A collection of popular culture imagery inspired by iconography in comic books and spirituality. International Manchesteste based artist Suzy Jones and Liverpool artist Karl Evans.
Bohemian Rhapsody Les roberts For the uninitiated, Newington buildings may not be the first place you’d expect to find an art gallery. But behind the doorway of this unassuming building lies Eggpsace, a gallery like no other in the city. Housed on the top floor in what used to be the Acorn Gallery, Eggspace at first appears to be nothing more than a typical bohemian Liverpool café. A farrago of flea market furniture stands on a wooden floor and plants hang from exposed rafters as everyone from students to shoppers gather for cups of tea and company. But the thing that distinguishes this particular tearoom from the rest is the array of original art hanging from the walls. This isn’t any old eatery! Eggspace is all about giving artists an alternative venue to display their work and the rotating exhibitions (usually every five to six weeks) can be eclectic in the extreme. Take for example the two artists currently on display, Suzy Jones and Karl Eversley. Their works are polar opposites yet work well together in the way they are presented in the gallery, as each artist gives their particular gallery space a completely different aura. Karl Eversley produces atmospheric, mainly canvas-based paintings, whilst Suzy Jones’ work is more conceptual and appears to be a reaction to people’s perception of artists being nothing more than producers of paintings. She states that she has "never been a painter" but that is what people have expected of her and this exhibition goes a long way to shattering those expectations The first thing you notice about her exhibition is the bright blue neon ‘Uber’ sign affixed to the wall which acts almost as an entrance sign into her slightly surreal world of Manga influenced art. A self-confessed Manga-phile "before it was cool", the Japanese influence on Suzy’s work is immediately apparent from the pieces of "Cuddly Sushi" on display. These are basically oversized pieces of sushi made from fabric that are far more conducive to cuddling than eating, more made-to-order than pret-a-manger! The exhibition then moves on to‘Vanilla and Suchi visit: Manchester’, a series of street photographs depicting the artist and her accomplice (known as Tom) in various locations around Manchester. The pictures are taken in the style of Japanese photographer Shoichi Aoki and the clothes worn in the photos are reminiscent of the bold street fashions of Japanese youth culture. Karl Eversley’s exhibition depicts his "thoughts on the journey taken by individuals to achieve their dreams and the enforced journey we all sometimes have to make". It is a very personal collection littered with self-portraiture, seascapes and historical iconography that help to establish a strong theme of the ‘passing of time’, itself a title of one of the pieces. The seascapes in particular reinforce the idea of the journey and on some level the paintings appear to be instantly familiar. This doesn’t make you think that you’ve seen the painting somewhere before, but that you may have been on the same journey or trodden the same path as the artist. The great thing about this exhibition being set in such surroundings is that you can sit and casually observe the works. This means that your perception and interpretation can evolve naturally and you don’t find yourself fastidiously examining the works to find their meaning, a trap that is easily fallen into in the more orthodox galleries around town. This is something that would seem to fit in with Eggspace curator Tony Knox’s view of what the gallery is all about. It has been nearly three years since he started to curate shows at Eggspace and he sees the gallery as an act of rebellion against the nepotism that is evident within the local art institutions. It is also a place where artists can explore new ideas and ways of working without the pressures of producing art to fit the agenda of certain galleries or dealers. This can only be good for the artists involved and the local art scene. Artists can push the boundaries and diversify safe in the knowledge that there is a place where if their art is good enough then it will be exhibited. There is currently a dearth of independent galleries in Liverpool as many closed down after the last biennial. We are now only months away from the next biennial and hopefully Eggspace will be the catalyst for a new artistic movement in Liverpool before the the John Moores 23 rolls into town. No images to be copyed or
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