Hand To Earth: Searing Sci-Fi Landscapes And Intricate Layered Works

Tabish Khan
By Tabish Khan Last edited 126 months ago
Hand To Earth: Searing Sci-Fi Landscapes And Intricate Layered Works
Shane McAdams, Lac Du Flambeau. Image courtesy Scream London
Shane McAdams, Lac Du Flambeau. Image courtesy Scream London
Caroline Jane Harris, Link. Image courtesy Scream London
Caroline Jane Harris, Link. Image courtesy Scream London
Shane McAdams, Slinger. Image courtesy Scream London
Shane McAdams, Slinger. Image courtesy Scream London
Caroline Jane Harris, Entity. Image courtesy Scream London
Caroline Jane Harris, Entity. Image courtesy Scream London
Shane McAdams, Bouquet. Image courtesy Scream London
Shane McAdams, Bouquet. Image courtesy Scream London
Caroline Jane Harris, Splice. Image courtesy Scream London
Caroline Jane Harris, Splice. Image courtesy Scream London

After the success of the space between the stars group show, Scream has invited two of the participating artists to collaborate in their latest exhibition. Shane McAdam's bright and searing landscapes are a complete contrast to Caroline Jane Harris' delicate lattice-like pieces, yet these widely varied works complement each other.

Shane McAdams creates washed out landscapes that have a science fiction yet retro feel, like what television programmes of the 1980s imagined the future to look like. His use of ballpoint pen ensures his paintings have a vibrancy of colour about them — they feel like they're not of this world. It's  a visually striking combination that will either result in visitors deeming it attractive or garish.

Caroline Jane Harris is a promising artist who's caught our eye before. Her intricate lattices hand carved with a scalpel can keep the intrigued viewer captivated for some time — follow the branching pattern and see where it leads. By triple and sometimes quadruple layering her work, the added dimensions make them more immersive and engaging.

The patterns have an organic feel to them but are purposefully ambiguous. Are they tree branches, blood vessels or river tributaries? These latest works bring in the addition of cross sections of tree trunks for a background and the use of darker colours to give a different feel to her newer works. Her work continues to evolve towards unusual representations of the natural world.

McAdams may have created the more eye-catching works here but we feel it's Harris' delicate and subtler works that are the real stars of this show.

Hand to Earth — Caroline Jane Harris & Shane McAdams is on at Scream London, 27-28 Eastcastle St, W1W 8DH until 19 October. Entrance is free.

Last Updated 12 September 2013