Fête des Imbéciles – Robert Rubbish

posted by Robyn Pitts April 25, 2019

James Jackson presents ‘Fête des Imbéciles’; an exhibition of works by Robert Rubbish at his newly refurbished premises. The exhibition is a collection of drawings and paintings that draw on Rubbish’s interest in literature, surrealism, food and feasting in art and Georgian prints.

Throughout the exhibition there are references to films and film makers, with the artworks implying scenes and historical moments where dining is prevalent. For example, Ken Russell’s ‘Women in Love’ scene is re-worked, and Italian director Federico Fellini’s films and characters have been re-appropriated into dining scenes.

The show features eleven on paper artworks, as well as five new canvases. In these pieces Rubbish explores the characters both real and fictional of bohemian Paris across history; from Godard to the Surrealists and beyond. The show also features an installation based on Meret Oppenheim’s surrealist spring feast. While the show explores Parisian literary and arts history, it also explores the thematic trope of the feast, from pagan ritual to the literary lunch.