40 Years of the Future: Jo McGonigal x Frank Bowling at Castlefield Gallery
Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor
Castlefield Gallery’s next chapter of the anniversary programme 40 Years of the Future is here, with Jo McGonigal x Frank Bowling.
The two artists’ unique perception of space translates into a compelling display where the two bodies of work effortlessly weave around each other. Creating a few decades apart, both Bowling and McGonigal explore the relationships between painting, sculpture and architecture.
A story from the book Frank Bowling: Sculpture (2022), illustrates Bowling’s playful attitude to his art: in 1980 he received an invitation from Castlefield Gallery to exhibit his painting alongside the work of contemporary sculptor. As a response, Bowling provided the sculptures himself, alongside the painting, leading to a solo exhibition of his work in 1988.
Despite being best known for his abstract paintings, Bowling’s sculptures are usually compositions of welded steel, mixing influences and forms: his work amalgamates varied influences from classical African sculpture to Modernism, Cubism and Russian Constructivism.
Jo McGonigal is a Manchester based, contemporary multimedia artist best known for her installation work, or in other words, deconstructed paintings. She is not constrained by the canvas, frame or even a traditional rectangle as a basis for a composition. 3D elements escape definitions with wiry neons and small piles of pure pigment gathered on geometric structures. Most recently, she began to apply gesso (canvas primer) directly onto gallery walls before adding layers of chalk, textiles and even archaeological elements to the installations.
Both artists’ work meets here – they share an interest in geometry and a certain preference for visual minimalism, despite the rich hues in Bowling’s paintings. Grids and spirals commonly appear in his paintings and sculptures and symbolise the universal laws of nature and form. In a somewhat related manner, McGonigal uses organic materials such as animal glue and marble dust to prepare the gesso – materials that have been produced over long periods of geological or deep time.
The show is also a rare opportunity to see Bowling’s sculptures which are rarely displayed.
