Everything about The Old Sweet Shop in Nether Edge whiffs of romanticism: from the name to the location to the ethos to the artists. Their new five-year anniversary exhibition fulfils its romantic image exactingly.
‘5 Years of TOSS’ is an enticing melting pot of local artists, combining anything from gothic portraits to postmodern sketches.
Sarah Abbot, who designed the poster for the exhibition, showcases atypical examples of postcard twee meets corporate-cool; her festive designs adorn shops in Meadowhall this Christmas.
The saleability and simplicity of Sarah’s work in many ways demonstrates the tangibility of an exhibition such as’5 Year’s of TOSS’. The exhibition carries a sense of familiarity and comfort without ever encountering the mundane.
Craww’s eerie paintings suggest a woozy uncertainty and melancholia, encapsulated in his description of the work as exploring “nasty surprises masquerading in beauty”. Craww’s unique vision shows that the elegant and the grotesque can become synonymous.
Abbot and Craww’s designs contrast starkly with Ema’s cartoonist, surrealist paintings, clearly redolent of her fascination with graffiti. ‘5 Years of TOSS’ manages to exhibit so much more than graffiti artist Rocket’s snapshot street art canvases, however, as his angular, abstracted pieces juxtapose with his more street-savvy work.
The assortment of paintings on display, from such very different artists, is a testament to The Old Sweet Shop’s ability to present diversity and variety. It ultimately creates an exciting and unexpected exhibition. Just don’t expect consistency in the curation.
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