Project 2012 End of the World Exhibition Part I 5th-9th October 2011 Ground Floor Left Gallery
10 Artists
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 Phelouzat PR and Media: Lucía Burbano Design: Clara Gaya - clara.xarxes@gmail.com Printed in London in 2011
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Prologue 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 | LucĂa Burbano Project2012exhibition.blogspot.com Project2012exhibition@gmail.com
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Edouard Burgeat
Human responsibility
My work is the result of the inspiration drawn from the
For me, 2012 doesn’t mean the end of the world as the Mayas
different practices I studied over the years such as Fine Art,
view it, in the sense that the world is an infinite circle and the
Photography and Design.
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
My perception has been sculpted by the travels I have made
10 years of the 21st century – crisis is everywhere, in nature,
around the world (Europe, Russia, South America, North
economics, uprisings, riots, famine...
America, Africa...) which are the sources of my expression. It transgresses different forms of creation which explain the
Through my drawings, Human responsibility is the central
mix of techniques in my work.
idea behind what could be the Apocalypse, where the Mayas symbolize a spiritual answer to our society’s malaise.
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. Untitled Mixed media on Paper, 29.7x42cm 2011
Edouard Burgeat http://www.edouardburgeat.com/
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Edouard Burgeat | 4
Geoffrey Cervantes
Escape from a Dying Planet
Whilst resident in the Albayzin, Granada (Spain), and
Unfortunately, we all live under a constant threat
preparing my first exhibition at Caja Rural in 1991, I was
of apocalyptic proportions with the ease of media
bombarded with terrible images of the beginning of the Gulf
communications: natural disasters, famine, war and terrorism
War shown on TV.
are frequently broadcasted and are now part of our daily life. It has to be accepted.
I could not believe the total destruction, pollution, burning oil fields and loss of lives that was occurring in front of my eyes...
We all suffer now from what experts have called ‘’Future-
My inspiration, hope, needs and desires could only be
Shock’’ syndrome, which is the cause of worry, stress,
acknowledged through artistic expression. I was desperate
depression and many other illnesses...
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.
Geoffrey Cervantes http://www.artmajeur.com/axis/
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Escape from a Dying Planet Oil on canvas, 61x50cm 1990 Geoffrey Cervantes | 6
Nadège Druzkowski
Dreaming of Crystal Palaces
Dreaming of Crystal Palaces... This painting was inspired by
I like to experiment with different media including painting,
the Great Eastern, a steam ship built in 1858 by Brunel. In her
photography and printmaking. I enjoy the somewhat
day, she was the largest ship that ever sailed on the oceans.
unexpected results techniques like etching can produce and
She suffered a terrible fate, proportional in tragic measure
how I can integrate these into my final works.
to her great size. Legend has it that misfortune struck even before she was put afloat. The phantom of an unlucky worker,
My work is predominately centred on landscapes, which are
buried alive in the hold of the ship during its construction,
grounded neither in reality nor fiction but a subtle blend of the
was said to haunt her. She was certainly plagued by many
two. By using the interplay between colour and light I want to
accidents, costing numerous lives, including Brunel’s own. He
capture, specifically in my paintings, a dreamy quality that
died of a heart attack shortly after the ship’s launch, his health
very often only exists in memories.
ruined by financial setbacks and technological nightmares. More recently, I have begun to investigate abandoned Also baptised the Leviathan, the sea monster of biblical fame,
industrial buildings of the 19th century. I am interested in
the ship squarely marked the end of an era and the peak of
how these desolate sites, commonly viewed as blots on the
the Industrial Revolution. Machines were soon to take over.
landscape, are gradually being reclaimed by nature.
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... Nadège Druzkowski http://www.ndart.fr/
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Dreaming of Crystal Palaces Acrylic on canvas, 220x170cm 2010 Nadège Druzkowski | 8
Kelly Jackson
They Bury The Dead So Quickly They Should Leave Them Lying Around For Months
The drawing technique I have developed is incredibly labour
My work is realized through an examination of the
intensive and often consists of forming layered tonal imagery
psychological relationship that we hold with mortality and
from thousands of tiny lines in Biro pen, the strength in
how this relationship affects the societies and social groups in
it lies in using an everyday object to produce something
which we live. It encompasses references from both popular
extraordinary which reflects the way that social groups
culture and significant historical shifts in social attitude and
are formed by individuals being compounded together,
morality. My thought process has been somewhat influenced
this is contrasted by blunt text borrowed from instinctively
by the philosophical theories of Julia Kristeva, Georges
selected yet relevant forms of popular culture such as film,
Bataille and Ernest Becker, with particular note to Kristeva’s
contemporary literature and graphic novels.
