On the feast day of St. Brigid I was lucky enough to be able to visit Tony Galuidi and Gavin Parry’s exhibition at Kirkleatham Museum. The paintings and photographs are on show in the Bellamy Pavilion, a light modern building standing apart from the main museum. There is no sense of overcrowding and it’s all very spacious and airy, which is necessary when viewing images of objects so linked to the landscape from an indoor point of view.
When I arrived at the gallery after taking in the many delights of the main museum, there were school children running everywhere and teachers trying to round the rascals up. I feared it might make the quiet contemplation of these artworks a trifle difficult, but they were soon gone and tranquility was restored.
Tony’s paintings, which vary in size from large to pretty bloody massive, give an impression of enigmatic timelessness. His megaliths are often set against brooding skies and billowing clouds. He places them as sentinels defying the elements, lashed by wind and rain, resilient in their solitude. The textures of the surfaces themselves, their imperfections and differences, are keenly observed and rendered. You could reach in and touch the roughness of the cold rock.
Gavin’s brightly monochrome photographs depict standing stones and circles set in luminous landscapes which sweep off into the distance. He is clearly concerned with the totality of their influence and the statements being made by their architects. Placement is key and is part of the puzzle: Why are they where they are? Tangible links that stretch back through time into prehistory, each stone was located in position for a reason by our ancestors, people like you and me, with complex ideas, societies and beliefs. Interpretations can be guessed at but not fully fathomed.
There’s a lot to unlock in this exhibition and much to enjoy. All the work is on sale, proceeds go the Trussel Trust. It’s on until the 19th of March, so there’s still time to get there, and the museum comes very highly recommended too.
Tony Galuidi www.darkmountains.co.uk/about
Gavin Parry https://teessidepsychogeography.wordpress.com/
The Trussell Trust www.trusselltrust.org
taphonomy 