Muse Gallery Portobello – “Intellectual” Gemma Milligan’s Innovative Show!

3 November 2016

Gemma Milligan Exploring Form 3:11:16 – 20:11:16

Vivacious artist Gemma Milligan had her debut solo opening night this pm at Muse Gallery. Gemma who studied art in Middlesex, was Artist in Residence at The Muse for 5 months and describes her work as “playfully experimental” saying her works “take their own form”. Her main materials for a large body of the works is polymers, aggregates and composites. The whole exhibition, titled “Exploring Form” Gemma challenges the boundaries of the chosen materials.

Her pictures called to mind the Rorschach Inkblots which were used by psychologists to determine what was on the mind of subjects as Gemma’s “abstract” takes with the materials chosen, leaves room for imagination and interpretation.

The colour scheme for the artworks is simply black, white and shades in between – i.e. grey.  The gallery itself sees her works as containing “theatrical interpretation, a story from inception to exhibition through the audience and beyond”.

My favourite piece is the installation – pictured – which Gemma says she had to work with on the day to create something enchanting and different. I could see this being transformed to an outside area including benches on either side and made with a stronger category plastic or metal for the tent style part of it and fountains coming out of the stones. Other installations were objects looking like a very large portion of vanilla and coffee flavoured ice cream – if you want to know more – go and see for yourself!

The Muse is at 269 Portobello Road within easy reach of the 7, the 70 or Ladbroke Grove tube.  Go and see Gemma’s work if you can.

Enjoy!

Penny Nair Price