Go West (exhibition)

Go West is the title of the first exhibition by Stuckist artists in a commercial London West End gallery. It was staged in Spectrum London gallery in October 2006. The show attracted media interest for its location, for the use of a painting satirising Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of the Tate gallery, and for two paintings of a stripper by Charles Thomson based on his former wife, artist Stella Vine.

Show

The Stuckists had previously been seen as art world outsiders, but with the backing of a West End gallery in a "major exhibition"Barnes, Anthony (2006) [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20060903/ai_n16710587 "Portrait of an ex-husband's revenge"] "The Independent on Sunday". Retrieved 9 October, 2006, from findarticles.com] became "major players" in the art world. Teodorczuk, Tom (2006) [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/arts/article-23364213-details/Modern+art+is+pants/article.do "Modern art is pants"] "Evening Standard", 22 August, 2006. Retrieved 9 October, 2006 from thisislondon.co.uk.] Ten leading Stuckist artists were exhibited. [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowContentFrameFragXL.jhtml?xml=/arts/slideshows/gowest/pixgowest.xml&site= "Go West"] , "The Daily Telegraph". Retrieved 29 March 2008.]

Royden Prior, the director of Spectrum London, said, "These artists are good and are part of history. Get past the art politics and look at the work." [http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/blogon/2006/08/the_first_west_end_show_for_th.php "The first West End show for the Stuckists"] saatchi-gallery.co.uk. Retrieved 9 October, 2006] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5278900.stm "Stuckists art group in major show"] BBC online, August 23, 2006. Retrieved October 9, 2006]

Art critic Edward Lucie-Smith wrote in an essay for the show:
Rachel Campbell-Johnston, art critic of "The Times", condemned the work as "empty of anything much" and "formulaic".Campbell-Johnston, Rachel (2006) [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,585-2385068_2,00.html "How the Turner Prize lost the plot"] "The Times" online, 3 October, 2006. Retrieved 9 October, 2006] Nevertheless Thomson's and Joe Machine's paintings sold out, before the show opened, to buyers from the UK, Japan and the US.Gleadell, Colin (2006) [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/10/03/bamkt03.xml "Market news: Roger Hilton's child-like drawings, 'stuckist' paintings and Edward Seago"] "The Daily Telegraph" online, 3 October, 2006. Retrieved 9 October, 2006]

Exhibition dates: October 6 – November 4, 2006.

Controversy

It was suggested that the exhibition of Thomson's painting, "Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision", satirising Sir Nicholas Serota, displayed in the gallery window (see image above), could be seen as revenge for the Tate's rejection of a Stuckist donation of 175 paintings the previous year.

Thomson was also accused of revenge for exhibiting two paintings of strippers, which he said were based on his ex wife and one-time stripper, Stella Vine. She was briefly a member of the Stuckists group at the time of their marriage in 2001, but has since attracted solo attention. Rivalry increased when her work was promoted by Charles Saatchi in 2004. Thomson denied any intention of vengeance with the paintings and said that "I would prefer her to enjoy these, as I still enjoy her art".Thomson, Charles (2006), "Paint Stripper", Letters, p. 40, "The Independent on Sunday", 10 September, 2006]

Michael Dickinson, a Stuckist from Istanbul, was a guest artist at the show with a folder of collages. [http://www.stuckism.com "Michael Dickinson, Stuckist artist jailed in Turkey for a collage, now free. See his work at Go West"] stuckism.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006] He had recently been released from ten days in a Turkish jail without charge after exhibiting a collage of the Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdoğan as a dog. [http://www.channel4.com/more4/news/news-opinion-feature.jsp?id=402 "Keeping Turkey out of the EU"] (Video interview with Michael Dickinson on More 4) channel4.com. Retrieved October 9, 2006]

Artists in the show

* Charles Thomson
* Joe Machine
* Paul Harvey
* Ella Guru
* Peter McArdle
* Philip Absolon
* Bill Lewis
* Wolf Howard
* Eamon Everall
* Elsa Dax;Guest artist
* Michael Dickinson

See also

* Stuckism
* Stuckist demonstrations
* The Stuckists Punk Victorian
* Sir Nicholas Serota Makes an Acquisitions Decision

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.spectrumlondon.co.uk/new/stuckists.htm "Go West" on Spectrum London official site]
* [http://www.spectrumlondon.co.uk/new/charles_thomson_available.htm "Stripper" and "Strip Club" paintings by Charles Thomson] (bottom of page)
* [http://www.stuckism.com Stuckism official site]
* [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=18&ObjectID=10397657 "Britart critics get West End show", the "New Zealand Herald"]
* [http://www.artshub.co.uk/ah1/news/news.asp?Id=99864 "Is being naive the result of naivete" artshub.co.uk]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowContentFrameFragXL.jhtml?xml=/arts/slideshows/gowest/pixgowest.xml&site= Slide show of work on telegraph.co.uk]