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Panic Attack!

Robert Longo Untitled (Joe) From Men in the Cities, 1981
Charcoal and pencil on paper

Art in the Punk Years

Barbican Art Gallery

5 Jun – 9 Sep 07

This exhibition features art created in Britain and the USA from 1974-1984 which could be seen as anarchic, subversive and/or politically charged. The art works are juxtaposed within eighteen rooms to allow for similarities or versions of the same line of thought which the two countries shared during that era.

Although its curators claim that the exhibition does not centre on Punk music, it begins on a seminally musical note with the anti-royalist album cover artwork designed by Jamie Reid for the Sex Pistol’s controversial 1977 debut God Save the Queen, which was famously released the year of the Silver Jubilee.

Jamie Reid
God Save the Queen (Single Cover), 1977
Newsprint, photocopy, paper collage
Courtesy the artist
© Jamie Reid

Much of the artwork from the earlier years of the exhibition focuses on social and economic deprivation and exclusion. This theme is particularly highlighted through the work of Victor Burgin (British b. 1941), which highlights grandiose ad-speak vs. often grim reality, as well that of Stephen Willats (British b. 1943) whose exhibited work addresses what was then the ‘new reality’ of post-war tower-block estates. Willats thought provoking art sits compatibly alongside Martha Rosler’s (American b. 1943) gritty, self-explanatory video Secrets from the Street: No Disclosure (1980).

Victor Burgin
From UK76 ,1976
11 gelatin silver prints mounted on aluminum
Courtesy the artist

Works centring on the human body however, which may have raised more than a few eyebrows at the time of their inception, now tends to seem more tedious than telling, especially as shock value for its own sake is an artistic concept that has been explored and sometimes overused by many artists since. It is somewhat amusing to note that COUM Transmissions actually used media clippings from outraged newspaper reporters as part of their exhibition. Now, as then, the articles are, as the artist’s body parts were then, out there for all to see, with one write up featuring a photo of Susie of Banshees fame arriving with her entourage at the controversial exhibition in her infamous breast baring outfit.

Other areas of the exhibition are very style conscious, with Andrew Logan’s giant mirrored safety pin standing at attention, throwing its glittery reflections on the surrounding floor and walls like a disco ball. Robert Mapplethorpe’s (Amer. 1946-89) much publicised photo of Patti Smith which appeared on her debut album, Horses is also on show here, alongside of other representations of his photographic work, much of which details bohemian and gay culture in New York in the pre-Aides seventies, as does that of his companion artist, Peter Hujar (Amer. 1934-1987).

The rooms downstairs offer a similarly eclectic mix of artworks that show a growing interest in collage, graffiti art, the use of found objects and other stimulating creative processes in order to generate thoughts of whatever themes the artists were addressing. Gilbert and George’s (Italian b. 1943), (British b. 1942) rare, droll film, The World of Gilbert and George starts things off on a comic note with the pair wryly deliberating about what type of furniture and accoutrements they should buy for their home. Through her photographic work in which she explores personas and influences of the baby boomer era, Cindy Sherman (American, b. 1954) not only reflects the filmic residue of that time in relation to how women might have viewed themselves but also, how they may be seen by others. Untitled Film Stills (1977-80) convey Sherman in the guise of everything from a tearfully hardened martini drinking blond to a dark haired Gina Lollobrigida type complete with narrow eyed snarl.

Cindy Sherman
Untitled Film Still #5
Black and white photograph
Collection The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Robert B. Menschel Fund, 1995

David Wojnarowicz’s (Amer. 1954 – 92) playful series, Arthur Rimbaud in New York (1978-79) shows the artist, in the guise of Rimbaud, as with Sherman, appearing in various New York locales, thus setting an icon within iconic surroundings.

In a room in which the artworks focus on transgressive feminine body imagery, the late Hannah Wilke (Amer. 1940-93) examines the politics of gender, accompanied by the humorously telling collage art of Linder (Brit. b. 1954). Linder was also an active participant in Manchester’s historically significant punk and post-punk scenes.

Linder
Untitled, 1977
Photomontage on card
Courtesy Stuart Shave/Modern Art, London

In a subsequent room, the exploration of the relationship between gender and imagery, particularly as it applies to the mass media continues through Robert Longo’s drawing series (Amer. b. 1953) Men in the Cities based on the poses found in photographs of models and Richard Prince (Amer. b. 1949) whose series The Entertainers (1982-83) features re-photographed photos of aspiring actors and models, drawing on the tawdry imagery found in then equally tawdry Times Square. The psychological implications inherent in the work of both artists are immense. The work of Barbara Kruger (Amer. b. 1945 and fellow New Yorker Jenny Holzer (Amer. b. 1950) likewise, explores the dualistic nature of the relationship between public and private, advertising and art.

