Re-circulating the past

THE Underculture Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery in Park Drive is open for an unusual and evocative exhibition for the delight of Bay art enthusiasts.

The Hourglass Collection, the work of fine artist Aidon Westcott, opened last week.

East London-born Westcott is a "mixed-media maestro" who transforms the "everyday ephemera of yesteryear into complex, multi-layered artworks that resonate deeply with the viewer", according to gallery director Cedric Vanderlinden.

Westcott said he had been working with the medium of collage for the past 10 years and that it was the second time his work was shown in the Bay.

Drawing inspiration from the beauty he saw in collectors' items bought from antique shops, Westcott said: "My work re-circulates past forgotten memories to modern contemporary society".

His nostalgic collages are combined with hand-stitching and thread, and he also oil-paints over antique documents such as leaflets, handbills, tickets, trade cards, programmes, packaging, adverts, posters, postcards, photographs and old newspaper clippings.

The collages "act as a metaphorical hourglass which keeps the past and present simultaneously in a constant state of change while the idea of preservation is upheld," Vanderlinden said.

"Steeped in nostalgia and symbolism, Aidon's works seamlessly stitch together the past and the present, reflecting the transient tragedy of the human condition."

He said Westcott's trademark fish symbol swam quietly through each work, and reminded the viewer to look beneath the surface to "explore the deeper things and hidden individual truths".

"The magic of the souvenirs lies within the attention and manipulation of context, the reinterpretation of the old with the idea of the new in relation to the world of everyday life," Vanderlinden said.

The narrative lies beyond the objects, hidden away among the memory and experience of the viewer's non-linguistic internal universe, he said.

Westcott said he hoped Bay art lovers would be reminded of fond childhood memories when viewing the work and perhaps even recognise items they once had in their homes.

The exhibition may be viewed at 98A Park Drive until April 4.

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