Simon Periton
Simon Periton (b.1964) has achieved critical acclaim for his large works on paper which take on the appearance of the antiquated paper doilly and use playful subversion to address contemporary concerns. Using large paper sheets, works (up to 8 metres high) convey thoughts of barbed wire, camouflage, targets, and the silhouettes of hooded gunmen, Periton parallels and questions the depth of our political interests - however well-intentioned they may be: human rights, the environment and anti-racism issues all appear. He juxtaposes such social causes with a stream of graphic styles, reminiscent of The Sex Pistols, Aubrey Beardsley, Nature, Arts and Crafts furniture and the films of Powell and Pressberger.
For his first exhibition in Scotland, Simon Periton chose Inverleith House to show a series of his doilly pieces this time depicting nature. The title of the show ‘Mint Poisoner' itself being an angram of Periton's own name.
"For this show, the images were taken in Costa Rica, but I really don't expect them to be lifelike renditions of a jungle of a tree. I've chosen specific things I was drawn to, whether it's an odd root structure, or a view into the rainforest with this multilayered, panoramic canopy. The show will be a lot darker, a lot more sinister than I imagine the gardens looking in early June."*
*Simon Periton in an Interview with Jack Mottram for The List magazine 22 May - 5 June 2003
WORKS IN EXHIBITION
ROOM 1
Smoke Screen
Stranglehold
ROOM 2
Beelzebub
Mint Poisoner
ROOM 3
Knuckleduster
Ambush
All work courtesy of the artist, Sadie Coles HQ, London and The Modern Institute, Glasgow.
Exhibition presented in association with Sadie Coles HQ, London. Supported by the Scottish Arts Council.