Sorcha Dallas

Echo Room is a collaboration between the British Council and Alcal?° 31 which aims to expose a series of new names that have emerged within British Art, names linked not only because of their recent appearance in national and international galleries, but for their affinity with a common thematic thread, which is none other than the presence in their work of a rereading or reinterpretation of modernism. By showing the work of these artists, not only will a sector of British art be exposed to the public, but they’ll also be given a chance to approach a topic of even broader relevance: just what characterizes the historical moment that critics have tried to define as Postmodernism?

Some of the artists produce nearly literal citations, (Paterson and Boyce), while others recreate elements of erstwhile movements like Dada or Pop Art (Wood and Harrison; Batchelor). The use of all kinds of media is also of note, including leather in the work of Eva Rothschild or polished aluminium in D J Simpson’s pieces. There are artists in the show who work in formats as varied as painting, drawing, photography, video and objects. The majority are London-based, but the presence of artists from Glasgow (Toby Paterson y Martin Boyce), a city that since 2000 has become an important and hugely influential art centre, is also significant.