Jason Nelson

A personal, everyday journey written in the Fifer's dialect

Article by Jennifer Felton | 06 Jan 2008
Growing up in the ex-mining town of Kelty has inspired this current exhibition of linear prints and documentary-style footage. In Blackhall Square a band of houses forms a panoramic view of the street. There is no misleading attempt to soften the edges or hint of anything existing beyond the drab residential strip. An empty void above and below the horizon of houses replaces any sky or suggestion of nature. The artist successfully reflects the insular, tough characteristics of his home town.

Other bleak yet exquisitely detailed monotone prints of his neighbourhood are punctured with humour and warmth. Although to us each road may look the same, Nelson is sharing with the viewer a reference to a personal, everyday journey written in the Fifer's dialect. A showreel forms the second part of the exhibition in which Nelson's storytelling skills accompany snapshots of his print work. There are interviews with friends, tales and comic strip-like stills of family holidays, as well as humorous accounts of martial arts antics in the street. Nelson's ongoing narrative bridges the gap often lost between the artist and their viewer and at the same time emphasises the gritty realism that is the basis for much of his work. [Jennifer Felton]
Exhibition finished.
Part of the New Work Scotland Programme, Collective Gallery, Edinburgh. http://www.collectivegallery.net