nirvana, a wreath or a bunch of virgins. MC

J.C speaks, harangues, urges the crowd. Both hands forward, he

refuses any charity, and says that forgiveness will be granted to

nobody. That’s his name: NOBODY. He told us more than 2000

years ago. My name is NOBODY.

Very well, let’s go to hell then. But keep smiling, because tonight it’s

party time.

Supper on stage. From 12 plus ONE, they are only three left.

Once again, we are being tricked by Trinity. This version,

however, is simplified, so that even the illiterate can understand

what is happening. For others, we put a few winks, and these

two creatures. Disguised reference to the so-called: School of

Fontainebleau painting, which shows two women in a box. One

pinches the nipple of the other. Renaissance. After the Apocalypse,

ignorance and contempt will be the new rule. Or is it already here?

Marie carries on her breast the Infant King. Stillbirth Infant, he’s

got his mother’s fingers as a crown. The King is dead, and Ave

Maria. Of the eye, once so beautiful, from the princess, worms

coming out, since the rot already won (the beauty is fleeting). The

maggot, a true Christian Democrat, likes and eats all. He stuffs

and feeds on our flesh. The woman on the right, her scalp to

shreds, biding her time, she is serene. Maybe she read the book

where it says that the resurrection is possible only after the decay

of the flesh. That’s how she ignores fear and suffering.

Clown Jesus, citing Fontenelle, then said as follows:

“Life is not worth being taken too seriously, anyway, we will not

come out of it alive.”

Then, with a sigh, he added, “BAND OF SUCKERS!”

Patrick Janninhttp://www.patrickjannin.com/

Le Jugement Dernier (Triptic 2/3)Drawing on paper, 345x780cm

2011

A few words about my painting, although I think it

speaks for itself. I see each of my paintings, each of

my drawings as a witness of everyday life. Thereby,

my work can be read like a diary, which has nothing

left intimate. This is the place where I put my feelings

down with lucidity. Or else, as a study of human kind.

I show what everyone hides every day, for the sake of

conventions. I use my pen as a scalpel, I want to take

off the masks. I want to understand. Finally, I seek the

truth. Mine anyway. There is no morality in my work,

no decorum, no concessions. And if sometimes I flirt

with bad taste, it’s just because I consider life as a

huge farce, an absurd comedy.

Patrick Jannin | 12

Isolated City


Sarah Kirk

These paintings convey personal ideas about an ‘isolated city’

by looking at the monotony of cities like London, with paths

going on a journey to nowhere which I have incorporated

through the use of map-like areas.

I wanted to suggest isolation in crowds by using very busy

areas in comparison to large amounts of space, also giving the

imagery a dream-like, abstract quality that the viewer can use

to apply their own experiences and interpretations about the

city. I wanted to try and give an impression of a paradox; of

disconnection from a place so full and well connected through

separate elements, and also through using pattern to give the

appearance of many people without personality or identity.

I believe this gives a feeling of desolation, bringing with it

connotations of utter destruction and loneliness.

As a recent Illustration graduate I enjoy working with a

handmade approach, using textures and different materials to

create atmosphere and a strong sense of place. I am interested

by many works of literature and film and this inspires me to

attempt to bring suggestions of narrative into my work as well.

Sarah Kirkhttp://www.sarahkirkillustration.com/

Isolated Together Mixed media on canvas, 51x78cm

2011

Sarah Kirk | 14


Lili Phelouzat

“I like to explore the boundaries of reality. My work is

experimental and evolves between subconscious images and

imaginary characters. I like to provide the viewer with an

intimate escape to either a reality or to a world of transition

through forms, lines and colors juxtaposed on canvas. Some

of those juxtapositions create characters that travel in an

abstract landscape full of dynamics. My inspiration comes

from experiences which are visual, mental and emotional.”

As well as being the curator of the show, I wanted to create a

couple of works. As I was thinking about new directions and

thematic for my work, I encountered a video about the end of

world, and that is where it all started. I thought, after all, if

the predictions were to come true, It would mean that all of

us will be affected. I thought why not gather artists, invest on

exhibition spaces and galleries, start a countdown, express our

thoughts and see what happens.

Of course, to me, it is not only about a countdown and what

American blockbusters like to show us. It is deeper than that, it

is about reflecting on the path our society has taken. History,

nature, human development and everything that we see on a

daily basis in newspaper, net...

As an artist of the positive, I could not give a dark

interpretation. I had to give colors and imagination and

somehow add something sweet to it. A “Sweet Surrealistic

Apocalyptic Approach”.

End of the world, meaning the beginning of a new one

perhaps...So why not having some flying heads, and some

giant ants ridden by headless knights? Why not..

