Art / Reviews
Review: Monkey Business, Centrespace Gallery – ‘Truly Original’
The exhibition that artist RTiiiKA constructed in Centrespace Gallery was dripping with raw creativity and pop art colours.
Drawing on parallels with the natural world, RTiiiKA explored the “fluid and varied expressions of biological sex and sexuality found in the animal kingdom”.
What was great about this show was its cohesive theme, carried through every element of the exhibition from the artwork to the display and accompanying text.
is needed now More than ever
Two paintings that explore sexuality in RTiiiKA’s Monkey Business at Centrespace Gallery.
Adding an interactive element to the space, Monkey Business hosted a range of events, including a collaboration with Life Drawing in Bristol which was called ‘Animal Life Drawing’.
True to its name, the event featured a nude model donning various animal masks while striking impressive animal poses.
The result was a night full of creative drawing paired with light-hearted animal facts. It is important to remember that art can be as fun as it is thought-provoking, and this event captured that balance perfectly.
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In fine art spaces, details matter – and details are where Monkey Business truly shone.
My favourite of these finishing touches was the labelling: every piece of art was accompanied by a banana, carefully balanced on two nails, with the title and price carved into the peel.
A banana with words carved into it, serving as the label and price tag for the painting “Masochistic Mantis”.
It was one of the most inventive integrations of price tags I’ve seen, and was a detail that perfectly encapsulated the show’s playful and eccentric spirit.
This was a truly original and thought-provoking collection.
An interactive sculpture, in RTiiiKA’s Monkey Business at Centrespace, where visitors are encouraged to carve their own words into bananas and hang them on the wall.
All photos: Isobel Higley
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