Sorcha Dallas

Henry Coombes

Opens January 17th 2004 at 7.30 Show runs January 20th – January 24th 2004 11am – 5 pm

Family heirlooms, dusty Victoriana and country squires who compromise themselves through their illicit penchant for exotica are the subject and the starting point for Coombes’ investigation into the musty hangover of Britain’s glorious Empire. Coombes transfers the latent aggression and the instrumental violence of a British class structure into deceptively naïve tableaus. The protagonists act out roles that are proscribed for them by dominant power structures and ideologies, yet are often made ridiculous through Coombes’ absurd staging. The role of the artist-as-commander of the realm is an ever-present shadowy figure, subtly mocking his self imposed position as grand puppet master. Using diverse materials and techniques Coombes draws on a cultural legacy of oddball aristocrat eccentrics and provincial English hoodlums to frequently humorous effect.

Henry Coombes lives and works in Glasgow.