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.
They Bury The Dead So Quickly They Should Leave Them Lying Around For Months Biro on paper, 1mx1m 2011
Kelly Jackson http://www.wix.com/kellyin5/kellyjackson
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Kelly Jackson | 10
Patrick Jannin
Le Jugement Dernier (Judgement Day)
Life as a stage. It plays the Grand Return of the Ridiculous - code
Once again, we are being tricked by Trinity. This version,
name and acronym: GRR. Fear and anger are a must in times of
however, is simplified, so that even the illiterate can understand
war, and time, we no longer have it, since TV and the net vomit
what is happening. For others, we put a few winks, and these
daily, the End of the World approach. 2012. The date is set. On
two creatures. Disguised reference to the so-called: School of
21/12/2012, you have an appointment with the Grim Reaper. Not
Fontainebleau painting, which shows two women in a box. One
you alone, no, all your sisters and brothers are with you. Ready for
pinches the nipple of the other. Renaissance. After the Apocalypse,
the plunge?, Ready for the Age of Aquarius?
ignorance and contempt will be the new rule. Or is it already here?
The great Zany is back. It is Mickey Christ, Jesus Clown for the
Marie carries on her breast the Infant King. Stillbirth Infant, he’s
intimates, who puts on his own show. “Scene II, Act 1”. On the
got his mother’s fingers as a crown. The King is dead, and Ave
menu tonight, we propose a reversal of the poles. Elected officials
Maria. Of the eye, once so beautiful, from the princess, worms
will be drawn at the end of the show. History has not yet told us if
coming out, since the rot already won (the beauty is fleeting). The
the winners will get Nirvana, a wreath or a bunch of virgins. MC
maggot, a true Christian Democrat, likes and eats all. He stuffs
J.C speaks, harangues, urges the crowd. Both hands forward, he
and feeds on our flesh. The woman on the right, her scalp to
refuses any charity, and says that forgiveness will be granted to
shreds, biding her time, she is serene. Maybe she read the book
nobody. That’s his name: NOBODY. He told us more than 2000
where it says that the resurrection is possible only after the decay
years ago. My name is NOBODY.
of the flesh. That’s how she ignores fear and suffering.
Very well, let’s go to hell then. But keep smiling, because tonight it’s
Clown Jesus, citing Fontenelle, then said as follows:
party time.
“Life is not worth being taken too seriously, anyway, we will not come out of it alive.”
Supper on stage. From 12 plus ONE, they are only three left.
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Then, with a sigh, he added, “BAND OF SUCKERS!”
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.
Le Jugement Dernier (Triptic 2/3) Drawing on paper, 345x780cm 2011
Patrick Jannin http://www.patrickjannin.com/
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Sarah Kirk
Isolated City
These paintings convey personal ideas about an ‘isolated city’
separate elements, and also through using pattern to give the
by looking at the monotony of cities like London, with paths
appearance of many people without personality or identity.
going on a journey to nowhere which I have incorporated
I believe this gives a feeling of desolation, bringing with it
through the use of map-like areas.
connotations of utter destruction and loneliness.
I wanted to suggest isolation in crowds by using very busy
As a recent Illustration graduate I enjoy working with a
areas in comparison to large amounts of space, also giving the
handmade approach, using textures and different materials to
imagery a dream-like, abstract quality that the viewer can use
create atmosphere and a strong sense of place. I am interested
to apply their own experiences and interpretations about the
by many works of literature and film and this inspires me to
city. I wanted to try and give an impression of a paradox; of
attempt to bring suggestions of narrative into my work as well.
disconnection from a place so full and well connected through
Isolated Together Mixed media on canvas, 51x78cm 2011
Sarah Kirk http://www.sarahkirkillustration.com/
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Sarah Kirk | 14
Lili Phelouzat
When the mushroom get loose
“I like to explore the boundaries of reality. My work is
Of course, to me, it is not only about a countdown and what
experimental and evolves between subconscious images and
American blockbusters like to show us. It is deeper than that, it
imaginary characters. I like to provide the viewer with an
is about reflecting on the path our society has taken. History,
intimate escape to either a reality or to a world of transition
nature, human development and everything that we see on a
through forms, lines and colors juxtaposed on canvas. Some
daily basis in newspaper, net...
of those juxtapositions create characters that travel in an abstract landscape full of dynamics. My inspiration comes
As an artist of the positive, I could not give a dark
from experiences which are visual, mental and emotional.”
interpretation. I had to give colors and imagination and somehow add something sweet to it. A “Sweet Surrealistic
As well as being the curator of the show, I wanted to create a
Apocalyptic Approach”.
couple of works. As I was thinking about new directions and thematic for my work, I encountered a video about the end of
End of the world, meaning the beginning of a new one
world, and that is where it all started. I thought, after all, if
perhaps...So why not having some flying heads, and some
the predictions were to come true, It would mean that all of
giant ants ridden by headless knights? Why not..
