Putting Your Foot In It!
Curated by Samuel L. Herbert
Blackbird Rook is pleased to present ‘Putting Your Foot in It!’, a group exhibition curated by Samuel L. Herbert.
August 9 – September 12, 2023
Exhibiting artists: Caroline Achaintre, Grant Foster, Samuel L. Herbert, Paul Housley, Andi Magenheimer, Jost Munster, Anthony Wilson Piper, Alex J. Pollard, Milly Thompson, Suzy Willey
Grant Foster, Measure by Measure, 2017, Bleach, charcoal, glue, oil stick and pigment on collaged canvas, 150 × 115 cm
The title refers to an essay (Les pieds dans le plat) written by the Belgian poet Louis Scutenaire to accompany the 1948 exhibition of René Magritte’s ‘Période Vache’ paintings. The paintings themselves are a relatively unknown series of oils and gouaches made by the artist for his first solo exhibition held in Paris. They were conceived by Magritte as a provocation towards the Parisian Surrealists (with whom, the Belgian Magritte had fallen out after the war) as well as a defiant gesture towards the arrogance of the Parisian art scene. His absurd use of the term ‘Vache’ (cow) is twofold: Firstly, it links the paintings to the work of the Fauves, with which they share a common visual language of direct, unrestrained colour, and, secondly, the term ‘Vache’ in French can also be used to describe something as being ‘mean’ or ‘nasty’, which adds more context to Magritte’s deliberately crude handling and aggressive jumbling of styles and motifs.
Anthony Wilson Piper, Black Cat, 1986, Acrylic on board, 100 × 80 cm
Despite failing to sell any work, the 1948 solo show did succeed in offending the Parisian Surrealists and was met with incomprehension and hostility by the Parisian art scene. Other than that, it was soon forgotten, in fact, within a matter of weeks, Magritte had reverted back to his signature ‘reserved’ style for which he is most commonly known. In the decades since, the work has grown in importance; the visual strategies employed by Magritte in making these paintings anticipate some of the key elements of what became known as ‘bad painting’ in the late 70s and 80s, which led directly to Neo-Expressionism in Germany, Transavantgarde in Italy and Figuration Libre in France.
Suzy Willey, Long Story, 2018, Oil on canvas, 60 × 60 cm
For this exhibition, Herbert has selected a group of contemporary artists whose practices all share an affinity with the ideas Magritte unleashed in the ‘Période Vache’; whether it be through the absurd jumbling of ‘high’ and ‘low’ signifiers, the spontaneous and direct use of paint, or a confrontational undermining of artistic ‘good taste’, all the works are suffused with the same subversive spirit apparent in Magritte’s ‘Vache’ paintings. To ‘put one’s foot in it’, means to do something tactless or embarrassing, however, in terms of contemporary art, it has also become an effective strategy for putting one’s ‘best foot forward’.
Alexander James Pollard, Cat God, 2020, Oil on board, 59.5 × 42 cm
The Fifty Eight: One Gamble, 2022, Acrylic, permanent ink and gouache on canvas, 110 × 100 cm
Milly Thompson, Rare Positioning, 2020, Acrylic, ink and gouache on canvas, 150 × 130 cm