Title: William Morris, "Ministering to the swinish luxury of the rich"
Abstract: William Morris: “Ministering to the Swinish Luxury of the Rich” -
AN EXHIBITION BY DAVID MABB
10 April to 23 December 2004
The Whitworth Art Gallery has invited David Mabb, a well established and widely exhibited artist to spend time ‘behind the scenes’, working with the Gallery’s permanent collection of William Morris textiles and wallpapers, to create new work based on the collection which will be displayed in the exhibition alongside a number of original Morris artefacts from the Gallery’s extensive collection. The exhibition offers an exciting way for visitors to view the historic collections and, at the same time, see David’s large scale contemporary works in context.
David Mabb is a visual and installation artist whose work explores that of other artists and creates contemporary work based on it. David’s recent work has been based on the designs of William Morris. He has created a number of works, which are made by overworking Morris textiles with acrylic paint blocking out particular areas and highlighting selected details.
In this exhibition, David has created an ‘environment’ bursting with Morris designs and juxtaposing original historic works, commercially printed wallpapers and his own contemporary work – an installation which blurs the boundaries between a historical museum display and a contemporary art show, between authentic Morris & Co textiles and wallpapers and contemporary mass produced copies of the same, between interior decoration and art.
The Whitworth’s fine art, textiles and wallpaper collections are ‘designated’ by government as an outstanding collection, the work of William Morris and other Arts and Crafts designers is particularly well represented. The Gallery’s collection of wallpapers, printed and woven textiles by Morris & Co are near comprehensive. By recycling familiar images in fresh contexts the exhibition raises questions about authenticity and originality, about the notion of the artist as individual genius and about value in art.
Publication Year: 2004
Publication Date: 2004-04-01
Language: en
Type: article
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