25/04/2008 There was something quite disconcerting about attending a (fairly) high profile photography launch for one Dave Dryden; Dave Danger; Dangerous Dave, esquire. Someone like yours truly, thankfully, forever faithful to the limits of anarchy and all out debauchery, is like a fish out of water in the confines of a gallery; sophistication as alien as a Big Mac and Fries to the remote Wakakuku Tribe of Central Bogulugu. Nonetheless, following a somewhat anarchic couple of weeks, I decided to try my hand at the whole ‘class’ game and attend the ‘Nobby Clark shoots Noel Fielding’ photography exhibition at the Maison Bertaux gallery in Soho…
First a spot of history for you the (possibly murderous/possibly okay) reader to mull over. Noel Fielding is the popular comedian from the beeb’s Mighty Boosh where he plays Vince Noir alongside Julian Barratt‘s ‘Howard Moon’. In his spare time Noel likes to paint - “It’s the only way I can relax” – he says. So, sometime ago, Noel held a pretty big exhibition showcasing his art at the Maison Bertaux (which is above a really quaint bakery that sells “well nice” chocolate éclairs). The gallery, you see, is owned by Noel’s dealer (art not drugs as there’s no evidence Noel takes them) Tania Wade – rated by The Observer as “the rising star of the London art world”.
Noel’s art is kind of like a really cool acid trip incorporating talking crocodiles, a dude from the Ramones, Keith Richards and characters from the world of the Mighty Boosh, the comedy his work so often inhabits. So at the launch of Noel’s exhibition veteran photographer Nobby Clark, who’s photographed everyone from the Rolling Stones to Al Pacino, decided to snap Noel alongside his artwork in what I interpreted as an “art meets art” philosophy. Cool, huh? This brings us to the night in question (in a roundabout way), the ‘Nobby Clark shoots Noel Fielding’ photography exhibition…
Upon arrival at the Maison Bertaux my (makeshift) photographer and I found ourselves wading through a herd of paps before being greeted by owner Tania Wade and pointed towards the complimentary drinks table. The Maison Bertaux struck me as an interesting establishment for a launch night and gallery, its size confining it to ‘tin can’ dimensions; packed to the rim with old people in cravats, suits, and tweed hats vying for an inch – nay, a centimetre of space. “More like a farmers market in Kent than a bakery in Soho” I thought to myself, in mock posh brogue.
 Needless to say my acquaintance and I grabbed another complimentary red wine and left the jam-packed interior, taking residence on some wooden chairs in the cool night air; waiters and waitresses flitting about and asking everyone if they’d “Like some cake?” Pap’s eagerly awaited the arrival of Noel Fielding, smoking cigarettes and nattering like long lost brothers before fighting with eyes of rabid dog for the first photo of their target. Hypocrisy personified.
I took a gulp of wine and rolled a cigarette; trying in vain to become acquainted with the whole shebang; “lonely days and sleepless nights, this doesn’t seem so right” by Jay Reatard ricocheting from one side of my thoughts to the other; verbal table tennis of a confused mind. Alas, Fielding came prancing round the corner, dressed in token poncho, red winkle-pickers, skinny jeans and straw hat with flower motif; texting on his mobile as cries of “THERE HE IS!” rang-out from all corners; person to person, pap to pap. Gok Wan (How to Look Good Naked) remaining ignored on the other side of the road despite his efforts at recognition. I took another glug of my second wine as Fielding posed a dog’s cock away; flashing bulbs inadvertedly capturing me and my ‘photographer’ in background shot, the disappointment etched all over the Pap’s faces as they viewed their efforts moments later…
There you go; if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to attend the launch of a (fairly) high profile photography exhibition, that’s a fairly accurate intro to the surrealism of the whole shebang. Now to the exhibition itself, where my attempts to chat-up Alison ‘VV’ Mosshart (The Kills) went down like a soufflé in an open oven. Despite the quantity of alcohol flowing through the veins the exhibition proved genuinely impressive, the intimate surroundings upstairs in the Maison Bertaux bringing a certain je ne sais quois to proceedings. I pointed in awe at the varying shades of photos, trying my best to look classy and show some understanding - “Look at the yellow exposure, the purple, the green” - the various poses Clark had captured of Noel alongside his art, amusing, intimate, bold - before pulling Noel to one side and asking him a question; the evasive Mosshart clinging to his arm like a Vampress to her prey:
“How does it feel to have your art in art?” I asked Noel as he turned towards me. “Well,” he responded with a smile, “I love the fact this is an exhibition of photos of my exhibition. So I’ve basically been taking photos of this exhibition - of my exhibition, so then we have an exhibition of that exhibition; and Nobby’s gonna take some photos of that exhibition, until we complete the third part.” This was followed by much laughter and a mutual relief that we were as clueless on photography as each other. I pondered my question - ‘art’ photographed as ‘art’ - and carried on our exchange. “It’s like when you’re in a lift with loads of mirrors!” “Yeah,” chuckled Noel. “Like Russian dolls! It‘s an exhibition within an exhibition within an exhibition,” followed b y more laughter from the both of us; both fishes out of water; both strangers to the “nibbles” and the “wine” and the chats about “the race for London mayor”.
In the end Noel left hand in hand with Alison ‘VV’ Mosshart, Vampress of The Kills, and I left proud. Proud that I’d only had three beers, five red wines, three whites, and spoken to “rising star of the London artworld” Tania Wade on an intelligent level. Class? It’s a piece of piss…
Words: Dave Dryden
Photography courtesy of the Nobby Clark/Noel Fielding exhibition
Dangerous Dave photo by Christina Budhram
The Nobby Clark Shoots Noel Fielding’ exhibition opens to the public from April 23rd - June 21st.
Nobby Clark Shoots Noel Fielding
Gallery Maison Bertaux
28 Greek Street, Soho
London, W1D 5DQ |
