STUDIO 12: ‘ANGLED’ NATASHA JOHNS-MESSENGER.

Review by Alex Dalglish.
Publication The Art Review, Issue 1
May 2002, page 2.

Now this was an exhibit that pretty much had it all; conceptualism, site-specificity, minimalist beauty, and a modicum of entertainment thrown in.

The corridors at Gertrude St seem to be becoming a bit of a muse for artists exhibiting there, and Johns-Messenger’s installation added to the posse by extending the hallways into Studio 12. As these installed corridors wound around the room, one encountered full-length mirrors placed in each corner, which had the effect of making the space seem like a never-ending maze of hallways. After the second corner, in the only spot where they could no longer be seen, a small screen had been placed in the left-hand wall, below waist height, giving a view of the real corridors outside of Studio 12 (and anyone who might be passing through them). On the final bend the window form Studio 12 out to the corridors was exposed, the light streamed in and reflected against the Perspex wall set up to end the path. As well as allowing a little poetic reflection and sealing exploration of space and interiority, the Perspex effected the shattering of the illusion: one could now see through to the backs of the fake corridor walls and settle back in, disappointingly, to reality.

By a nose the most outstanding contemporary work I saw in this month, the Gold Artie for April goes to Natasha Johns-Messenger.