Laetitia Yhap - Keeping Company
Stoking a fire. Gutting a fish. Staring pensively towards the sea with one foot casually but unnecessarily propped on a rock. These are manly men doing boring manly things. Painted in a style reminiscent of 1950s illustrations, these could easily be outtakes from a Hemingway book cover contest. Like the cover of most paperbacks, they’re visually simplified with just enough mystique to make you curious about the story. But what actually lured me in, and kept me lingering, is the way they are framed.
The works are oil on board but not a single one is rectangular. They’ve been cut, shaped and accentuated with details that highlight their seaside motif. There are portholes set within sand. Curved works ringed with rope. Many are deep and thick, creating long shadows as they stand proud from the wall. One is carved into the shape of a woman’s luscious lips.
Would I have lingered as long as I did if these had been painted and framed in a traditional, orthogonal way? Certainly not. There’s nothing inherently compelling about the scenes, which depict what Yhap calls the ‘small transactions’ of the Hastings fishing community. There’s no visual drama or activity that would make you stop and stare if you were to encounter it for real as you strolled along the sea. The unique shapes of the bespoke, handmade frames heighten the imagery and imply a deeper importance.
Using wood from bed frames, doors and chopping boards augmented with found objects, Yhap is essentially doing the same thing the Renaissance painters did with their frescoes. They understood the importance of framing to their compositions, frequently painting in columns and other architectural details that direct your gaze and help bring focus and prominence to the people and scenes they depicted. In Yhap’s work the effect is actually three dimensional, although in one of the works she extends it into the scene, creating the illusion that it’s happening just outside a curtained window.
Speaking very generally, the idea of decorative frames is now an antiquated concept. In fact, you’re unlikely to see any frames at all when it comes to contemporary art. If you do it’s probably going to be a very slim and unobtrusive one, existing only as a way to help hang the work or provide a protective glass cover. Maybe that’s why I found Yhap’s work so fresh and compelling, even though it’s 30-40 years old and visually nostalgic.
Arguably, these works aren’t even “framed” because the frames are such a core and integral part of the paintings. They could not be removed without fundamentally altering the work, and yet they are still very much a frame. When a painting and it’s frame become so intertwined that one is inescapable from the other, they become something entirely different, distinct and unique. I might not care for the imagery, but I really do love these works.
Plan your visit
‘Keeping Company’ runs until 30 September.
Visit halesgallery.com and follow @halesgallery on Instagram for more info about the venue.
Visit the Laetitia Yhap Wikipedia page for more info about the artist.
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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