A
new exhibition by the young British artist Emma McGuire inspired by her time
immersed within New York’s cage-fighter subculture, will open at Chatsworth on
11 July and run through until 8 November 2013.
Through
McGuire’s characteristic use of photographic and mono-lithographic printing
techniques the exhibition, titled ‘XXXX’ aims to challenge established ideas
around male identity, violence and beauty. McGuire’s work explores the
inherent tension between society’s perceptions of cage-fighters and the reality
of their personal narratives.
The
‘XXXX’ exhibition features large-scale, abstracted images of cage fighters in
combat captured in Atlantic City, New Jersey during 2011 and hand-processed
throughout 2012.
McGuire,
who grew up in Nottingham but is half-American, divides her time between London
and New York, which is where her interest in the subject was initially sparked
by regular visits to the famous Renzo Gracie Fight Club. There she met the
Gracie family, known for their founding of Brazilian jiu-jitsu as well as their
success in combat sport competitions.
“There
is a long standing tradition of gladiatorial games, predating antiquity, which
is now being popularised in contemporary TV series like ‘Spartacus’. How
comfortable we feel about our spectatorship, which is essentially voyeuristic,
of this often violent sport is an overlooked factor in the continuation of the
tradition,” says McGuire.
“Although
my initial focus was capturing the fighters during the photographic stage,
interestingly it was during the printing process that the spectators emerged as
a parallel subject matter – and our voyeuristic nature as human beings became
amplified.”
The
resultant pictures were further developed using McGuire’s unique
mono-lithographic technique, which progressively degrades the original plate
producing a slightly different image each time. These abstracted, long exposure
images have been developed into a variety of sizes, with some of the artworks
over a metre high, and will be displayed in the North Sketch Gallery at
Chatsworth.
McGuire
first met the Duke of Devonshire while studying at the Royal College of Art and
over the years he became an admirer and collector of her work. “I acquired
several artworks from Emma McGuire’s ‘Warrior’ exhibition in 2012 and it was
there that we began to talk about a new show for Chatsworth. I’m delighted that
we’ve been able to make it happen with XXXX and that more people will get to
see her provocative but beautiful work.”
XXXX
is a solo exhibition of Emma McGuire’s work (http://www.emma-mcguire.com/) and entry
is free with the purchase of a ‘House and Garden’ ticket. It includes
predominantly new pictures as well as some images seen as part of the ‘Warrior’
joint exhibition with the artiste Echo Morgan at Blackhall Studios, London
during October 2012.
Other
exhibitions at Chatsworth:
Rembrandt
van Rijn (1606-1669): Drawings – ‘Views from the riverbank: landscapes by
Rembrandt’. 10 March
– 31 July 2013 in the Old Master Drawings Cabinet. Rembrandt’s often
deceptively simple style and the spontaneity and economy with which he sketched
is evident in this display of ten landscape drawings. This is the first time
they have been displayed for visitors at Chatsworth since they were purchased
by the second Duke of Devonshire in 1724/25.
Beyond
Limits (9 Sept – 27 Oct)
– monumental sculpture exhibition in the garden including leading artists from
around the world. In recent years the exhibition has included new work from
Damien Hirst and Marc Quinn amongst others.
Modern
Makers (18 Sept – 23 Dec)
- For the first time contemporary applied art will be shown in the New Gallery.
Makers including Joseph Walsh, Maisie Broadhead and Junko Mori will create
furniture, ceramics, metalwork and textiles to deliver a fresh take on
Chatsworth’s State Rooms.
Over 150 examples of the Porsche marque, spanning a range of models, headed to Beaulieu for the first Simply Porsche event, held in the grounds of the National Motor Museum. An enthusiast’s delight, the fantastic display of these iconic cars with their distinctive styling, didn’t disappoint.
