All That Fits: The Aesthetic of Journalism – General Feeback
“The show is really impressive”
(Keith Jeffrey, CEO of QUAD)
“There’s some good thinking behind the show”.
(Alex Farquharson, Director of Nottingham Contemporary)
“I enjoyed the exhibition very much and found it chimed at lot with a show we are currently developing for next summer which looks at direct change actions by artists in the public realm.” (Clive Gillman, Director of Dundee Contemporary Arts) “This is an ambitious show for Derby and it is certainly to the curator’s credit that such a highly original exhibition tackling pertinent and current themes has been programmed outside the context of London or a university gallery (I am not aware of any other institutions programming exhibitions on similar themes). Despite Derby not being a well-provided art destination (Quad only opened in 2008) it appears that Quad’s programme over the last three years has not pandered to populism but has presented an interesting and challenging range of work including solo shows from artists such as Ian Breakwell, Dinu Li and Jane & Louise Wilson as well as group shows such as the Format International Photography Festival. This exhibition, All That Fits, continues the trend for original exhibitions and is a good example of Quad’s uncompromising attitude. I don’t know if the exhibition will be touring but it strikes me that it would easily translate to other venues.” (David Gritt, art critic for Art Review and Artistic Assessor for Arts Council England) “Thought the show was very daring – a restrained curation, the space was really serene and quite beautiful and the (video) boxes worked very well. It was also interesting to see how much was semi hidden. I felt you managed to combine approachable / accessible with what is actually a very challenging show and conceptually intricate. Well done to all. I particularly enjoyed Katya Sander’s work – both the showing and the content and Graziela Kunsch’s library of open process and the aesthetic punch of Walid Raad and Eric Baudelaire.” (James Corazzo, Designer) “As a journalist I guess you would expect me to take a keen interest in the current Quad exhibition but I don’t think you need 25 years as a reporter to appreciate what’s on offer at the Derby arts centre. With all that’s going on in the phone hacking scandal at the moment and the changing face of the way information is disseminated thanks to the rise of the internet, an exhibition looking at current trends in journalism and art (and the blurring of those distinctions) seems acutely relevant to us all. All That Fits is currently in its third and last phase, The Militant, looking at counter images and information. I’d urge you to at least drop into the Quad Gallery and check out French photographer Eric Baudelaire’s war diptych The Dreadful Details. This striking image is no less powerful for being posed, encapsulating the nature of modern conflict with an almost biblical composition. Foreign troops prowl dusty, debris-strewn streets where a woman cradles a slaughtered child in her arms. Most tellingly, from the safety of an upstairs balcony a man captures the scene on his mobile, ready presumably to upload the horrors on YouTube. “ (Friday, July 22, 2011: Nigel Powlson in ‘This is Derbyshire’) “Firstly, compliments on the current exhibition at the QUAD, I found it very thought provoking and at times powerfully emotive, Eric Baudelaire’s piece in particular had an intense impact. *…+ regards the All That Fits exhibition catalogue. I found its format and layout quite exquisite and was very impressed with the print quality. “ (Michael Sargeant, Photographer and Curator)
All That Fits: The Aesthetics of Journalism review on DT
Derby Telegraph
by Nigel Powlson
1 July 2011
Curatorview [Alfredo Cramerotti] 
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