The DIY ethos of the era is captured in the ‘found object’ collage art of Tony Cragg (Brit. b. 1949), as well as the ‘disused material’ work of Bill Woodrow (Brit. b. 1948). As does the primate graffiti art of Jean-Michel Basquiat (Amer. 1960-88) which seems to personify the jungle aspects of the streets, though the pieces on display here do not necessarily represent his best work. Similarly, Keith Haring (Amer. 1958-90) initially became famous for drawing chalk cartoons on empty subway poster sites. One of his paintings, done on tarpaulin is on show here.

Los Angeles had a thriving underground art scene of its own as personified here by the generic, ad-inspired performance art of Tony Oursler (Amer. b. 1957) and Raymond Pettibon (Amer. b. 1957). The work of both artists is deliberately cheesy and DIY, as such, encompassing punk-inspired forms of expressionism. Mike Kelly (Amer. B. 1954) also explores this ethos through his drawings.

The final rooms of the exhibition contain art that is disturbing and glibly self serving. Nan Goldin’s (Amer. b. 1953) frank auto-biographical photo series, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (c. 1978- present) depicts the artists’ extended family allegedly in the act of being themselves in New York’s Lower East Side and elsewhere. While Mark Morrisoe’s work displays his interest in glamour of a decidedly do it yourself, essentially punk vein.

Meanwhile, in Britain in 1981, Steve Willats began to document his experiences with the emerging New Romantic youth culture through his series ‘Inside the Night’ detailing punk’s evolution into a more camp, theatrical persona. Are You Good Enough for the Cha, Cha, Cha?’ a collage made up of photos, souvenirs, cigarette packs and crumpled beer cans, displayed here, is named after a London nightclub of the era. Finally, Cerith Wyn Evans (Brit. b. 1958) film Epiphany (1984) featuring real-life people as their Blitz club characters brings the exhibition to a rather slow moving, self congratulatory climax.

Some rooms in the Panic Attack! exhibition work very well, offering varying strands of the same threads from artists on both sides of the Atlantic for examination which are stimulating and informing, whilst other rooms seem more haphazardly placed, their contents designed perhaps to shock. However, after many years have passed and countless other artists have experimented along similar lines, the latter groupings often tend to come off as rather more pathetic than anarchic. What once came off with a bang and filled tabloid headlines now tends to come across like more of a look at me whimper. However amongst the more enlightening artworks displayed in Panic Attack!, there are enough works of genuine experimental interest to generate food for thought, which are perhaps, more representative of the ambivalent aesthetics of the Punk Years.

