âI donât think I know Rose very wellâŚâ â Musings on; Power for the People (an exhibition of works by Rose Finn-Kelcey at Firstsite, Colchester)
Exhibition Review by Alison HumphreyÂ
As an exhibition, Power for the People is nearly perfect. There are few things I would change beside the inclusion of more work. Not to fill this space, but in further galleries. I want to see twice as much work in twice as much space, with twice as many people shouting more than twice as loud about the quality of the concepts on display. On the whole itâs aesetically minimal, characterized by order, simplicity and harmony. It is also conceptual, spacial and in truth I relish this opportunity to look, alone, around the exhibition, without the visual and aural interruption of other visitors, or other artworks. To quote Guy Brett, âno two works of hers are physically alike; each represents a fresh challengeâŚâ *Â
Installation images Photo: Wilf Speller, Courtesy Firstsite
Finn-Kelcey explores power and agency, there are political works, photo and video works, objects and interventions. Some works span these genres, including her striking âwind dependent objectsâ, or flag works. Fog, flown from Alexandra Palace in 1971, and Power for the People, hoisted briefly at Battersea Power Station in 1972. I like these artworks. I find them impactful, relevant and affecting. Iâm reminded of political works by Vallie EXPORT and Yoko Ono, the text works of Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger even. The idea is the most important aspect, and the artwork exists in multiple times and in numerous guises. Although I like the interventions, performances and the photographs Iâm drawn more to Finn-Kelceyâs intimate works, those which I feel, have a greater subtle poetry and poignancy.
Blushing Book Vol 1  1977 â¨Leather, paper, cardboard, dyeâ¨. Uniqueâ¨. Approx. 16 x 23 cm
There is a quiet piece, Blushing Book Vol 1 (1977), which I feel excellently represents many of the artistsâ key interests; feminism, spirituality, commodity culture and individual empowerment. Â This piece demonstrates Finn-Kelceyâs faultless commitment to her concepts, where each page of the Blushing Book is individually hand dyed, each page coloured a shade of pink to simulate the intimate act of blushing. Blushing is involuntary, an emotionally or psychologically triggered chemical reaction, which might itself be considered a biological artwork, one which the artist has sought to catalogue in this piece. In The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals Charles Darwin described blushing as "... the most peculiar and most human of all expressions." Although I cannot think of another artist who has attended to this particular visible manifestation of feeling. Finn-Kelcey bound the pages from light to dark, and was inspired by the work of feminist writer Anis Nin. Attractive and ahead of its time, in âmillennial pinkâ, this object is balanced in equally striking aesthetic and concept. One of the most beautifully understated artworks I have had the pleasure of seeing.
 Installation images Photo: Wilf Speller, Courtesy Firstsite
Finn-Kelcey appears to have created a body of work which looks to investigate relationships and condition of being human. The performance piece and photographic documentation; Bulls Eye (1985) and Untitled: Bullfighter (1986) challenge relationships and conceptions to, and of, gender. There is feminism here, over femininity. The work is confrontational but not aggressive. Finn Kelcey appears to be encouraging us, or rather me, to engage with my own ideas and preconceptions, about gender and the environment. Â The work conveys a sense of self-empowerment, reminiscent of something Marina Abramovic or Alexis Hunter might produce, arguably both contemporaries of Finn-Kelcey. Broadly the works encourage viewers to explore the perception of self-identity, theirs and the artistsâ, as many questions are posed as they are answered.
Untitled: Bullfighter 1986 â¨Black and white photograph of the artist as a matador performing a Rebolera or cape pass. â¨Unique⨠W 42 x H 44 x D 3cm
It Pays to Pray (1999), is simultaneously ironic and stirring. It invites participation, at least I think it does, although there is tension in the ânot quite sureâ! Itâs neon message whirls on repeat, attractive, captivating even. It asks for money, in return it says it will display a prayer. Gallery interpretation informs me that each prayer is named after a chocolate bar, the ultimate aid to quick fix chocoholic consumerism. It is a neat and tidy concept, intended as a public sculpture. I hope its installation in a gallery is the only factor which renders itâs neon invitation unclear. Perhaps in order to be complete this work and some others displayed here need an additional force, an audience, to be complete. In fact, the flag works in particular rely on this intangible natural force, the wind. This exhibition is full of ideas, concepts and thoughts which the artist appears to be presenting for the audience to take up and use as intellectual weaponry. Finn-Kelcey makes suggestions, floats ideas and the audiencesâ activism is bought to question.
It Pays to Pray in 2000⨠Four vending machines⨠LEDâs, metal, glass, electronics. As installed at â¨River Walk, Millennium Dome, London
I purposefully save the collaborative sound piece; Truth, Dare, Double Dare (1994) for last and Iâm glad that I do. Itâs moreish, I cannot give up on it or give in to it  or give it up, until every last scrap of sound has fallen on my ears. There is something poignant about the fact Iâm alone in this empty gallery, entered though glass doors, closed off from the main space, staring at blank walls, devoid of all visual stimulation, sat on a gallery bench, the generic type, alone apart from the man mirroring my position on the opposite side of the room. I stop listening for a second to wonder if he is noticing how perfect this feels the sound piece comprises of voices reading statements. At first, a female voice (Rose) recounts sentences about a man (Donald) and then a male sounding voice (Donald) monologues a series of statements about a woman (Rose). I hadnât read the wall text and manically note down some of the things Donald is telling me. In short, simple statements, he tells me; âRose is an enigma, she fears her body, is neat, doesnât get excited, that this collaboration was her idea, Rose believes in the paranormal, he loves 60s Tamla Motown, wishes he was happy and cried at Itâs a Wonderful Life.â I am struck by how universal these statements are. I am focused on the words spoken, a conversation which allows no time for retort, a stream of unconscious thinking which represents a relationship between two people. On opening the door and retuning to the main space, on leaving the world of Rose and Donald to continue to turn without me, I read the wall text and learn that the work is an exploration of the artists ego, and confrontation of their incompatibility. The work feels intimate yet ubiquitous and omnipresent, I could be listening to my parents, my friends, my internal (or often external) monologue with my boyfriend. Itâs conceptually simple, minimal but there is such depth that I find myself choked with the emotion, and Iâm probably blushing.
Sensitively curated to allow maximum thinking space or listening space around the intimate works of art on display. Firstsite is a wonderful gallery for this type of minimal, conceptual art. Although, I have said the exhibition is spacial, on reflection I decide it is not. Certainly, it is devoid of clutter and in fact contains few physical artworks. Objects are installed as prompts, to spark and ignite, because all the areas and spaces between these works are actually filled, pervaded with the ephemeral intangible, individual ideas and thoughts of the gallery inhabitants. This, I think is Finn-Kelceyâs greatest concept of all.
*Rose Finn-Kelcey Obituary, Guardian newspaper, 24 February 2014.
 Power for the People is on at Firstsite Colchester, until 4th March 2018. It brings together over four decades of work by British artist Rose Finn-Kelcey, who first came to prominence in the early 1970s as a central figure in Performance and Feminist art.
Images courtesy of the artists website:
http://www.rosefinnkelcey.com
