CueB Gallery: cyrusNONAME 'Human Farm' (until 1st December 2013)
With a name that seems to be fresh from the internet, the CueB gallery, SE4, presents work by cyrusNONAME, an artist-cum-graphic designer whose work radiates youth, with its complexities and simple ideas in equal measure.
The exhibition boasts both pencil sketches and larger features, such as 'Gloomy Morning', a true-to-life-scale wooden door with an entrancing, multi-coloured design in the glass pane region, showcasing the possibilities of life, beyond what we can touch and what is within our immediate range. The refreshing, youthful exuberance that comes from cyrusNONAME's pieces captures the uncertainty and naivety of youth, and all the colour and ecstasy that it can bring. However there is the inevitable dark edge that is portrayed in the collection, such as the static nature of the wooden door frame, which seems to represent those who will impose their values and indoctrinate us, restricting our potential freedom.
Another image with similar implications is 'Jobs', a somewhat disturbing pencil drawing which needs attention in order to appreciate its content. With a degree of metamorphosis, 'Jobs' shows a drawing of a man and a pig overlapped, with a shackled mouth. There certainly is a blurred boundary between where the image of the man begins, but we can see the animal dominating the human. In turn the artist produces an eerie, sadistic air, and its title suggests a hint of Marxism, portraying the entrapment and limitations of capitalism. This is another clue that shows how the pieces interact with the younger generation. The disturbing nature of this drawing ensures that cyrusNONAME's audience is captivated by more than the bright colours that the collection has to offer.
The artist also expresses his views on another part of society with the 'Education' canvas, another greyscale pencil drawing. This is another controversial, expressive piece, which could be inferred to be referencing the objectification and sexualisation of young girls while critiquing the education system. As the artist is fairly anonymous, it is not clear what his education experience is precisely, however it would be sensible to guess that his secondary education is not too far behind him. We see again the idea of metamorphosis, with a small facial features of a pig while making it clear that this is a portrait of a human girl. She is wearing the attire of an escort, providing the alarming binary effect between innocence and the growing sexual pressures of the young.
In a curational sense, two of cyrusNONAME's sculptures, called 'Sweet Dream' and 'No Wonderland' stagger the progression of the viewer around the gallery. They intentionally block the natural path and seem to launch themselves at us; their bright colours and animal shapes, an elephant and rabbit respectively, are relatable. With this, the artist allows us to enter his world, which is epitomised in the microcosm of his exhibition at the cueB.
The exhibition boasts both pencil sketches and larger features, such as 'Gloomy Morning', a true-to-life-scale wooden door with an entrancing, multi-coloured design in the glass pane region, showcasing the possibilities of life, beyond what we can touch and what is within our immediate range. The refreshing, youthful exuberance that comes from cyrusNONAME's pieces captures the uncertainty and naivety of youth, and all the colour and ecstasy that it can bring. However there is the inevitable dark edge that is portrayed in the collection, such as the static nature of the wooden door frame, which seems to represent those who will impose their values and indoctrinate us, restricting our potential freedom.
Another image with similar implications is 'Jobs', a somewhat disturbing pencil drawing which needs attention in order to appreciate its content. With a degree of metamorphosis, 'Jobs' shows a drawing of a man and a pig overlapped, with a shackled mouth. There certainly is a blurred boundary between where the image of the man begins, but we can see the animal dominating the human. In turn the artist produces an eerie, sadistic air, and its title suggests a hint of Marxism, portraying the entrapment and limitations of capitalism. This is another clue that shows how the pieces interact with the younger generation. The disturbing nature of this drawing ensures that cyrusNONAME's audience is captivated by more than the bright colours that the collection has to offer.
The artist also expresses his views on another part of society with the 'Education' canvas, another greyscale pencil drawing. This is another controversial, expressive piece, which could be inferred to be referencing the objectification and sexualisation of young girls while critiquing the education system. As the artist is fairly anonymous, it is not clear what his education experience is precisely, however it would be sensible to guess that his secondary education is not too far behind him. We see again the idea of metamorphosis, with a small facial features of a pig while making it clear that this is a portrait of a human girl. She is wearing the attire of an escort, providing the alarming binary effect between innocence and the growing sexual pressures of the young.
'Education' by cyrusNONAME. Photograph taken by Let's Make Lots of Monet
In a curational sense, two of cyrusNONAME's sculptures, called 'Sweet Dream' and 'No Wonderland' stagger the progression of the viewer around the gallery. They intentionally block the natural path and seem to launch themselves at us; their bright colours and animal shapes, an elephant and rabbit respectively, are relatable. With this, the artist allows us to enter his world, which is epitomised in the microcosm of his exhibition at the cueB.
