Brian & George Fell: Always Something New at The Atkinson

I went to the Atkinson’s «Brian & George Fell: Always something new», which will be in the first-floor gallery until the 17^th of october, to marvel at what might be the finest temporary exhibition I’ve seen in our museum’s gallery.

The back space is divided into red and blue areas. By themselves, the simplistic, chromatic, mixed-material paintings might not spark much interest. Yet placed cohesively amongst similarly themed sculptures, and set against the blue-coloured reflection/response that faces the red series –all accompanied by an upbeat, funky track– the whole adds up to the epitome of what a gallery should be: when showcasing art, it becomes art itself.
And this is just half the exhibit.

The front-facing part houses the Fells’ sculptures. While it’s a shame these cannot be interacted with, they represent a compelling balance of realism, whimsy, gigantism and cutesy zaniness that has made the Fells the sought-after artists they are. Locals are no strangers to the liveliness their work brings to the Marine Lake, but a room filled in every dimension with their art provides a particularly fulfilling experience.

The curator’s simple but inspired decision to close direct access to the back room of the gallery (still reachable via the right side, through the Zahed Taj-Eddin exhibit lies) is another stroke of genius. Intended in part to separate the space from the film in the «Angels of Mon» exhibition, it successfully isolates what is now the back section of «Always something new». This heightens the sensation of being in one distinct room rather than merely passing through a corridor.

If there’s one not to miss, this is it.