The collective work of Joey La Meche
Review by Tessa Fox — www.tessafoxstudio.net
We all believe in energy. Whether it be from the socket for your plug that then boils your kettle; the energetic forces that keep us grounded to the earth and helped title the 2013 science fiction thriller Gravity; or the unseen peace of a gap year student that found themselves in Bali. It exists; in whatever way you chose to believe.
With a characteristic vibrancy, Norwich native Joey la Meche brought a new energy down into the crypt space last weekend with his sold-out show Love All, Fear None.
City College trained, locals may recognise the work of La Meche. His mural, City of Stories, can be seen walking down from Castle Meadow to the Royal Arcade. So, it was no surprise I subconsciously felt ‘at home’ as I walked into the space on Friday to see the freshly hung show.
Love All, Fear None felt as though it was more than just a show of artwork, but rather, a biographical display of the world in which La Meche makes. Walking through, almost each piece contained more than just the usual exhibition ‘date, name and price’ labelling. Like a visual timeline of events, you were told what fueled the creation of the work. On Teddy Boy he wrote:
A large part of my inspiration throughout my teenage years was music and the culture that came with it. An early fan of MOD culture, I delved deep into researching delicious music scenes with the help of my inspiring Father and his extensive record collection. This poster depicts a Teddy Boy with a quote from Pete Doherty of the Libertines fame.
Delved deep and delicious music scenes, are you in a trance yet?
The work on show was a physical manifestation of the concept of ‘creative energy’ with a wide variety of pieces. From posters, to pots, to re-worked textiles and furniture, every piece was coated in La Meche’s distinctive illustrative designs. The vitrine, which has been central to a lot of the recent exhibitions held in the Crypt, housed La Meche’s working mind. It showcased influences and research – books, cards and objects – as well as his re-worked textiles in context, being worn and walked around the city. La Meche worked economically as well; with pricing that could be described as making his artwork accessible, it undoubtedly helped him to sell-out his show over practically one weekend.
Looking at his painted pots, I couldn’t help but question whether you could draw a parallel between these pieces and the iconic craftwork of Grayson Perry. There was something different about the ones that stood in front of me though that stopped me from doing so; what it was, I’m still not sure. But perhaps it was the overriding energy of the artwork and the creator himself as the repeated phrase hung around the space was
All that you are, is all that you give.
**
The Crypt Gallery: www.cryptgallery.space
Find Joey on instagram: @joeylameche