Friday 9th until Thursday 29th April 2010 @ The Grant Bradley Art Gallery, Bristol

The raw shock ink blot test goes dotty spotty and potty: Adam Closs returns with an exhibition by Rorschach’s ink blot tests, done entirely in black and white whilst experimenting with taking the pressure out of the canvas, creating deep 3D reliefs. Most artists paint or sculpt in order to get a particular message or meaning across, but not so for Adam Closs. He’s dedicated his life to creating conceptual works that aim to do the exact opposite to this, leaving it up to the viewer to decide for themselves what they’re looking at.

It’s a big claim but one he’s made an impressive stab at with his latest exhibition, Black And White. Set against the vast white walls of The Grant Bradley Gallery, the pieces draw inspiration from the famous inkblot tests developed by Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach. Attendees to the preview stood before the paintings as though they were trying to read maps, each seeing something different in the squashed butterfly/barking dog/puddle of spilt jam (just a few interpretations…) before them.

The pieces that made the most impact were large sheets of plain cream linen, twisted and crumpled into different shapes. These works of art seemed to draw their characteristics from whoever was looking at them, so that to one person they resembled weather-worn rock formations, while to another they drew to mind a wave-lapped shore.

There’s something uniquely relaxing about gazing at a work of art without any preconceived right or wrong interpretation. Adam says: “When I create a work of art, I’m creating a space for people to give themselves permission to actually see whatever they want to see, rather than what they think they should.”

www.adamcloss.co.uk

www.grantbradleygallery.co.uk

Judy Darley www.essentialwriters.com