Output details

Modern House 3/Church 2

Artworks in "Forward Thinking' touring exhibition

Spencer exhibited ‘Modern House 3’, a collaged relief construction made from computer-generated digital prints and mixed media, representing a futuristic modernist house in an imaginary landscape in this group exhibition.

This work is part of Spencer’s on-going Modern House series, which explores the language of pictorial representation through a combination of naturalistic and diagrammatic forms within architectural or architectonic designs. In ‘Modern House 3’ a schematic image of the iconic Suzuki House (Tokyo, 1993, designed by Bolles & Wilson) is represented within a fragmented landscape of sampled segments that are both complimentary and hostile to the dwelling. The exploration of language and form is a primary concern for Spencer, conjuring a romantic notion of an individual venturing into unknown or unclaimed territory. The term pioneer can appear redundant, more akin to associations of colonial conquest and out of date notions of the avant-garde. The artists in this touring exhibition address its continuing relevance within contemporary art in 2012.

‘Forward Thinking’ is a touring group exhibition of fourteen contemporary artists, curated by Tim Ellis, presenting work in response to the idea of ‘the pioneer’.Four installation-based exhibitions were created during the tour. A series of bespoke oak-framed cabinets were constructed to present the artwork as an installation, which referenced an archival museum display. Starting at the Island Queen, London, (May 2012) and touring to other venues including the Glenfiddich Gallery, Dufftown, Scotland, (June 2012) and Gairloch Loch Ewe Action Forum, Achtercairn, Scotland (Sept 2012). Finally, a new series of artworks developed on this theme was presented at Horatio Junior, London (May 2013 In this exhibition Spencer exhibited the architectonic painting ‘Modern Church II’, an artwork that extended the debate around emblematic architecture towards related belief systems, through a representation of an archetypal modernist church.