Ryan Glyndwr Davies witnesses the Solo Show by Unknown Artist, at The Wharf, Llanddulas Beach.
When you visit Llanddulas beach, cast your eyes out to sea and on a clear day you will be able to see the array of wind turbines balanced finely on the horizon tightrope, gazing back to shore like a troop of guardian sentinel–like sculptures. Wales’ very own Angels of the North. Occasionally here, though, Art can be found closer to dry land.
Reusing the dry-
Resembling figures, waiting, staring expectantly out to sea, these rock sculptures combine the loose, disparate sum total of their parts to collectively take on a condensed stability, coiled tension and a whole new meaning.
Some of these works consist of rocks stacked delicately, each piece counterbalancing the next to form one whole gravity defying tower of strength, others, singular narrow rocks suspended vertically at their narrowest point so as to defy the laws of physics. These works are shape and object in form, each with their own distinctive character and seemingly loaded with a rich and highly intriguing subject matter. Points of origin unknown, lines of symmetry toyed with.
Given the setting and the fact that the audience will only consist of those fortunate enough to cross it, this show bears the hallmarks of the unseen, invisible art movement, jointly evoking the unadvertised work of Hammons and the unseen work of Oldenburg. Work similar to this has been seen here before, appearing and disappearing without a trace, as this show is destined to do.
The real power comes not from the scale or process, but from the stark certainty that the life cycle of the work will be brief. Cometh the tide, the elements or even the man, then these works will be lost to us but returned to the seabed. This sad truth empowers the work, giving it a concentrated energy and freedom of its own. Above all though, Solo Show makes you realise when you pick up a stone on the beach how significant it is.
