1. Market Prices
Jade Montserrat
The afore titled exhibition is a rendering of Jade Montserrat’s past and personal
collection of artifacts, craftily encased into the form of a sculptural installation
composed of hand made wooden market-style bespoke boxes.
These aesthetically have a wholesale consistency, and stacked tall, statuesque in
comparison to the Cresent arts petite partitioned proportions.
Split over two spaces the opening room contains the mass of the piled ‘drawers’.
The second on entrance imposes the as the trajectory of wood is enthused towards the
doorway, almost urging the viewer to respect the privacy of the objects yet intriguing
one to inspect further.
On exploration one finds (some) items visually veiled by the objective stacking
process (partially intended).
Situated in front is a writing table and chair; placed upon the wooden surface is a
monochromic printed catalogue, a mild documentation of the encased artifacts in full.
Some photos depicting obvious matter such as newspaper clippings, teens’ trousers,
badges and yet others of an obscure-secretive nature; wrappings, sealed parcels,
natural matter…
A final reflection of evidence, to frame and consummate.
On review and correspondence with Montserrat, she talks about the contextual
relationship she beholds with each individual presented artifact.
On musing could the idea of this project been unconsciously breeding and maturing
since the early stages of the ambiguous collection and retaining of items, possessions
that reign supreme and find affinity within the discourse of her past?
An excavation of buried past childhood, growth and Remembrance?
Montserrat’s assembled visual presentation is a personal and social petition of rapport
to Baudrillard’s question in his System of Objects “Can man ever use objects to set up
a language that is more than a discourse addressed to himself?”
With the contemporary artist mania of utilizing the practice of ‘collection’, used and
objet trouve- most finding relevance and identity within the artist’s placement,
through the origin of Duchamp and development from the YBA’s (Young British
Artists, 1990)
This adds further facet and discussion to this Scarborough artist’s current sculptural
monument.
An exhibition that manifests as one examines, provokes affection and concludes that
the artist is an artist of ‘ideas’.
Michelle Fuhrer’Santini