The gratuitous female nudity of the British tabloids isn't a subject typically associated with fine art, and that's partly the point in 'Actress Slash Model', Martin Maloney's new exhibition at Timothy Taylor in London.
Click here to see more works from the exhibition.
Like Andy Warhol's iconic Campbell's Soup Cans or the nurse paintings of Richard Prince, Maloney's pop culture appropriations encourage a re-examination of the familiar, in this case, soft porn depictions of the naked body.
His titillating collages are built on paper using pieces of old and discarded canvases to create striking, oddly abstract patchworks, at once mimicking and deconstructing the original photography on which they're based.
They beg the question: how far can a figurative image be altered before the essential nature of the form changes? Despite extensive distortions the reconstructed work retains much of the sensuality and feeling of the originals. Cheeky grins, lascivious stares and playful postures are all still there. These women might look like the Frankenstein-esque creations of a mad scientist but they are still clearly women, and they're still sort of sexy.
By illuminating the everyday images we might otherwise not think much about, Maloney's representations are a visual call to stop and smell the roses. And if nothing else, given the craftsmanship on display here, we'd say it's a stop worth the time.
INFORMATION
Martin Maloney will be in conversation with Emma Dexter at 6.30pm on Tuesday 29 April at the Timothy Taylor Gallery, 15 Carlos Place, London W1K 2EX.
- Event dates
- 16 April 2008 to 17 May 2008
- Website
- http://www.timothytaylorgallery.com
- Address
- Timothy Taylor Gallery
15 Carlos Place
London W1K 2EX
and
21 Dering Street
London W1S 1AL