Lili Phelouzathttp://www.liliphelouzat.co.uk/

When the mushroom get loose

When the mushroom get looseMixed media on paper, 42x59.7cm

2011

Lili Phelouzat | 16


Tal Regev

The victim enters the catastrophic environment of trauma

through the “membrane“ that separates sense from nonsense,

narrative from chaos, and reality is torn asunder leaving no

boundaries and no guideposts (Kali Tal in Worlds of Hurt:

Reading the Literatures of Trauma)

One dominates the other, from a subtle presence to abuse.

One sets the rules for the other to live by. I feed you with the

air that circulates between us, till we suffocate, as we cannot

escape each other.

Between subtlety and aggression there is a whole range of

colour and circumstance. I focus on the point of breaking. We

are partners; both of us holding the tip of a rope that stretches

tightly between us. Suddenly you let go, and never look back, I

lose my ground, I have nothing to hold on to, nothing to grasp.

I am left in the air, I go mad.

My practice is focused on painting. I’m interested in creating

the sense of an open wound. I want to convey its presence

as a subtle cry that constantly inhabits ones being, but is not

necessarily acknowledged in a conscious way. At times this

pain comes to the surface, it seeps out and one has to deal with

it. In this way I wish to comment on cruelty in a social context,

as well as in basic everyday human relations.

Tutim 2

Army helmets and gas masks become part of a circus like

scenario, a theatrical and almost ridiculous space where

bodies meet and open up a veiled story. Bold and visceral

gestures aim to suggest a recognition within the viewer of an

over blown, tragic, intimate scene, a self-contained drama.

Tal Regevhttp://www.talregev.co.uk/

Tutim

Tutim 2 Oil on canvas, 170x140cm

2011

Tal Regev | 18

Ineluctable Gaze


Katrine Roberts

I am fascinated in the power a face has to seduce yet

simultaneously repel. I try to allure the viewer into a dialogue

with the painting whilst also causing them to step back and

be challenged by the piece. In my work a happening has

occurred, whether by a wound, collage or painterly mark. Like

paint on canvas, skin on a body has the potential to be warped,

stressed and manipulated causing it to become abstracted into

other new forms. Skin is not fixed, solid and unchanging and

this makes us uneasy. The slow aging, maturing and eventual

decay of the skin confronts us with what lies ahead. However,

when someone’s skin is suddenly injured, torn and burnt, we

realise that death can claim us in an instant.

Therefore we don’t like to look underneath the skin or

inside an open wound; not simply because we are looking

at something that is painful but because we are physically

looking at something metaphorical. When a person’s face is

wounded, and they are still living, we are confronted not only

by the wound but also the gaze of the wounded one looking

back at us “...in an ineluctable confrontation of gazes...”

(‘Remnants of Auschwitz’)

The boundary of this life to the next is as thin as the paper I

work on. As this exhibition looks to the end of the world there’s

an opportunity to consider diverse beliefs concerning the end

of this world and questions about what comes next. My faith

in Jesus Christ and belief in what the Bible says means that I

believe the world we see is not all there is. There is fullness of

life; eternal, abundant excitement to be found in the life Jesus

offers us. Choosing to believe in Jesus Christ means much

more than what happens after you die. Once you’ve chosen

to put your faith in Christ; you have died, to your old self, and

you’re born again into a new life.

Katrine Robertshttp://www.katrineroberts.com/

Ineluctable Gaze V |21Katrine Roberts | 20

Ineluctable Gaze V Monoprint, 25 x 25 cm

2011


Pierre Winkelmann Homo industrious

The Homo Industrius is an illustration at a human scale of

what the human being has been inflicting on itself since the

drive to industrialization.

The machine has taken far too much space in the modern

society and the phenomenon of mass is well there. The

machine is taking over in terms of efficiency.

Individuals are morphing themselves for appearance reasons;

microchips are becoming accepted amongst the human’s cells.

The edge is close where men will deliberately swap limbs for

optimized ones. Just another update in the obsessional pursuit

of enhancement and perfection, ever and ever kept alive as

technological progresses go by.

On the whole, the position of the body shows resignation at

seeing the hand transformed, but the left hand on the head

combined with the expressions on the face, show awareness

of the mistake done.. It is now too late to go backwards, the

creation is getting the upper hand on its creator.

The work covers a large timescale of action starting in the late

18th Century, gives a situation of the present and opens it to a

close future.

Bigger, faster, the boundless quest for efficiency in the

production field is jeopardizing the spirituals human’s values

and turning the physical ones obsoletes.

Pierre [email protected]

Homo industriousSculpture base size, 150x90 cm

2011

Pierre Winkelmann | 22


Project 2012 / End of the World Exhibition Part I

Documents

world exhibition1 project

world europe

possible end

apocalyptic end

world exhibitionpart

responsibility3 project

aim of project

lili phelouzat luca