The Macabre Masterpiece of Terror

The Macabre Masterpiece of Terror
8 January - 8 February 2009
Monika Bobinska, E2

Luckily not George W Bush's parting crusade, rather 'The Macabre Masterpiece of Terror' is a new exhibition coming to you from the E2 heartland; and therefore likely to be featuring favela-chic junk to symbolise the West's reckless consumption, as told by press releases littered with meaningless euphemisms.

I jest. Adam King's 'Curiositas (Cave of Terror)' installation actually uses thrift shop paraphernalia with dubious magazines and catalogues to create, naturally, a scathing attack on typical Western obsessions such as skinny fashionista's, Hollywood and bloated consumption. A supposedly humorous commentary on culture highs and lows, the joke is lost on me irrelevant of the fact that this complicated work is the most striking piece here.

Taking it's lead from the flamboyance and visual indulgence of the 50's B movie, Adam King along with Kirsten Glass and Peter Lamb grace the Monika Bobinska gallery with three large scale works, updating the movie theme with a socio-political commentary suitable for 2009 audiences.

'Soldie' sees Peter Lamb as shaman, aggressively invoking unwritten controversies between the spirit and visible worlds with a happening of photography, sculpture, undisclosed elements, and paint.

Meanwhile, Kirsten Glass' comparatively demure 'Never Forever' and 'Window Shopper' sees more traditional canvas and print pieces detail what looks like the same three models transferred from advert to artwork - without any change to their lifeless expressions and questionable truths.

Applause is due for artistic vision and the range of media used, but in this new Obama era why not welcome in a new cultural dawn free of Western society bashing?

Andrew Davies
21st January 2009