New-ISO Aesthetic Culture
part of Artcore’s series of digital exhibitions programmed under the banner ‘In Isolation Together’

1/5/20

https://inisolationtogether.artcoreuk.com

Artcore – Curatorial Text

‘The question that looms above us all is how do we isolate but not feel isolated? Art has always reflected the voice of the people, both in times of celebration and in dire circumstances. Now is no different. We know that there are many people, creatives and non-creatives alike that are home either in self-isolation or quarantine. As a result of this, we think this is an opportune moment to have a series of themes online exhibitions. We will be releasing a new exhibition every Friday for the next 5 weeks. We have artists from over 20 countries participating. In Isolation Together is a testament to the spirit of humanity and bridges that creativity has always extended towards society in times of hardship.’

Artcore – Exhibition Text

‘With any new movement, what comes with it is a new visual culture. A new wave in how we perceive and respond. With every era, a new principle of aesthetics has accompanied it. In this show, artists delve into formalistic and conceptual approaches that will fast become pop culture. Loo roll will humorously stand as the mascot in decades to come and future generations will wonder why. Words like ‘Isolation’, ‘Quarantine’ and ‘Lockdown’ have already become a staple of everyday language. Whether we can gauge the change that is happening or not, it is happening. New-ISO Aesthetic Culture explores this change, whether it be materially, emotionally or conceptually.’

Graham Lister (b.1982) is a painter and researcher based in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016, he completed a Practice-based PhD at the Glasgow School of Art. Within this extensive body of research, he focused on the use of painting as a tool for exploring contemporary everyday experiences of space and place through examining surface materialities and barrier forms. His ongoing painting practice is concerned with the activity of painting as a way of distilling lived physical and virtual experiences. His work encompasses gradual abstraction processes which allow him to better understand the visual codes and surface materialities of the spatial environments which so often go unnoticed within our everyday lives. Recent exhibitions in Edinburgh, Manchester and Berlin have made use of large-scale painting installations to explore ways in which gallery spaces can be controlled and altered through the creation of internal barrier-type works. Graham is currently a Lecturer at the Glasgow School of Art, within the department of Painting and Printmaking.

‘In Isolation Together’; restrictions for moving around, with limited contact and few choices for physical activities. With connections and interconnections being ever-more limited, given the current situation comprising lockdowns and barriers to interactions, recent painted works have gained a new sense of significance. Initially starting as aesthetic investigations of barriers and fencing materials, they now read as more significant statements regarding the ways that human contact has been curtailed. With close-contact limited, those previous activities of physically or mentally blocking off, of restricting and of barring access seem of much less importance. It is as if the removal of the possibilities of interaction has opened the eyes of many people to how important ‘real’ movement, real contact and real connection can actually be. Where once there were physical or metaphorical lines segregating communication or interaction, local and global communities have broken down these fences, these barriers, these blockages in new and challenging ways – a new togetherness, in this time of isolation.

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This exhibition, curated by Artcore, and funded by Arts Council England represented a showcase of new and existing works which were examined and re-examined after start of the first nationwide lockdown in 2020. Positioning some new works, made whilst self-isolating, alongside previous works which had been shown internationally in previous years, connections between them, and within my developing research activities became apparent.

Where focus had once been on the physical form and role which barriers and boundary materials play within our everyday environments, the ways that the works for New-ISO Aesthetic Culture were positioned allowed them to be seen in terms of the metaphorical nature of the fence or barrier line. With individuals being controlled in terms of physical movements and interactions, by way of verbal and legal guidelines, the image of the fence here now stands in for emerging forms of social order and control.

The ‘shared’ experiences of being locked down, have brought about interconnected feelings in many; feelings about their ways being ‘barred’ or their ability to be in proximity to others being curtailed. With this exhibition, the recognisable barrier imagery acts as a reminder of the sacrifices that global societies have been making, in terms of free movement, inter-personal support and with regard to physical relationships in these unprecedented times.