Cultex has now moved to the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
A rather unexpected sight in the foyer is Machiko Agano and Anniken Amundsen's Greenhouse Installation. Although the setting is less than appropriate the installation is a triumph. The sinuous forms of Anniken's creatures entwined and reflected amongst the angular shapes of Michiko's cut, printed, mirrors works extremely well to give the impression of a verdant forest of growth that tricks and confuses the eye whilst creating its own unique habitat.
The landing, before the main gallery, is an excellent viewing point for the new commission by Eva Schjolberg 'Parterre/Water'. A mixture of here evocative photographs, of Norway and Japan, and rich blue second hand textiles that are manipulated to make textures and patterns along linear rodsOn entering the gallery I was immediately struck by how different the exhibition was going to be in this setting; a much more open gallery arrangement 
allows relationships to develop between different works, not just the originally planned pairings. Kiyonori Shimada's sensuous white walls have been arranged to form a corridor that narrows in the centre forcing visitors to consider the etiquette of passing in restricted spaces. At the end of the corridor is another balcony where Gabriella Goransson has installed another new work. 'Glade - Taaje'. Seeing the balcony as a 'glade' with the building space Gabriella has created work that will gradually break down and return to pulp reflecting the natural process of decaying leaves in a forest clearing.
Moving back through Machiko's work the viewers own reflection on the mirrored surfaces is placed firmly in the midst of the consumer culture depicted on the printed side. From here Anniken's 'Mutant Clusters' grow and glow. I was particularly taken with the ligting of the deceptive simple wall pieces which were enhanced by an intense light that gave the impression of emanating from the work itself.
One of the most successful positionings in the Rugby gallery is 'Calm Correspondence' by Yuka Kawai. These graceful woven columns sit so well within the rotunda, echoing its curved walls and tall narrow windows, that they could have been site specific.
Eva Schjoberg's 'Aqueous' has a grace that belies the complexity of the curves from which it is formed. Each rod is gently bent to fit into a specific shape and place, its relationship to the wall and floor as important as its relationship with the other rods.
allows relationships to develop between different works, not just the originally planned pairings. Kiyonori Shimada's sensuous white walls have been arranged to form a corridor that narrows in the centre forcing visitors to consider the etiquette of passing in restricted spaces. At the end of the corridor is another balcony where Gabriella Goransson has installed another new work. 'Glade - Taaje'. Seeing the balcony as a 'glade' with the building space Gabriella has created work that will gradually break down and return to pulp reflecting the natural process of decaying leaves in a forest clearing.
Moving back through Machiko's work the viewers own reflection on the mirrored surfaces is placed firmly in the midst of the consumer culture depicted on the printed side. From here Anniken's 'Mutant Clusters' grow and glow. I was particularly taken with the ligting of the deceptive simple wall pieces which were enhanced by an intense light that gave the impression of emanating from the work itself.
One of the most successful positionings in the Rugby gallery is 'Calm Correspondence' by Yuka Kawai. These graceful woven columns sit so well within the rotunda, echoing its curved walls and tall narrow windows, that they could have been site specific.
Eva Schjoberg's 'Aqueous' has a grace that belies the complexity of the curves from which it is formed. Each rod is gently bent to fit into a specific shape and place, its relationship to the wall and floor as important as its relationship with the other rods.
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