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.
When the mushroom get loose Mixed media on paper, 42x59.7cm 2011
Lili Phelouzat http://www.liliphelouzat.co.uk/
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Lili Phelouzat | 16
Tal Regev
Tutim
The victim enters the catastrophic environment of trauma
My practice is focused on painting. I’m interested in creating
through the “membrane“ that separates sense from nonsense,
the sense of an open wound. I want to convey its presence
narrative from chaos, and reality is torn asunder leaving no
as a subtle cry that constantly inhabits ones being, but is not
boundaries and no guideposts (Kali Tal in Worlds of Hurt:
necessarily acknowledged in a conscious way. At times this
Reading the Literatures of Trauma)
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,
One dominates the other, from a subtle presence to abuse.
as well as in basic everyday human relations.
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
Tutim 2
escape each other.
Army helmets and gas masks become part of a circus like scenario, a theatrical and almost ridiculous space where
Between subtlety and aggression there is a whole range of
bodies meet and open up a veiled story. Bold and visceral
colour and circumstance. I focus on the point of breaking. We
gestures aim to suggest a recognition within the viewer of an
are partners; both of us holding the tip of a rope that stretches
over blown, tragic, intimate scene, a self-contained drama.
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.
Tal Regev http://www.talregev.co.uk/
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Tutim 2 Oil on canvas, 170x140cm 2011 Tal Regev | 18
Katrine Roberts
Ineluctable Gaze
I am fascinated in the power a face has to seduce yet
wounded, and they are still living, we are confronted not only
simultaneously repel. I try to allure the viewer into a dialogue
by the wound but also the gaze of the wounded one looking
with the painting whilst also causing them to step back and
back at us “...in an ineluctable confrontation of gazes...”
be challenged by the piece. In my work a happening has
(‘Remnants of Auschwitz’)
occurred, whether by a wound, collage or painterly mark. Like paint on canvas, skin on a body has the potential to be warped,
The boundary of this life to the next is as thin as the paper I
stressed and manipulated causing it to become abstracted into
work on. As this exhibition looks to the end of the world there’s
other new forms. Skin is not fixed, solid and unchanging and
an opportunity to consider diverse beliefs concerning the end
this makes us uneasy. The slow aging, maturing and eventual
of this world and questions about what comes next. My faith
decay of the skin confronts us with what lies ahead. However,
in Jesus Christ and belief in what the Bible says means that I
when someone’s skin is suddenly injured, torn and burnt, we
believe the world we see is not all there is. There is fullness of
realise that death can claim us in an instant.
life; eternal, abundant excitement to be found in the life Jesus offers us. Choosing to believe in Jesus Christ means much
Therefore we don’t like to look underneath the skin or
more than what happens after you die. Once you’ve chosen
inside an open wound; not simply because we are looking
to put your faith in Christ; you have died, to your old self, and
at something that is painful but because we are physically
you’re born again into a new life.
looking at something metaphorical. When a person’s face is
Katrine Roberts http://www.katrineroberts.com/
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Ineluctable Gaze V Monoprint, 25 x 25 cm 2011 Ineluctable Katrine Roberts Gaze V | |21 20
Pierre Winkelmann
Homo industrious
The Homo Industrius is an illustration at a human scale of
On the whole, the position of the body shows resignation at
what the human being has been inflicting on itself since the
seeing the hand transformed, but the left hand on the head
drive to industrialization.
combined with the expressions on the face, show awareness of the mistake done.. It is now too late to go backwards, the
The machine has taken far too much space in the modern
creation is getting the upper hand on its creator.
society and the phenomenon of mass is well there. The machine is taking over in terms of efficiency.
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
Individuals are morphing themselves for appearance reasons;
close future.
microchips are becoming accepted amongst the human’s cells. The edge is close where men will deliberately swap limbs for
Bigger, faster, the boundless quest for efficiency in the
optimized ones. Just another update in the obsessional pursuit
production field is jeopardizing the spirituals human’s values
of enhancement and perfection, ever and ever kept alive as
and turning the physical ones obsoletes.
technological progresses go by.
Homo industrious Sculpture base size, 150x90 cm 2011
Pierre Winkelmann foxawax@hotmail.fr
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Pierre Winkelmann | 22
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