LCA -Keep Your Timber Limber (Works on Paper) exhibition

In the summer I visited the LCA gallery in London and saw the Keep Your Timber Limber (Works on Paper) exhibition curated by Sarah McCrory. It 'explores how artists since the 1940s to the present day have used drawing to address ideas critical and current to their time, ranging from the politics of gender and sexuality to feminist issues, war, censorship and race. Stretching from fashion to erotica, the works can all be viewed as being in some way transgressive, employing traditional and commercial drawing techniques to challenge specific social, political or stylistic conventions.'

The exhibition contains the work of eight artists: Judith Bernstein, Tom of Finland, George Grosz, Margaret Harrison, Mike Kuchar, Cary Kwok, Antonio Lopez and Marlene McCarty.

Fashion illustration by Antonio Lopez

Cary Kwok. Buddjism 2010. Ink on paper 29.7 x 21 cm / 11.7 x 8.3 in unframed

As courageous and clever his is in taking on a subject matter so unheard of in art, (a point when the 'powerful and dominant' man as known throughout history, is at his weekest) I just cant get over his skill in technique. I absolutely love this illustration as the colour used is so rich and the materials and way he has drawn the portrait is so meticulous and detailed it amazes the viewer:

The Pillars of Society by George Grosz

The exhibition draws on the way artists turned to the commercial realms of comics, fashion and illustration to revitalize drawing within the visual arts- many of the works in Keep Your Timber Limber (Works on Paper) were originally produced for a commercial context. One common aspect of these varied practices is a high level of technical skill - these are artist who often confounded critics of their subject matter owing to their deft and high skilled technical abilities. Choosing to step outside the boundaries or social acceptability, the works in the exhibition comprise modest proposals and trenchant political gestures.

Captain America by Margaret Harrison

This exhibition affected me as it proved to me that art is a place where all subject matter can be and must be looked upon. A lot of the pieces didn't even shock me that much which just shows that through looking at artworks like this a lot more things have gradually become accepted, or at least respected in art culture. It shows how important touching upon controversial issues are in art because it is not someone talking at you; it is presenting a scene or an image for the audience to draw their own thoughts and opinions. However as illustrators we have the power to include symbols and metaphors, and put together many different components to portray our own opinions or convey a particular message or meaning in the art.

Judith-Bernstein-FUCKED-BY-NUMBER-Rendering-for-ICA-London-Mural-2013-Charcoal-on-Paper-32-x-48-Inches

Tom of Finland - Good Clean Fun

Mike Kuchar

Marlene McCarty

Marlene McCarty

One panel of a 4-part mural series, this depicts Shanda Sharer and Melinda Loveless, Toni Lawrence, Hope Rippey and Laurie Tackett. Sharer was 12, and killed by the four other girls, an act of jealousy and revenge instigated by Melinda Loveless because of the attention her lover, another teen girl, paid to Shanda. The events are frightening, chilling, and it's as if the drawings' being unfinished and the hidden details revealed hint at what's concealed and the horror of the events.

I find Marlene McCarty's work really visually interesting and uncomfortable, this article gives some more insight into the illustrator:
http://www.theweeklings.com/jkabat/2012/09/16/marlene-mccarty-what-lies-between-the-lines/