Rixhibition

MuseumMan, Top Floor, 48 Rodney Street, L1 5AA
August 6th - August 19th

Reviewed by Colin Serjent

Rixhibition, named after the show's organiser Richard Wilkie Riley, is the latest in a series of intriguiing and diverse shows at Museum MAN.

The main contributor to the exhibition, which features the work of 16 people, is Kate Cousins, who Riley believes "is the most artistic of all the artists involved." Perhaps the most striking of her work is the six t-shirts, some with very vivid colours, hung in a row on coat hangers which are shaped into figures of people.

"Kate would have preferred to have used mannequins to hang her t-shirts on but they were too expensive," explained Riley.

She has also designed a dress made from Kwiksave carrier bags - the old type! - as well as fabric designs. Cousins was assisted in her work by her sister Jill.

Richard himself shows a DVD he produced, filmed in Dingle, Toxteth, and Aigburth, of the end section of terraced houses. They are generally uniform in character but at times they do possess a certain fascination in their mundane surroundings. Also on the DVD is a short film by Craig Sinclair.

Riley, who is also a rap singer, includes drawings edited on a photocopier and used with different backgrounds. "They are basically derived from periods of stream of consciousness," he said.

Coli, a local DJ, presents colourful geometric patterns in his art, with Gen Baker using black and white photographs taken over a four-year period, mounting what could be termed a photo memory montage.

Nick Jones, another photographer, presents five quirky images of Liverpool-based band Zombina and the Skeletones.

Stencil graffiti artist Frank Smith, uses iconic images in his work, with the application of simple colour techniques.The stencils on the bare floor of the exhibition space were also produced by Smith.

Michael Finch exhibits kaleidoscopic A3 sized pieces. He uses ink but generally works predominantly in computer imagery.

Riley was honest enough to say that "all the people involved in the exhibition are all enthusiastic but none of them take their work too seriously. No one is going to make a profession out of it."

Rixhibition runs until 22 August.