A private view of Art for Guernsey’s latest exhibition is taking place this evening, (18.00), with the gallery open to the public from tomorrow morning, (10.00).
The exhibition looks to transport visitors back into Guernsey’s history, with works inspired by its megalithic period.
That was the time period in which early man first started creating structures out of stone, positioning them one on top of the other without mortar.
Across Europe, over 35,000 megalithic structures have been discovered. Guernsey has three of them – Delancey Dolmen, La Platte Mare, and La Varde.
The collection of work is brought to the Mill Street Gallery thanks to the efforts of artists James Colmer and Vesna Parchet, and Magnus Buchanan, the Head of English at Elizabeth College.
Mr Colmer said: “While these pieces maintain my usual vibrant aesthetic, there’s something more spiritual here, something that reaches further back in time.”
The Guernsey-based artist continued: “I’ve introduced figures into several paintings; narrators of the poetry, transporting viewers into the perspective of someone standing in that place thousands of years ago.”
Vesna Parchet added: “To prepare for this show, I reflected not only on my own experiences on the island but also on a shared realm of connected history and ancient psyche that still resonates within us to this day.”
The London-based artist continued by focussing on the collaboration that went into the exhibition: “I feel very fortunate to have shared this journey with James and Magnus, having this creative exchange of ideas along the way and being inspired by their own ways of expressing similar concepts.”
Along with the bright and vivid colours seen in Mr Colmer’s body of work, or the themes of collaboration and shared history of Ms Parchet’s art, Mr Buchanan has produced a series of poems to complement the artworks.
He said: “Creating poetry to accompany these soulful and primal visions of the Neolithic was an intriguing challenge. As a long-time admirer of James’s work and an immediate fan of Vesna’s pictures, I was delighted to be involved.”
Mr Buchanan continued: “I feel sure that Guernsey’s Neolithic people would have had their storytellers, and I’ve tried to stay close to a more oral culture in these poems which attempt to capture the inner voice of the island’s early inhabitants.”
Those behind the curation of the exhibition have hoped to provide a focus to the time of the first people to call our islands home,.
Jock Pettitt, the Curation Director of Art for Guernsey, said: “This exhibition sought to strip back the familiar layers of our contemporary environment and look at the islands through the lens of the people who inhabited these lands thousands of years before us, and who have left so many enduring reminders of their time here.
“The structures and forms that remain pose so many questions: who were they, what brought them here, how did they live and how do these structures tell us something more about them?”
OSA Recruitment have sponsored the show, with Sophie Gregson, Managing Director, saying: “We’re so excited to be the sole sponsor of Art for Guernsey’s latest exhibition, The Lidded Lands, featuring stunning works by James Colmer and Vesna Parchet, beautifully complemented by poems from Magnus Buchanan.”
Ms Gregon added: “It’s always a pleasure to support David Ummels and his amazing team, and everything they’re doing for Guernsey and our community. We’d love for you to come along and experience this wonderful exhibition.”
Art for Guernsey are hosting a special Q&A session tomorrow, (16.00 – Saturday 15), with Jock Pettitt as host, joined by artist James Calmer, and giving the Guernsey public a chance to pick the brains of artist Vesna Parchet.