Applause

“For once the Northern Young Contemporaries sponsored this year responsively this year by Granada at the Whitworth Gallery, Manchester is not a muddle of mainly nondescript work. Occasionally a hard bite into the content of a particular idea substitutes for the general oblivion of colour or tone Frank Jenning’s ‘Bottled Violence’ is just that- a fist- gripped broken-necked bottle inside a bottle.”

“Perfectly made myth-poem objects. Witty, honest and earthy! A very fine show.”

“Forsaking mere fantasy or the manipulation of shape form and colour (to quote Geoff Teasdale- A PRIORI); Frank chooses to explore ambiguity and its dark outskirts – more often a secret and lonely place; even so, for those with a restless imagination it is the only one offering adventures of the mind.”

“Jennings’ entire show is a tribute to himself as an artist: his meticulous workmanship, his hours of foot slogging finding materials, his intense thought given to the ideas to included or explored in his works, as well as his indefatigable imagination.”

“Topping the bill in the current show is Frank Jennings’ Paradoxes in Boxes. Jennings’ boxes are instantly intriguing and the craftsmanship of the construction invites the viewer to look more closely.”

“For Frank who, I know, has always has the instinct to journey in the spirit of the artist/explorer daily reconsidering the nature of the nest. Looking forward to meeting you on the road to Meilkle Seggie.”

“I must say that with several delightful exceptions, such as the work of Frank Jennings and Andrew Lanyon, there was not enough character, not enough madness, not enough joie de vivre, bloody-mindedness, silliness, perversity, intelligence, knowingness or emotional thrust in the work submitted.”

“When I saw your work I thought it was brilliant. I was so impressed and felt compelled to tell you. It gave me a lot of pleasure to see your work, I hope to
get a chance to see it again.”