The Sunshine Of Your Smile, 2018
Jim Lambie
Photo: Courtesy The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd., Glasgow
Collection
Sunglasses lenses, lead came, solder
19 x 49 x 5 cm
Jim Lambie’s use of found objects stems from his desire to engage with his surroundings. For example, it’s not uncommon for Lambie to produce the works for his exhibitions on site, using collected materials sourced from the street, markets, or shops nearby. He says, “it’s surprising how universal some objects are. A ladder for instance, a chair, a table. I always love to visit the flea markets and junk shops of a city, this is where I find the real language of the city. The ‘stuff’ people have lived with or live with on a day-to-day basis.”[1]
In this work, sunglasses lenses are joined together using came glasswork techniques, producing a cluster of colored, transparent and mirrored panes which combine his own sculptural language and signature psychedelic palette with a history of leadlights dating back to the Middle Ages. It is from a series of like works initiated in 2018. The consistent application of polychromatic schemes to everyday objects in his practice often aids his broader intention of “bringing these elements into sharp focus.”[2] Here, he exploits the preexistence of technicolor in objects of common use, combing multiple panels to highlight their vibrancy in form and hue. As well as offering a literal reference to experiences of light and filtered perception, the lenses’ convex surfaces provide a manifold and repeated reflection of the room and viewer which stand before them. Like many of Lambie’s sculptures, the work’s title is taken from the name of a song. The Sunshine of Your Smile was written and composed by Leonard Cooke and Lilian Ray in 1913, and was later covered by Mike Berry in 1980. Speaking about this system of titling, Lambie says, “these are about bringing something else to the work, creating a texture or ambience about it. They are important for that reason, a title can allow you to enter into another idea.”[3] Other works in the series include I Saw You In My Dreams (2018), and See The Sun (2018). —Elsa Gray
[1]https://antonkerngallery.com/uploads/9900099/1552154473989/Skin_Shape_
Press_Release.pdf
[2] ibid
[3] Interview with Jim Lambie in Early One Morning: British Art Now (London: Whitechapel Art Gallery, 2002), 114
19 x 49 x 5 cm
Jim Lambie’s use of found objects stems from his desire to engage with his surroundings. For example, it’s not uncommon for Lambie to produce the works for his exhibitions on site, using collected materials sourced from the street, markets, or shops nearby. He says, “it’s surprising how universal some objects are. A ladder for instance, a chair, a table. I always love to visit the flea markets and junk shops of a city, this is where I find the real language of the city. The ‘stuff’ people have lived with or live with on a day-to-day basis.”[1]
In this work, sunglasses lenses are joined together using came glasswork techniques, producing a cluster of colored, transparent and mirrored panes which combine his own sculptural language and signature psychedelic palette with a history of leadlights dating back to the Middle Ages. It is from a series of like works initiated in 2018. The consistent application of polychromatic schemes to everyday objects in his practice often aids his broader intention of “bringing these elements into sharp focus.”[2] Here, he exploits the preexistence of technicolor in objects of common use, combing multiple panels to highlight their vibrancy in form and hue. As well as offering a literal reference to experiences of light and filtered perception, the lenses’ convex surfaces provide a manifold and repeated reflection of the room and viewer which stand before them. Like many of Lambie’s sculptures, the work’s title is taken from the name of a song. The Sunshine of Your Smile was written and composed by Leonard Cooke and Lilian Ray in 1913, and was later covered by Mike Berry in 1980. Speaking about this system of titling, Lambie says, “these are about bringing something else to the work, creating a texture or ambience about it. They are important for that reason, a title can allow you to enter into another idea.”[3] Other works in the series include I Saw You In My Dreams (2018), and See The Sun (2018). —Elsa Gray
[1]https://antonkerngallery.com/uploads/9900099/1552154473989/Skin_Shape_
Press_Release.pdf
[2] ibid
[3] Interview with Jim Lambie in Early One Morning: British Art Now (London: Whitechapel Art Gallery, 2002), 114
Jim Lambie (born 1964 in Glagow, Scotland) a contemporary visual artist and was shortlisted for the 2005 Turner Prize with an installation called Mental Oyster. Jim Lambie graduated from the Glasgow School of Art (1990-1994) with a 2:1 Honours Bachelor of Arts degree. He lives and works in Glasgow, and also operates as a musician and DJ.
This biography is from Wikipedia under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License.
This biography is from Wikipedia under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License.