Yesterday we saw the opening night of 'Out of Range' exhibition. Not even the tube on a strike couldn't keep the private view to be very busy. Exhibition is a collection of works from 29 recent graduates from UCA at Rochester, UK. Works ranges from portraiture to landscape and from documentary to constructed narratives. Nice little contrast to all of the photography gave few videos and a couple of installation/sculpture pieces.

There is always a problem with these kind of big group show, without any underlying common theme, to become boring, too overwhelming for nothing properly to stand out and turn into one big gray mediocre mass. BUT this certainly wasn't the case with this show. The space had been divided to three different rooms with a different themes and this kept the show flowing and interesting. Also there was a brilliant book room, where you could sit in quiet and separate from the rest of the show and really concentrate on the books.

As always private views aren't the place to properly enjoy and analyze the works, so I am definitely going back there when it is more quite to get a better view. Also they are running very interesting lecture series throughout the show, with people like Simon Norfolk and Ori Gersht giving an artist talk about their practices and also Andy Warhol guru Jean Wainwright talking about her favorite subject; Warhol.

Few works that really caught my attention were Portraits made by Vanessa Virmajoki(see the image on top), but I was left with a feeling to see more, which is probably a good thing. Adam Cook's installation with strobe light worked very well with the subject matter and a nice uncommon way to show photographs. Tracy Affleck's images made from old found photographic material on her collection was heart warming to an obsessive collector like me. Naroa Lizar Redrado's iArtistLondon product range was a brilliant idea and bang on commentary of today art market. Also this kind of sculpture/installation piece brought nice contrast to the rest of photography in the show.

Overall a great show. Honestly one of the best ones I've seen this year (and believe me I see a LOT of show, as I am out in private views drinking free wine nearly every Thursday). I loved the fact that most of the pieces actually had something to say. You could see that the artists had started their work to solve some question bothering them, not just with a motivation to create nice images for desktop backgrounds and for postcards.

Most of the shows I go to see, hardly remember anything afterward (might have something to do with all that wine) or would never see it twice, but with this one I am definately going back. After second time I can write a more thorough report/critic of the show.

Overall great night and great show. I hope all the best luck for these new photographers/artists with their future careers, but with work like this in their portfolios; I doubt that they need any luck.

Link to the exhibition website:
http://www.outofrange.co.uk/