Paper
Fred Tomaselli
White Cube - Masons Yard
17 MARCH - 13 MAY 2017
Free
Tomaselli began working on 'The Times' series in 2005 and has continued work on this throughout the years up until now. A satirical exploration of today's current affairs; the works establish the destruction and chaos of the modern world, as well as highlighting the most dominant and powerful people in society today for what they really are - sardonic monsters.
The works themselves are bold, not just in what they are doing (he has some balls, I'll give him that), but also in their visuals. An explosion of colour and content, Tomaselli's work is like a bad acid trip. However, this isn't just a bad dream which will be over in a few hours - this is real life. What stood out to me was the incredibly intricate detail Tomaselli manages to attain in the works. Cosmic imagery is heavily prevalent, many of the images look as if they are mapping out the stars in the night sky. This has the effect of reminding us that we are one small blip in the universe, that these problems we face are created by man and, really, we only have ourselves to blame.
Keeping much of the original photographs, Tomaselli selects and edits them through the medium of paint, to take on a whole new form. Like a collage in reverse - Tomaselli blocks out the parts of the image not needed, whether this be the faces of those pictured, the bodies, or the general surroundings. He helps us to focus in on the content, and see it in a new light - however, this light isn't completely detached from the news story. In fact, it only emphasises the content behind the story in a exaggerated and darkly comical way.
Tomaselli's works have a great skill to them, not just through their attention to detail but through the messages they convey. He is not only a great painter, but a great creative thinker and preacher of sorts. His work, both highly original and brave, is all the more important during a time where print journalism is slowly dying out.
Upstairs at the exhibition, Tomaselli has created portraits of people through the drugs they use. This ties in with their astrological signs and personal experiences. Each one is different from the next, and it is fascinating to see how one's life may be mapped out in this way. Of course, Tomaselli's interest in drugs explain his bizarre and psychedelic artwork, however, these works also draw back to the idea of the sublime universe, bigger than us and infinitely more important.
Tomaselli's exhibition is scary, beautiful and sobering. Imagination and creativity jump off the page, and I can guarantee you won't see another thing like it this year, or ever...
OVERALL RATING: *****
http://whitecube.com/exhibitions/fred_tomaselli_masons_yard_2017/