				Art Reviews





		Mary Couzens Archives Reviewers Back Panic Attack! Robert Longo Untitled (Joe) From Men in the Cities, 1981 Charcoal and pencil on paper © Tate, London 2007 Art in the Punk Years Barbican Art Gallery 5 Jun – 9 Sep 07 A review by Mary Couzens for EXTRA! EXTRA! This exhibition features art created in Britain and the USA from 1974-1984 which could be seen as anarchic, subversive and/or politically charged. The art works are juxtaposed within eighteen rooms to allow for similarities or versions of the same line of thought which the two countries shared during that era. Although its curators claim that the exhibition does not centre on Punk music, it begins on a seminally musical note with the anti-royalist album cover artwork designed by Jamie Reid for the Sex Pistol’s controversial 1977 debut God Save the Queen, which was famously released the year of the Silver Jubilee. Jamie Reid God Save the Queen (Single Cover), 1977 Newsprint, photocopy, paper collage Courtesy the artist © Jamie Reid Much of the artwork from the earlier years of the exhibition focuses on social and economic deprivation and exclusion. This theme is particularly highlighted through the work of Victor Burgin (British b. 1941), which highlights grandiose ad-speak vs. often grim reality, as well that of Stephen Willats (British b. 1943) whose exhibited work addresses what was then the ‘new reality’ of post-war tower-block estates. Willats thought provoking art sits compatibly alongside Martha Rosler’s (American b. 1943) gritty, self-explanatory video Secrets from the Street: No Disclosure (1980). Victor Burgin From UK76 ,1976 11 gelatin silver prints mounted on aluminum Courtesy the artist Works centring on the human body however, which may have raised more than a few eyebrows at the time of their inception, now tends to seem more tedious than telling, especially as shock value for its own sake is an artistic concept that has been explored and sometimes overused by many artists since. It is somewhat amusing to note that COUM Transmissions actually used media clippings from outraged newspaper reporters as part of their exhibition. Now, as then, the articles are, as the artist’s body parts were then, out there for all to see, with one write up featuring a photo of Susie of Banshees fame arriving with her entourage at the controversial exhibition in her infamous breast baring outfit. Other areas of the exhibition are very style conscious, with Andrew Logan’s giant mirrored safety pin standing at attention, throwing its glittery reflections on the surrounding floor and walls like a disco ball. Robert Mapplethorpe’s (Amer. 1946-89) much publicised photo of Patti Smith which appeared on her debut album, Horses is also on show here, alongside of other representations of his photographic work, much of which details bohemian and gay culture in New York in the pre-Aides seventies, as does that of his companion artist, Peter Hujar (Amer. 1934-1987). The rooms downstairs offer a similarly eclectic mix of artworks that show a growing interest in collage, graffiti art, the use of found objects and other stimulating creative processes in order to generate thoughts of whatever themes the artists were addressing. Gilbert and George’s (Italian b. 1943), (British b. 1942) rare, droll film, The World of Gilbert and George starts things off on a comic note with the pair wryly deliberating about what type of furniture and accoutrements they should buy for their home. Through her photographic work in which she explores personas and influences of the baby boomer era, Cindy Sherman (American, b. 1954) not only reflects the filmic residue of that time in relation to how women might have viewed themselves but also, how they may be seen by others. Untitled Film Stills (1977-80) convey Sherman in the guise of everything from a tearfully hardened martini drinking blond to a dark haired Gina Lollobrigida type complete with narrow eyed snarl. Cindy Sherman Untitled Film Still #5 Black and white photograph Collection The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Robert B. Menschel Fund, 1995 Courtesy the artist David Wojnarowicz’s (Amer. 1954 – 92) playful series, Arthur Rimbaud in New York (1978-79) shows the artist, in the guise of Rimbaud, as with Sherman, appearing in various New York locales, thus setting an icon within iconic surroundings. In a room in which the artworks focus on transgressive feminine body imagery, the late Hannah Wilke (Amer. 1940-93) examines the politics of gender, accompanied by the humorously telling collage art of Linder (Brit. b. 1954). Linder was also an active participant in Manchester’s historically significant punk and post-punk scenes. Linder Untitled, 1977 Photomontage on card Courtesy Stuart Shave/Modern Art, London In a subsequent room, the exploration of the relationship between gender and imagery, particularly as it applies to the mass media continues through Robert Longo’s drawing series (Amer. b. 1953) Men in the Cities based on the poses found in photographs of models and Richard Prince (Amer. b. 1949) whose series The Entertainers (1982-83) features re-photographed photos of aspiring actors and models, drawing on the tawdry imagery found in then equally tawdry Times Square. The psychological implications inherent in the work of both artists are immense. The work of Barbara Kruger (Amer. b. 1945 and fellow New Yorker Jenny Holzer (Amer. b. 1950) likewise, explores the dualistic nature of the relationship between public and private, advertising and art. The DIY ethos of the era is captured in the ‘found object’ collage art of Tony Cragg (Brit. b. 1949), as well as the ‘disused material’ work of Bill Woodrow (Brit. b. 1948). As does the primate graffiti art of Jean-Michel Basquiat (Amer. 1960-88) which seems to personify the jungle aspects of the streets, though the pieces on display here do not necessarily represent his best work. Similarly, Keith Haring (Amer. 1958-90) initially became famous for drawing chalk cartoons on empty subway poster sites. One of his paintings, done on tarpaulin is on show here. Tony Cragg Policeman, 1981 Blue plastic Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery, London Los Angeles had a thriving underground art scene of its own as personified here by the generic, ad-inspired performance art of Tony Oursler (Amer. b. 1957) and Raymond Pettibon (Amer. b. 1957). The work of both artists is deliberately cheesy and DIY, as such, encompassing punk-inspired forms of expressionism. Mike Kelly (Amer. B. 1954) also explores this ethos through his drawings. The Loner, 1980 Videotape 30 mins., colour, sound Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery, London The final rooms of the exhibition contain art that is disturbing and glibly self serving. Nan Goldin’s (Amer. b. 1953) frank auto-biographical photo series, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (c. 1978- present) depicts the artists’ extended family allegedly in the act of being themselves in New York’s Lower East Side and elsewhere. While Mark Morrisoe’s work displays his interest in glamour of a decidedly do it yourself, essentially punk vein. Meanwhile, in Britain in 1981, Steve Willats began to document his experiences with the emerging New Romantic youth culture through his series ‘Inside the Night’ detailing punk’s evolution into a more camp, theatrical persona. Are You Good Enough for the Cha, Cha, Cha?’ a collage made up of photos, souvenirs, cigarette packs and crumpled beer cans, displayed here, is named after a London nightclub of the era. Finally, Cerith Wyn Evans (Brit. b. 1958) film Epiphany (1984) featuring real-life people as their Blitz club characters brings the exhibition to a rather slow moving, self congratulatory climax. Some rooms in the Panic Attack! exhibition work very well, offering varying strands of the same threads from artists on both sides of the Atlantic for examination which are stimulating and informing, whilst other rooms seem more haphazardly placed, their contents designed perhaps to shock. However, after many years have passed and countless other artists have experimented along similar lines, the latter groupings often tend to come off as rather more pathetic than anarchic. What once came off with a bang and filled tabloid headlines now tends to come across like more of a look at me whimper. However amongst the more enlightening artworks displayed in Panic Attack!, there are enough works of genuine experimental interest to generate food for thought, which are perhaps, more representative of the ambivalent aesthetics of the Punk Years. www.barbican.org.uk Copyright © EXTRA! EXTRA All rights reserved Mary Couzens Archives Reviewers Back