Exquisite Juju by David Heulun
Words by Madeleine Feeny
A doleful sea-monkey perched aloft in an open shell, clutching a ukulele, and a psychedelic, multicoloured elephant are just two pieces from the seductively garish array of bric-a-brac-cum-folk art currently being shown by David Heulun at the Arts Exhibition Space and Bar in Camberwell. A self-confessed magpie with squirrel-like tendencies to boot, Heulun collects objects, junk and curios that catch his eye wherever he goes, from Tokyo flea markets to Ely Cathedral shop, to Welsh junk shops and Estonian fairs. These objects usually sit in his house for a considerable period of time, gathering character, force (and dust), and embedding themselves in their appropriator’s consciousness, until a day comes when he might feel inspired to pair a Japanese statuette of an imposing kimono-clad lady with some small wooden blocks. Big in Japan shows this lady towering over some insignificant yet clearly tall high-rise buildings (the wooden blocks). Adorned with Heulun’s trademark intricate acrylic painting, she stands, majestic, like a mascot of Tokyo, all sweeping-sleeved femininity and stocky, reassuring solidity.
Heulun is fascinated by religion and ritualism, and there are echoes of these influences throughout his work. The Light is the Shadow of God pairs a human skull painted with sunbeams, with an Estonian Christian orthodox statue, subtly pointing out the role of organised religion in relation to the human mind’s needs and capacities, while attributing all ultimate human and earthly power to the sun’s energy, the only certain basic power.
The charm of Heulun’s work lies not only in the humbly offered large-scale ideas manifested in small, delicate pieces, but also in the sheer decorative joy of his brush. Every creature and bottle bears such an elaborate microcosm, whether surreally menacing or otherworldly and psychedelic, that you lose yourself when looking at them. His only portrait displayed in this exhibition is painted in acrylic on a wooden board, is classically representational and, in spite of these seemingly two-dimensional media, positively glows with the tranquil energy of the subject, Louise. Heulun’s love of decoration is evident in the filigree of little patterns and circles enhancing her, declaring the ornamental nature of the portrait.
The more you look, the more there is to see. The recycled Jack Daniels and Tequila bottles, with angels perched on their lids, wittily renamed Angel of the Drowned Sorrows and Firewater, show scenes of Dantean confusion and horror. In one terrible seastorm, a small boat is tossed on a black sea, an excellent metaphor for bottom-of-the-bottle perplexity and turmoil, while beer caps are used repeatedly to represent blank, intent eyes.
Tiki and Mexican influences abound in bold masks, and bright, earthy colours. A haunting pair of glow-in-the-dark eyes stare from behind a painted mask, in a large, dark, milky-moonlit wooden canvas that reminded me of Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things are”.
Exotica Rock is a sexy Flintstone-style pastiche of American pin-up art. Exotica writhes flirtatiously in her leopard bikini on a deserted rock, fixing you wickedly with her enormous Bambi eyes. But on closer inspection her trashy Sunset Boulevard-style stilettos belie the mermaid-like impression created by the natural surroundings.
“Ju-ju” means “an object venerated as a charm or fetish”, and “Exquisite Juju” certainly lives up to its name. David Heulun takes you on a whirlwind tour of ritualism, magic and cultural imagery, and the charm-like mysticism of his works seems to stem from the fact that they are so much more than the sum of their parts. Their transformation with the prosaic aid of glue, acrylic, and wood is complete, rather splendid and even, somehow, a little uncanny.
Exquisite Juju, David Heulun, Arts Exhibition Space and Bar, 25a Camberwell Church Street, Camberwell, London SE5 8TR
Posted Thu, June 25, 2009