Almost There at Imitate Modern

The definition of what art is has long divided opinion and sparked furious debate, but comes back to a similar theme – art is there to cause a reaction – to spark an instinctive response within the viewer. Almost There certainly does that.

Set within a classic, open-fronted building just off Regent’s Park, the room is filled with a buzz of creation and an atmosphere that magnetically pulls you in off the street – whether for the comfortable hum of intimate conversation, the open-spaced modernism combined with delicate tables and chairs or, most likely, the explosion of artistic license lining the walls.

This exhibition is a collaboration between various unknown artists who have been simultaneously working on these paintings over extended periods of time, with no specific end goal in mind. Upon first entering the gallery, there’s a general sense of disconnection – these strange, disjointed paintings seem as though they have no rhyme or reason. It’s only after a few minutes of looking at these meshes of acrylic paint, gold leaf and gouged disrupting layers of colour that the intricate beauty of the works begins to take hold.

Visitors are encouraged to touch the paintings and physically share the experience of their creation, communicating the tactility of the work on show. Meanwhile, a studio space in a corner of the gallery celebrates the connective energy integral to the making of art, forging a wonderfully communal feeling – this is an exhibition in which one truly feels as though they are part of the art itself.

The constant development and the evolutionary nature of the work on show here creates an atmosphere of change and creative freedom, challenging the static gallery environment that still defines many art shows. Almost There is an expression of a stage within a lifespan – the work is unfinished and yet is somehow still perfectly complete. It’s only on for a few more days, so this fleeting glimpse of artistic progression is a temporary chance to experience something new and innovative – don’t miss it.

Francesca Laidlaw

Almost There is at Imitate Modern until 1^st October 2013, for further information visit the theatre’s website here.