Rituals of the past are featured in exhibition

Jul 22 2008 by David Whetstone, The Journal

Catholicism, dolls and Gary Numan. Jacquie Boyd tells David Whetstone why all feature in her art.

NO doubt there will be some head- scratching at the latest exhibition to open at the Sandford Goudie Gallery at South Shields Customs House. It is full of dolls, but also carries the warning that it may not be suitable for young children.

The artist responsible for this paradox, an art installation rather than a conventional exhibition, is Jaquie Boyd, from Jarrow. The title is The Jack That Didn’t Fit In The Box.

So is Jacquie the Jack that didn’t fit – the square peg in the round hole?

The installation, she says, reflects “a stage I was at in my life which was a bit chaotic”.

She adds: “It has been very therapeutic.”

Religious imagery abounds and Jacquie says that partly reflects her upbringing, but it isn’t specifically a dig at Catholicism.

“It’s a look at the way routines and rituals of religion can take over your life. But it is also about growing up in general and finding your own way.”

Jacquie, who is 42, says she comes from a large Roman Catholic family and never rebelled outwardly against the religion, even as a teenager.

“I never stopped going to church because I was part of a folk group. I played guitar there. It has been over the last few years that I’ve started to look at it from a different point of view.

“A lot of the paintings deal with looking at Catholic icons, the things you have around your house – the crucifixes and statues. I started to find it quite scary.”

The dolls, many of them donated by gallery visitors and well-wishers, hark back to her childhood. She played with them as toys but recalls that they also relate to a time when sex education wasn’t as prevalent or as helpful as it is today.

Kids played with dolls as they explored notions of community and family, at least back in Jacquie Boyd’s 1970s they did.

Then there’s Jacquie’s teenage “obsession” with Gary Numan.

“A lot of the paintings are based on an album he brought out in 1979, Replicas. Funnily enough, he’s got one of the paintings that I did for this show. I sent it to him and apparently it’s up on his wall at home. His guitarist is from South Shields.”

The final impulse for this artistic outpouring, but maybe the most important, is the big decision Jacquie made about her career.

“I was running a course in a college, a very popular course, and it was a huge job. But I wasn’t particularly happy with where I was in my career. It wasn’t part of the plan. It happened by accident and I ended up walking out.”

Jacquie studied graphic design after leaving school but started painting about six years ago. She has exhibited commercially at galleries such as The Biscuit Factory but craved “my own space” to express ideas that don’t necessarily result in sellable paintings.

This is the result – “my first solo exhibition and my first fine art exhibition”.

Esen Kaya, visual arts development officer at the Customs House, calls it “one of the most intriguing exhibitions that we have ever hosted”.

She praises its dark humour, playfulness and adult issues and hopes it will stimulate debate.

The Jack That Didn’t Fit In The Box is the climax of Jacquie’s month-long residency at the Customs House and can be seen there until August 17. Entry is free.