Spiritus Mundi
An exhibition of artworks by Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2021 Overall Winner
Charles Inge
Curated by Conrad Carvalho
On display at the Ashurst Emerging Artist Gallery, 25th October 2021 - 7th January 2022
Charles Inge
Curated by Conrad Carvalho
On display at the Ashurst Emerging Artist Gallery, 25th October 2021 - 7th January 2022
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Surely some revelation is at hand;
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight.
- W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming
The work of Charles Inge is replete with paradox: contradictory yet interrelated elements that appear rational and recognisable when considered in isolation but illogical when placed together. Self-contained, intermingling agglomerations of shape and form cross-contaminate in bell jars or in the form of larger explosive configurations. The push/pull between containment and the drive to escape or expand evokes our history-defining moment, Spiritus Mundi... the unique socio-cultural environment and outlook that defines the present. The bell jars, which form the core constituents of the exhibition speak to the anxiety and discombobulation that comes with quarantine restrictions. However, observing Inge’s canvases as simply a response to the pandemic would be an oversimplification and disservice to his practice.
The bell jars displayed throughout the exhibition space each hold their own personalities but remain united in their elicitation of uneasiness and scientific experimentation. Ideas, fleeting moments, and events are sealed in place as much of the world has been over the past two years. News media associated with the pandemic, filled with images of microscopic viral matter and the slogans “contain the virus” and “shelter in place” gave new impetus for Inge’s multi-faceted painterly experiments. Often working on several canvases at once, the artist developed his work instinctively with energy whose final “containment” came only from the jar itself, always painted last. While the bell jars isolate an age of angst, they also distil relics of art history itself. Op art, abstract expressionism and cartooning all come to mind alongside the rich history of Dutch floral still lifes from the 17th century. For the latter, one notices fruits, flies and other rotting organic matter - contemporized pastiches from the artist’s frequent visits to the National Gallery here in London.
Sources of inspiration came to Inge from other old masters as well. The supposed painter of another Mundi – Salvator – Leonardo da Vinci used his knowledge as a natural scientist and biologist to study and portray the laws of physics. The movement of water as it was expunged or absorbed from the leaves of plants was fastidiously transferred into the polymath’s paintings, showcasing breathtakingly realistic elemental movements. In Inge’s works like After Leonardo, explosions, undulating ribbons, and the dispersion of matter take da Vinci’s studies and transpose their abstract essence. It could be said that this work along with Yucca Flats and Rockeye, could perhaps symbolize the explosive aftermath after months of being contained or, inversely, the raw energy that had to be contained as a result of the pandemic. Nonetheless, they represent big bang moments for the artist, a creative release that might signal the physical destruction of his studio in Soho last year. Indeed, enigmatic meanings and hidden messages are key to Spiritus Mundi and in the work of Charles Inge. With newly imposed lockdowns still happening today, what will the long term consequences be when it comes to this cycle of containment and release?
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight.
- W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming
The work of Charles Inge is replete with paradox: contradictory yet interrelated elements that appear rational and recognisable when considered in isolation but illogical when placed together. Self-contained, intermingling agglomerations of shape and form cross-contaminate in bell jars or in the form of larger explosive configurations. The push/pull between containment and the drive to escape or expand evokes our history-defining moment, Spiritus Mundi... the unique socio-cultural environment and outlook that defines the present. The bell jars, which form the core constituents of the exhibition speak to the anxiety and discombobulation that comes with quarantine restrictions. However, observing Inge’s canvases as simply a response to the pandemic would be an oversimplification and disservice to his practice.
The bell jars displayed throughout the exhibition space each hold their own personalities but remain united in their elicitation of uneasiness and scientific experimentation. Ideas, fleeting moments, and events are sealed in place as much of the world has been over the past two years. News media associated with the pandemic, filled with images of microscopic viral matter and the slogans “contain the virus” and “shelter in place” gave new impetus for Inge’s multi-faceted painterly experiments. Often working on several canvases at once, the artist developed his work instinctively with energy whose final “containment” came only from the jar itself, always painted last. While the bell jars isolate an age of angst, they also distil relics of art history itself. Op art, abstract expressionism and cartooning all come to mind alongside the rich history of Dutch floral still lifes from the 17th century. For the latter, one notices fruits, flies and other rotting organic matter - contemporized pastiches from the artist’s frequent visits to the National Gallery here in London.
Sources of inspiration came to Inge from other old masters as well. The supposed painter of another Mundi – Salvator – Leonardo da Vinci used his knowledge as a natural scientist and biologist to study and portray the laws of physics. The movement of water as it was expunged or absorbed from the leaves of plants was fastidiously transferred into the polymath’s paintings, showcasing breathtakingly realistic elemental movements. In Inge’s works like After Leonardo, explosions, undulating ribbons, and the dispersion of matter take da Vinci’s studies and transpose their abstract essence. It could be said that this work along with Yucca Flats and Rockeye, could perhaps symbolize the explosive aftermath after months of being contained or, inversely, the raw energy that had to be contained as a result of the pandemic. Nonetheless, they represent big bang moments for the artist, a creative release that might signal the physical destruction of his studio in Soho last year. Indeed, enigmatic meanings and hidden messages are key to Spiritus Mundi and in the work of Charles Inge. With newly imposed lockdowns still happening today, what will the long term consequences be when it comes to this cycle of containment and release?
