The bird is gone but the light remains
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The bird is gone but the light remains, 2008
鳥が出たけどまだ明るいている。７月１０−２０日、ATVP、シドニー
10 – 20 july – At the vanishing point, Newtown (Sydney)
Ambiguousity
Thomas Guichard and Alex MacIver – A collaboration exploring the ambiguous nature of ambiguity.
Text by Fraser MacDonald. Text to be read by the artists in third, or fourth, person, in a theatrical tone.
Guichard’s magnum opus is perhaps fatefully lingering ‘mongst the vortex of pre-production. Both MacIver and he seem to skiff both the post and crossbar of contemporary art, respectively, in this perplexing offering. MacIver has altered Guichard’s – who has dexterously avoided ‘the meticulous’ – drawings with colours synonymous with retinal aggravation, exploring collaborative projects simply with a ‘next step’ attitude. Guichard’s avoidance of ‘the meticulous’ comes down to the old adage of “you can take the artist out of France… and then place/find him in either Japan or Dundee, or surrounding areas (or perhaps dis-place?–Noun), and this goes for ‘artist’ plural, irrespective of how many the plural denotes,…..but you can’t take the France out of artist. We ask ourselves ‘is this because the letters F,N,C and E aren’t in the make-up of the term ‘artist’, and we respond ‘I’m really not sure?’.
It is amidst Guichard’s portraits that the viewer must first ponder any ‘meaning’. His faux-realist offerings depict the collaboratee, MacIver, in a flux of contentment. MacIver, it seems, is enjoying himself. Why not, he was on holiday at the time. As product of a joke perhaps, or other humorous moment, MacIver has offered illuminating poses that may chart or reference a narrative, best understood at the time. It is within this vaccum of dialogue we ponder MacIver’s effervescent conversational traits, and here we find references to humour, but they are so subtle they have all but evaporated.
This collaboration is synonymous with the way in which artists collaborate. With either two, three or advancing numbers working together on a show – a marvellous insight into the successes of cross continental conversa-trons leading to such collaborations. Here’s to the digital age!….
….Or not? Guichard’s humble renderings pursue annals foreign to that of the new successfulists. MacIver also turns his back on successfulism, with ill-orchestrated ‘alterations’ or ‘interventions’ directed to embarrass the composition of Guichard’s apparently ambiguous poses – although I think we can all see that MacIver is blatantly squeezing his right tit in one? MacIver’s additions to the portraits house comment directed at Guichards’ drawings, but it’s really hard to tell what he’s trying to say? The 2D installations linger around a parody of another artist, I can’t remember his name, but I’m assured this is correct.
Thomas Guichard, Ecouteurs, part of Gallery, A New Contemporary Space™- International Recognition Series (1 of 1).
A few words about Thomas Guichard – text by Dr Fraser Macdonald
Gallery, A New Contemporary Space has never heard of Tom Guichard, and would also like to distance itself from the artwork, and non-persona, of Alexander McIver.
McIver has previously, unforgettably, exhibited in Gallery, A New Contemporary Space, thus we are wise to the futile, overtly methodical approach employed by him to persuade his admittedly rare medium of Tory painting upon the masses. Alex as Function, his morbidly self-indulgent personal study exhibition – of himself – didn’t interest anyone and consummated the lack of skill evident in his earlier works, accumulating in what can only be described as an insult to the brush, and acrylic stalwarts Daler-Rowney. Though Guichard, it seems, is nobody’s fool…
…Thomas Guichard: the French-born, Nantes-trained, Japan-dwelled, Dundee-visited and Australia future-lived, likes thinking about art. Unlike McIver, his work denotes a level of daring, practicing in a wholly unexplored medium: the audacious combination of art and music (sic)! The raised platform Guichard performs on tonight (a generous bonus for Gallery, A New Contemporary Space’s opening night) is purely metaphorical, and shouldn’t be taken seriously. In fact, ignore it completely. But don’t ignore Guichard, because he is the fortunate fifth exhibit-or in Gallery, A New Contemporary Space! Congratulation, Thomas!
The title Ecouteurs, meaning headphones in the Queen’s tongue, challenges preconceptions of language, on an international scale. Crafted from wood – meaning long hours on a workshop, on an international scale – it is very easy to really like this admirable bit of art. Though don’t stop there please, examine the work closely and the abundant dexterity of manufacture evidently conceals deeper connotations, so deep in fact that when first discovered, Wallpaper magazine thoughtfully highlighted them in What a find! Really really clever!
*Special tanks to Euan Taylor and Fraser Macdonald, Gavin McGinty and Alex McIver
audacious combination of art and music: humour oblige, Messieurs Dame..
