Abstract

‘Beyond the Endgame’ was an exhibition curated by Ben Cook and Natasha Howes to showcase North West of England artists whose practice explored painting as an extended practice. Bracey was selected on the strength of previous site specific work, wherein his paintings had extended beyond a canvas support into the exhibiting space and using materials other than paint, while still engaged within a painting discourse. He was commissioned by Manchester Art Gallery to produce a new installation/expanded painting for any part of the building to interact with the work of the other 8 artists whose work was displayed in the traditional gallery space. This was displayed alongside a pre-existing painting Rose (painting my Nan would like) that was the starting point for the installation. The resulting piece, ‘Vision Incision’, transformed the huge (13 X 9 metre) window opposite the gallery space into an abstract painting, continuing a research interest in the tension of a hybrid between the abstract/representational and a painting and other art forms. Using a drawing of a scribbled dot and through digital technology, the initial mark was reproduced hundreds of times in laser cut vinyl which covered the window. A long established interest in audience reaction then informed potential readings. The viewer could see the abstract vinyl dots, the representation of the view out of the window or a fusion of the two. To supplement the exhibition and its themes, a catalogue (ISBN 0-901673-633) was produced with essays by Ben Cook, Tim Dunbar, Janis Jefferies, David Sweet and Roger Wilson. The exhibition was reviewed nationally in Art Monthly (10/03) by Dan Smith and in the Guardian (9/9/03) by Alfred Hickling, as well as local newspapers including M.E.N and the Metro. Vision Incision has since been shown at Draiocht, Dublin.