Gallery Nyne: Motion Meets its Medium with Rennie Pilgrem
Huge, pulsating bass, one step away from bringing-up your breakfast, or maybe it was just the ecstasy.
In 1990 as part of seminal rave band ‘Rhythm Section’, Rennie Pilgrem witnessed the emerging power of underground DIY music culture whilst on stage in front of 15,000 people. The music, ‘hardcore breakbeat’ was a unique blend of dub reggae, hip hop, house music and anything from cartoon samples to snippets of popular adverts.
The djsplayed 12” vinyl which was initially pressed-up and sold from car boots by the artists themselves....sometimes tens of 1000’s for a ‘Big Tune’ like Rhythm Section’s ‘Comin’ On Strong EP’ that sold nearly 20,000 copies. The music splintered and evolved into a multitude of genres, most notably drum and bass.
After two highly-acclaimed decades as a globe-trotting DJ and award-winning recording artist, Rennie decided to switch from audio to visual art. In 2013 he found himself walking behind Tracey Emin, as part of a huge ‘conga’ of Summer Exhibition ‘Selected’ artists, going to the Church opposite the RA to be blessed.
The artist sees a parallel between the the Rave scene 25 year’s go and the art world now. Substitute the musical disparate influences with: minimalism, pop art, surrealism, imagined isolated landscapes and healthy dose of dry wit. He is one the one-hand continuing a long tradition of mixing the old and new and coming-up with something fresh and on the other taking advantage of the opportunities facing the modern artist to gain exposure for their work -be it a mono print, or a photograph, or a paintings, laser cut wood, completely digital or a hybrid.
Whatever the discipline, art can now be exposed to the world without having to rely on traditional methods. A new piece can be uploaded onto the artist’s own website/Instagram account and/or online galleries in a matter of hours. The artist sets the prices, availability, edition size. There hasn’t been a better time in history for an artist to take control of their destiny.
