Bow ties, top hats and a plethora of impressively coiffured dainties with big bows on their shiny shoes made the ideal crowd for the exhibition of illustration at La Viande 3 Charlotte Rd, EC2. Whimsical and witty, the lengthy titled “an exhibition of juvenile, idiosyncratic witticisms from 4 nice people….” by artists and illustrators Ryan Todd, Jess Wilson, Chris Jones and Rob Flowers was playful to the core.

On our arrival (early) at La Viande we were pleased to discover that we were by no means the first to arrive, (although definitely the scruffiest!) and within a short time the gallery and street were packed. The colourful audience and the mood were fittingly light and jovial for the work on the walls.

Traditional ideas of love and romance were cheered, jeered, poked about a bit and eventually applauded by this exhibition from talents Todd, Wilson, Jones and Flowers . A refreshing combination of biro drawing, painting, sculpture and print were on display and neatly filled the small but welcoming gallery space. As I meandered around the gallery I was impressed by not only the high quality of the work but by the overall coherency of the exhibition. The artists, working across a range of disciplines maintained a strong sense of unity despite differing styles of application.

When I walked into the room, the first work to draw my attention was the Disney-eyed sculpture of Rob Flowers. Round, black, furry heads in stacks or clusters reminded me of the oversized stuffed toys found in rich children’s bedrooms in 1970’s films (in technicolour). Seemingly friendly but seriously creepy, these toy-like sculptures would have been the thing of nightmares to a small child, especially when given a tiny, plastic human nose and a tall clowns hat….eek. His work was centrally situated on the first and basement floor and created a bold presence beside the more subtle drawings on the walls.

I had difficulty suppressing a smile at Jess Wilson’s series of prints based on two little grannies sitting together on a bench found downstairs in the gallery. From “ I love you” to insults, the evolution of love, intimacy and relationship was summed up in a cute and clever way. “Every night my cat falls in love” was one of the endearing phrases drawn in biro in Wilson’s series of pine panel drawings. I was instantly drawn to the scratchy and immediate blue biro line, friendly and familiar, reminding me of childhood drawing sessions on my bed head before getting told off for vandalism. It was interesting to see the often throw-away biro drawing given the physical weight of the wooden surface- instilling a sense of permanence and preciousness.

I was really excited to see that painting was well represented in the exhibition thanks to Cris Jones. His striking pieces reminded me of panel paintings in technique and were heart wrenchingly funny . A little naked lady, falling to her doom from a burst heart balloon while her joy-of-sex lover desperately clings to the edge of the basket entitled “don’t leave me”. It killed me. The downstairs wall was a salon hang of fantastic paper works by Ryan Todd. The impressive array of small drawings in biro, felt tip and ink drawings hung in a colourful cluster across the wall. Imagery mashed together ranged from headless skeletons to strange faces with love heart eyes and spooky grins. ¬¬Each image felt as though it were part of a narrative that had been broken into pieces and reformed on the wall and in a strange way, I felt that Todd’s work really summed up the exhibition. It was light but clever and ultimately endearing.

The exhibition was fun and sweet but definitely meaty enough for La Viande. To find out more about the artists check out
www.jesswilson.co.uk,
www.ryantodd.co.uk,
www.robflowers.co.uk,
www.myspace.com/jonesmr