Brightons Arty: Alison Krog

bringing the past to life

We love the boys at Zimmer Stewart Gallery in Arundel. And if you haven’t discovered the allure of this delightful artspace on Tarrant Street, there’s no better time to head over than now. The March exhibition, ‘Projections by Tom Farthing’, is an utter treat, and the artist truly fascinating. The starting points for his paintings are found (mainly American) Kodachrome slides, which he then re-imagines placing the human figure in a contemporary context.

These intriguing portraits capture a response to the past, but at the same time are concerned with projecting possible narratives and alternative realities for today.

It’s the artist’s way of holding a mirror up to society, as he imagines a way forward for painting among the fast-paced, image-saturated contemporary world. Mesmerising stuff. From 6–28 March. Closer to home, a bittersweet melancholy haunts the new exhibition at One Eyed Jack’s gallery, ‘Tomorrow has Passed’, which has been woven by guest curator Mark Peter Drolet – an avid Tumblr user who set out to make ‘new and interesting associations’.

Far from traditional photographic portraits, each work contains a figure (or figures) gazing out of the image or without a face at all. Despite the strong contemporary feel, the works evoke narratives of days gone by, celebrating a chromatic nostalgia for a photographic past. Head to York Place and have your thoughts provoked. Don’t miss: There’s still time to submit your photographs of the city to the FotoDocument/One Planet City photography competition. Its theme is sustainability, and the challenge is to create a photograph that reflects the people, landscape and character of Brighton and Hove, such as Amanda Jackson’s ‘The Dirty Beaches, Sustainable Materials’ featured here. You’ll find more info at photodocument.org.
www.artymagazines.com