(next to nothing)

The title of the exhibition, all colours black (next to nothing) is prompted by an examination of black and its reference in art history, architecture and the music industry. The idea was initially put forward to Brendan Earley by Mark St. John Ellis, who then carried out a number of studio visits to Clodagh Emoe, Mark Garry and Lee Welch to discuss the idea further. All the artists are exhibiting a new piece of work, including a sound piece by the curator, Mark St. John Ellis’ studio project ‘Elijah’s Mantle’.
all colours black ( next to nothing ) is as much about the installation of the works as the works of art themselves. The individual pieces are looked at as objects and how they relate to each other and the space in which they will be exhibited.
Individually viewed, the pieces have a meaning intended by the artist, but the initial idea of the curator and one of the reasons for the use of black was to emphasis the works as objects. It is an argument put forward by Malevich’s black painting, Black Square, 1915, oil on canvas, State Russian Museum, St.Petersburg where the painting becomes the object and it was from this premise that the curator took the idea. By taking away all aspects of initial informative meaning, similar to excluding the visual narrative of a painting like Malevich’s Black Square, the viewer observes the black objects and the space architecturally.
It is a desire to pare down a work of art to its simplest, most precise form, a form that is quiet, elegant and concerned with the process of the artist.