Methadone Love III

Hello everyone,

First of all I want to thank all of you who have been in to view, and indeed champion, award-winning artist Norrie Harman's solo exhibition, 'Way Out West'.  The response we have received here at UG has been quite overwhelming and re-affirms everything that we believe in as a gallery: the support and encouragement that we gain from artists and visitors alike creates a very special and precious partnership indeed.

So I've thought long and hard about this blog: in the last one, on 'Kim Kim', I was keen to demonstrate that, although Norrie Harman's work is uncompromisingly strong and sometimes even brutal, if you open your eyes a little bit more, your discover what I believe is the most potent aspect of all - the sensitivity.  'Methadone Love III' takes this to a whole new level.

So here it is, in all its shocking glory:

'Methadone Love III', watercolour & indian ink, by Norrie Harman.
So now might be an appropriate time to stop reading if you are at all offended, but to be fair I see and hear much worse every day - just watch the news for a start!.
Again, if it's not your bag move along now before we get into any more detail.
Too late:

'Methadone Love III', detail, by Norrie Harman.

On completion of each of his works, Norrie sent us an image of the painting.  With 'Methadone Love III', he sent us only the detail below which, I am sure you will agree, is a very fine observation of the female's head:

'Methadone Love III', detail, by Norrie Harman.

I can't help wondering what it says about the art world that an artist sometimes feels the need to sensor, or edit, their work in order to get it accepted  -  to show only the 'pretty bits' to get it the wall space it deserves.  This is not the case with UG: this is a wonderful work of art that we are proud to have in the gallery.  I remember a comment made by my artist friend and contemporary, Patsy McArthur, who once said, "you can't help what comes out of you'.  Of course she was right - as an artist you go the the whole hog or not at all and that is particularly pertinent when talking about an artist with as unique a voice as Norrie Harman.

The nameless, helpless, but still beautiful woman in 'Methadone Love III' has haunted me since I first saw the work, and I think about her situation often.  On speaking to Norrie about the 'offending' artwork, he explained: 'I tried to treat it with as much sensitivity as I could.  I deliberately wasn't too graphic with her genatalia'.
In doing so, Norrie has allowed this woman to retain some dignity and, by painting her face so beautifully and in a manner only he can do, allows us to consider the painting as a whole: shocking, yes, but beautifully so.

Looking at this painting, I can't help but notice the empathy and non-judgemental stance of the artist.  In her drug induced state, her hand fumbles around searching for some affection, landing awkwardly on the head of her lover.  In spite of herself, she has at least managed to participate in some way that is remotely agreeable to her.

We know that, in the history of art, there have been great works of art that have been deemed too offensive or controversial to be seen by the public.  Once censored, or simply excluded from public display, some are now heralded as forward-thinking and enlightened comments of the time.  I believe that 'Norrie Harman's 'Methadone Love III', and his exhibition as a whole, should be seen as a 21st Century equivalent - a powerful and bold statement about the world we live in.

Speak soon. 

 

There's More Than Meets The Eyes to Kim Kim

Hello everyone,

In my last blog, I promised to introduce you more closely to some of our 'special guests' in award-winning artist Norrie Harman's solo exhibition, 'Way Out West'.

We have to start with this:

'Kim Kim', Watercolour and Indian Ink, by Norrie Harman.

I was smitten the first time I saw 'Kim Kim'.  This mysterious and attractive young woman in an almost Goddess-like pose, with her protector at her feet, captivated me immediately.
Initially I was bowled over by 'Kim Kim' simply as an exceptional example of drawing and painting, yet even at first sight I knew that there was more to her than meets the eye.  It's interesting that, on first impression, viewers of Norrie's work cannot escape his hard-hitting and powerful imagery.  Strong and confident images, of course, but also beautiful and sensitive, definitely menacing, but ultimately real and meaningful.

'Kim Kim', detail, by Norrie Harman.

You see, at the risk of taking away all the magic and mystery, 'Kim Kim' is a fragment of Norrie's childhood memories.  Kim, as she was usually known, was the daughter of the first Japanese family ever to move into the Wester Hailes area, where Norrie grew up in the 1980's.  She and her family obviously attracted a great deal of attention and interest from the other residents of the tight-knit and sometimes suspicious community.  Kim may have been exotic, but she was also different and something of an unknown.  Her life, and that of her family, was pretty difficult and so they enlisted the support of a Doberman dog - traditionally an attack dog - to offer some support, security and perhaps even friendship.  Coincidentally, the Harman family also had a Doberman at that time, a bitch called Kim, whose role was also to offer security and companionship.

It took a while for the penny to drop, for me to understand the significance of the blindfold in the portrayal of 'Kim Kim', but now it's so obvious it's painful.  In the privacy of her own space and with her best and perhaps only friend at her side, Kim attempts the futile gesture of disguising the fact that she is different.

I could be wrong, but if this painting doesn't demonstrate a deep-rooted sensitivity, and an empathy with the subject matter, then I'm not sure what does.

Hurry back soon, and if you're lucky we will take a more intimate look at one of Norrie Harman's more controversial works, 'Methadone Love III'.

Speak soon.