John Moores Painting Prize

Upon entering this part of the Walker Art Gallery I was washed with disappointment. Badly curated. That just about sums it up. the favourite 'Spectrum of Jesus' by Keith Coventry is just about understandable compared to the others. A blue portrait, not fabulously painted behind a glass frame in such a light it is difficult to see past your own reflection, and I get that, the artist has requested that positioning, he wanted the viewer to work to see past themselves in the reflection so it is understandable though some may say there is a sense of it being a last minute idea when the artist was looking for a solution to make a crap painting look good and win favour over the others...which wouldn't have been too difficult.

Alright there is a display of talent, skill and such in other entries, but that's all I can see, there is no meaning or purpose of the work other than to try and put across some skill as if the artists are focused on looking for commissions rather than the pleasure of creating the art.

Nicholas Middleton 'Protest, 1st April 2009' has amazing detail and is photo realistic considering to short period it was painted, to win visitor's choice is understandable because the public identifies the skill, but, as always I find a flaw, I don't see a focus, is it the violin player? Plinth? Who? What? and WHY??? I don't see purpose other than for the artist to dissect a scene and paint it with intention of selling. I hate this lack of love, it's depressing to witness the painters fall from grace from revolutionary to profit. Maybe it's because I didn't read or listen to the critics or artist reviews but i feel that taints perspective into thinking one way, this show has really upset me...

It feels like the Turner Prize when it was hosted in Liverpool Tate, only there I understood that it could have had something to do with Tate Modern not wanting the show to be even more of a success than its own therefore giving Tate Liverpool the confidence to hold an even better exhibition in the future.

Look on the bright side, I can do better.

Now the Shanghai Contemporary Painting Prize was amazing in comparison. My favourite piece was by Zou Tao called 'Excretion Factory'.

I found this hilarious in my own way. the piece itself looks beautiful, the machine is painted with precision to the angles cleanly executed adding to this sterile cleanliness as one would expect in a science facility. Now we see the scientist in the corner, a mechanic for the machine to by the looks of it, now we see what he is examining...crap, literally. I find this suggests a number of things, is he addressing the viewer? suggesting we are also examining crap...In which case I agree with the room 'Spectrum Jesus' is housed in. Or is it more political? Cultural? Maybe a suggestion to how we are so finicky that even what comes out of us as waste is examined to make sure all is well with our health...

This painting really tickled my fancy for the hilarity within it, others seem to see it too, but it does annoy me to see people look at the title first then the painting, I feel it ruins paintings somehow if you don't stop to examine the painting first, then look at the title with a completely new understanding than you would have otherwise.

This in turn has really gotten me to think how I want my own work to interpret to the viewer, how it would be presented, I would certain pieces to remain together as a group in a smaller room whilst others could be hung on a wall, though I would want the surrounding pieces of other works to compliment my own. I think pieces with a focus on identity would work as well as space...

The following is an Extended edition of my Paper Hands using a different pen and paper type. I think this works just as well though I am unsure about the extended music box soundtrack. Anyway, this piece I believe would work well on a simple flat screen though if the space was offered I would have the video large on one wall, the small sculpture on the floor in a large boxed off space and A3 photos of the letter writing set up on the opposite wall.