THE RED GALLERY

The Red Gallery is a small gallery placed next to a strip of shops piquing the interest of shoppers as they walk by. The gallery is split into 4 rooms, each room exhibiting one artist's work. The gallery is a commercial gallery and therefore turnover of the art exhibited there is quick. The catalogue is accessible for buyers to identify available art. A sign outside the door clearly marks the gallery and the bright red door draws attention to passersby. Lights are suspended on rails on the ceiling for easy mobility as exhibition change. The exhibition I saw had a theme of colour and shape. The artwork that interested me the most was a collection called ‘Driven to Abstraction’ by Rachel Tai who used oil paint to create highly rendered paintings with an abstract element of collage. She explores the space between realism and abstract distorting perception of well-known items. The fluidity of the fabrics contrasts with the harsh lines of the structured collage at points and at others blend into each other, however both create distinct shapes defined by the colours of the material. The concept of exploring the boundaries of reinterpretation at the intersection of real and not interests me. The work excited me as a viewer, the personalised interpretation of the ideas behind the work meant it delivered the concept and stayed visually pleasing. The composition of the works felt balanced, the colours complemented each other and created focal points through their depth and light. This work reflects my painting practice as I also explore the incorporation of abstract into realism, and the use of collage to do this inspires me. I enjoyed this gallery but recognise its commercial nature the works exhibited didn’t range as much as other galleries all of the works being 2 dimensional and none being digital. The curator explains “curation process is strict with over 400 artists applying every year, many applicants have to be turned down”. Therefore, the curation of the exhibition is to be profitable and meets the needs of both artist and gallery in its short show time which is to sell.