Crash | Exhibition review

by Lavanya Trichinopoly – Krishna

Only authors who have made a huge impact with their work have their names used as adjectives; Shakespearian, Orwellian and Kafkaesque are just a few examples.

Ballardian refers to the works of English novelist J.G. Ballard, and is defined in the Collins English Dictionary as: “resembling or suggestive of the conditions described in J.G. Ballard’s novels and stories, especially dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments.”

Ballard’s literature took influence from the art world and he is best known for his novel Empire of the Sun, particularly thanks to the Spielberg adaptation in which the author himself made an appearance.

Crash: Homage to JG Ballard takes its name from his controversial 1973 novel Crash, which caused a stir amongst tabloids upon its release, and the exhibition brings together the works that inspired the author’s vision as well as those artists influenced by his writing.

'The future'

Upon entering the Gagosian Gallery one is plunged into Ballard’s world. The first thing you see is Adam McEwen’s Honda Teen Facial – the undercarriage of a Boing 747 – a large mechanical structure that epitomises the technological dystopia portrayed in Ballard’s novel.

Looking up you see a canvas painted with Ballard’s equation "Sex x technology = the future" (by Loris Gréaud) – a concept that pervades the exhibition.

Filling five sections – three gallery areas, the lobby and a small viewing room – the exhibition displays a range of artworks that span decades, from 1931 all the way through to 2010.

Offering a variety of 2D and 3D art, which range from sculpture and inscription, to paintings and photography, Crash boasts work by renowned and influential artists such as Salvador Dali, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Roy Lichtenstein, as well as modern greats like Damian Hirst and Jake and Dinos Chapman.

Gore

The influence of Ballard's novel – that discusses car-crashes as sexual fetishism – is seen in the numerous depictions of various transport in many of the artworks, as well as the merging of seduction and gore in others.

Hirst’s When Logics Die consists of a table and surgical instruments, as well as photographs of a pilot’s smashed skull, broken limbs and detached eye which are intruiging, even if they make you wince, while Helmut Newton’s prints of captivatingly beautiful yet broken women combine lust and destruction.

Furthermore, Ballard’s own artwork, which, according to his daughter he was modest about, gets a showing, with his Project for a New Novel displayed in the small viewing room.

Plain white walls do not distract from the art, but you’ll have to make sure you pick up a booklet as there are no names or labels to define the works.

Nevertheless, it’s easy to distinguish the artists by their particular style, and the exhibition provides something for everyone, whether your preference is surrealism, conceptual art or anything in between.

Organised in association with the Estate of J.G. Ballard, Crash delves into celebrity, society, technology and destruction, all the while pinpointing the influence and impact of his work over the years, and why he is regarded as one of the greatest British writers of the last century.

Crash: Homage to JG Ballard runs until April 1 at the Gagosian Gallery on Brittania Street.