Paul Ryding - Hard Pencil

Ryding's work has been featured in many a hip magazine from Kruger to Marmalade magazines and he has a commission from The Skinny under his belt. His work is urban in style, taking influences from the media including photography, song lyrics, newspapers and television programmes. This results in works which question the role of mainstream culture but also embrace it, and in turn become another aspect of the culture he is questioning. Despite The Arches being a busy city centre location, it manages to zap all importance or aesthetic from the work. Laboured pencil works dangle at about eye level in a cavernous tunnel, giving the work no more importance than the latest club flyer. Yet here lies the point; Ryding's work is designed to be printed and used in magazines, as posters or flyers. After viewing his website I realise how successful the work becomes in printed form, pointing out how lacking The Arches is as a venue for art displayed in this way; the low lighting dulls the colours, leaving the gallery area feeling more like a corridor to the bar/café. The work itself is promising but it is hard to make this out given the harsh manner of its display. This definitely advertises the positive sides to a virtual gallery, yet not all work would benefit from only being viewed online - but when Ryding's work is illuminated by a computer screen, the full impact becomes clearer. [Morag Keil]