We have for some time been trying to work out how to include a review of Disc Gallery on The Art Life. The problem so far has been that the exhibitions there have been pretty bad – first time photographers using the back room of a CD shop to show their work. Don’t get us wrong, we totally respect the artists and their keenness, but having been to all three of the shop’s shows so far, we can honestly say the artists have a lot of promise – and there’s a ton of potential – but little else at this stage.
So it was with some pleasure that we discovered the work of Tony Dupe and his debut solo show called Everything’s A Love Letter. A musician, Dupe has just released a CD of the same name and while his music isn’t really our thing, we can say his photographs have a single great idea. Using a camera with a broken lens, Dupe has taken a series of magical images of his backyard and its plants, creatures and skyscapes.
The use of a shattered lens creates a soft, out of focus field that’s romantic and oddly affecting. Going for small and intimate rather than large pics – and a larger scale might have really brought some of the works spectacularly to life – you can see that Dupe is a lot more than just a dilettante musician. Dupe has a real feel for the broken ready made and the possibilities of domestic scales. If you want to check out some art that’s about as far away from the art world as it’s possible to get, go to Disc at 34 Oxford Street, Paddington. Mention the Art Life and get a 10% discount! (No, not really).
