Untitled For Now

Urban Coffee Lounge, Smithdown Road
15th August – 30th September 2005

Reviewed by Josephine Raven

Urban Coffee is currently hosting an exhibition by recent graduates of John Moores University, an eclectic mix of styles and techniques broadly based in the traditions of painting and photography.

David Tipping has a unique approach to photography. Compositions such as ‘someone paid’ and ‘think about listening to quiet things’ are carefully arranged and executed to produce thought-provoking and challenging images, the assorted frames adding a further dimension. Other photographic works on display include Annie Houston’s computer generated ‘tongue flower series’ and Malini Vivian’s untitled abstract works, which to me possess a jewel-like quality, saturated and vibrant in colour.

Katronia Edrich mixed media paintings are interesting in their combination of traditional and modern style. They appear to be old worn paintings, recycled and updated to form an entirely new arrangement and thus conveying an alternative meaning. Equally, Jemma Egar’s use of pen and paint on transparent layers is an original and effective concept, while the minimalist cityscape by Christopher Mills and abstract textual pieces of Peter Formela demonstrate an already existing style.

On the whole this exhibition shows a new generation of artists producing work that provides a key balance, offering both originality and uniqueness in their approach to their art while still appealing to a wide range of people.