Looking East, Looking West

'Looking east looking west' is a painting by Jo Bruton first exhibited in the Human Abstract in No4a Gallery in Worcestershire and then the Discerning Eye Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London

‘Looking East, Looking West’ explores a dialogue between the spectacle of performance and abstract painting. Connections between painter and performer are reflected in gestures and activities that correspond with repetition and routine. Painted fragments of Costume and decoration are used to create an experience of form that evokes a narrative around a female presence. It also creates an awkward space for the subject to occupy and navigate. Archive material acts as a resource for new narratives to emerge where information is reduced and flattened to become visual motifs. By isolating, transferring, repeating and repositioning these physical and material fragments Bruton alludes to questions of stability, where elements appear moveable and subject to change. Costume and decoration reference popular entertainment such as the Circus and Music Hall. ‘Looking East, Looking West’, is one of a series of paintings that use references from the National Fairground Archive. Through costume and performance, individuals construct their own identities and transform the everyday through extraordinary acts of courage and daring.

‘Looking East, Looking West’ extends a dialogue with Bruton’s past works such as ‘Cosmic Candy’ and ‘Capitiane Can-Can’ where references to cheerleading and chorus girls are embedded within the work. The decorative as a subject has traditionally occupied the margins of mainstream fine art practice by using the chorus line up which usually frames the main event it becomes the focus and central theme for the audience to correspond with. ‘Cosmic Candy’ and ‘Capitaine Can-Can’ were included in group exhibitions ‘Variety’ at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea in 2005 and ‘Working against the System’. At Gallery North, Newcastle and Transition Gallery, London. 2011 ‘Variety’ showcased artists using theatre in their work such as Mark Wallinger, Cindy Sherman and Susan Hiller. And ‘Working Against The System’, which challenged mainstream attitudes towards methods and materials within contemporary painting. Included DJ Simpson, Katie Pratt and Noel Forster. This formed part of the publication, ‘About Painting’.