Spirits in Stoke Newington

This new exhibition in Stoke Newington, ‘Spirits of Turpentine‘, showcases works by two artists: both female and originally from Germany, but the similarities end there.

Gburek is primarily a photographer, and most of her works here are digitally-manipulated self-portraits.

In various guises (‘Aphrodite’, ‘Addict’, ‘Lover’), Gburek’s expressionless face regards the camera flatly from behind an assortment of wigs, make-up, and digitally-superimposed filigree patterns or text.

These large, clean, lustrous photographs are visually appealing, with a distinctively Oriental aesthetic, although it’s difficult to draw out definite meanings from these (re)presentations of the self.

The gallery itself is an unusual space of hidden nooks and staircases; the heavy wooden beams and metal chains that hang from the ceiling evidence its former role as a sculptor’s studio.

Gburek has exploited its potential; the charred fireplace in the gallery wall holds ‘Paradox of Intension’, a pair of shiny red Carvela shoes atop a pyramid of salt, and ‘I Love Your Brain’, a delicate Chinese fan, while an oryx skull draped with pearls is presented on the wall above.

Meanwhile, Dreyer’s paintings contrast sharply with this contemporary glossiness. Describing herself as a landscape painter, she creates works that are vivid, near-abstract explosions of colour and texture.

‘Sand Circle, Large’ is a glorious spread of gold, silver, and dark chocolate trails of paint on a grainy background, with a cluster of grey pebbles in one corner, while ‘Energy Line’, a tall slim rectangle of oranges and yellows with a thick line of dark red paint curling its way up the length of the canvas, glows from one corner of the gallery.

‘Sleepthief, Large’, a stand-out work, is a lush burst of deep blues and purples, streaked with lumps of whites and paler blues and suggesting some kind of moonscape.

These are unusually direct and unpretentious paintings which communicate a powerful sense of the richness of the natural world.

‘Spirits Of Turpentine‘ is at Madame Lillie’s Gallery, 10 Cazenove Road N16 6BD, until Sunday 8 November.

Opening hours Friday – Sunday 12-6pm. To view by appointment: 07990 695 363.