16/01 until 27/03
Bristol
[Taken by me on Samsung Galaxy S5]
Currently there are two exhibitions showing at Spike Island, whereas the Flat Surface Painting exhibition covers most the gallery space the Belt Craft Studios exhibition consists of one short film in a room by itself. Whilst I didn't take too much from Ruaidhri Ryan's film, its score that bled into the rest of the exhibition space added a further depth for Michael Simpson's work. Simpson's mostly monochrome paintings and the forms within them give a sense of the spiritual. This is both enhanced by the choral music in Ryan's film as well as the theory of the 'white cube' being interpreted as another religious vessel. Before seeing this exhibition, I can only remember seeing shows that featured some sort of sculpture or installation at Spike Island. I really enjoyed seeing work confined to the walls in this space, the almost starkness of the paintings is reflected really well in the near-emptiness of the relatively vast space.
