Art Review: Greg Holland Photography
Article published: Sunday, February 28th 2010
The Art of Tea is a charmingly chic café-bar in East Didsbury becoming well known for its exhibitions. Until 16 May the walls will be graced with the photography of talented local artist Greg Holland.
The collection documents Greg’s relationship with and experiences of his home town, Burnley. The “post-apocalyptic backdrop to a childhood”, as he terms it, is sensitively portrayed through excellent composition and bleak yet poetic subjects. A shabby and hopeless looking “Love Tester” machine, off-set by the un-romantic presentation of Burnley in the other pictures, is playful in its irony.
Another of the exhibition’s stronger images is of a twisting water slide protruding from a concrete building. The frivolous nature of the slide, which takes centre-stage, is contradicted by the looming city tower-blocks on the horizon. The pictures suggests days of lost glory, a nostalgic take on a carefree childhood later overshadowed by the temptations of big bright city lights. The tone of the exhibition is reflective and the body of works an elegy to the urban structures of everyday life. Holland’s style is unmistakeably cinematic and his colour pallet largely focuses on darker shades and highlights unusual contrasts.
A few photos feature more rural settings. In these pastoral landscapes a more traditional subject matter is approached: a field laden with bales of hay bathing underneath a rolling blue sky. Here, however, Holland avoids predictability. The perspective is unusual and the contrast high, adding an element of excitement and immediate freshness that foils the stark, urban pieces well.
The cafe / exhibition space is laid-back and casual, although not entirely suitable for those wishing to scrutinise the images. Those who do will find themselves craning over tables of chattering customers. The café’s bohemian atmosphere creates an interesting contradiction with the honest, urban photography which may be fitting for some and distracting for others. The setting will not, however, mask that Holland’s photographs are engaging, honest and beautifully executed.
Rachel Jackson
The Art Of Tea
47 Barlow moor Road,
Manchester,
M20 6TW
See here for more of Holland’s work
More: Culture, Exhibition, Manchester
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