RHYS FULLERTON REVIEWS DERRICK GUILD'S MOTHER FIGURES
A diamond-encrusted parsnip. Subliminal messages within a still life. A leaf wearing earrings.
These are just some of the peculiar artworks by Scottish artist Derrick Guild, on offer at The Scottish Gallery this month.
Imagine a 19th-century ship containing sketches and drawings by Charles Darwin being hijacked by a surrealist artist and then left abandoned and floating in the ocean for over a hundred years. You probably still won’t come close to picturing the works of Derrick Guild, but it’s as near as you’ll get.
Guild grew up in the countryside outside Perth. According to the exhibition catalogue, he would often visit the local museum where he enjoyed the odd juxtaposition of exhibits, including Victorian taxidermy and 18th-century paintings. These odd crossovers that you find in museums have evidently inspired Guild’s work but don’t dominate it.
There seems to be an end-of-the-world warning in the adaptation of Jean-Baptiste’s Cassowary. Guild’s 'Burnt Cassowary, After Oudry' (below) has a number of scorch marks on it, which looked to me like meteors showering down on earth. Will this be the fate of this prehistoric looking animal?
'Natural Gift' (below) sees a penguin encounter an orange. Could this be one of the eventual effects of global warming where two very different climates clash?
At first glance, you’d think that works such as 'Mother Figures' (below) and 'Fever Bulb' would be more suitably displayed in the Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh. They resemble studies by a botanist, but on closer inspection there seems to be something amiss. If you look more closely you’ll notice titles in these artful arrangements.
Guild’s connection with nature and his odd sense of humour combine to make some very curious works. He seems to be disciplined. The works aren’t wacky or overly surreal as they might be in less reliable hands, but subtle and intriguing.
This is a bold exhibition that works because it’s not flashy. Its subtleties draw the viewer in but still leave you wondering what on earth’s going on. Guild's production process is slow, and I assume time-consuming, but it is worth it in the end.
I didn’t come away with a particular favourite, but if I had to pick one it would be 'Natural Gift, Candles' (below). Birthday candles on scampi … what’s not to like?
Derrick Guild’s Mother Figures continues at The Scottish Gallery (16 Dundas Street) until 30 May 2015. Admission Free.
