Peter Russell's new project is a departure from the concern with the relationship between external construct and substructure prevalent in his Millennium show. It differs both thematically and by design, as if the strongly defined lines (Russell's trademark) which supported and cradled the interior had been removed, leaving imprints that have fossilised into delicate tracings whilst maintaining the overall shape of containment.
The theme thus exposed is personal, emotional and fragile. The exhibition, divided into two areas refer to cyclical influences, birth - times and the sea - both governed by the female principle.
The main body of work depicts the days of the week and suggests the supposed traits of birth days and influence on the soul. As the rhyme goes "Monday's child is...". Each piece is fairly uniform in size and format. In general they have a bold, hard frame and a soft centre, employing assemblage techniques which in some cases are so exuberantly constructed that it takes Russell's disciplined palette to avoid sensory overload. The work is hung not in thematic sequence but by visual impact, so that by employing his painterly judgement Russell has created an installation within the gallery.
The side gallery (a connecting corridor) displays a series of smaller works, again uniform in size. Images are embedded into glass box frames, each containing a unique scent such as juniper or rosemary; these act as aides-memoire, enhanced by a billowing construction reminiscent of sea waves. Whereas the larger work reminds us of the past and present, rather in the way that wallpaper layers are stripped down to varying degrees, this gentler section takes us back on a journey of lost childhood, the day we became aware that we were not master of the waves, and that comforting assurance that we are not influential in the wider sphere of events.
This is an exhibition to relax and meditate on.
Karen Strang