Art

The M Factor

Photographs by Neil Roland
Manchester store, 2005-06

Born in Salford in 1965, Neil Roland has worked as a travel writer and author for the past twenty years, having written several Rough Guide travel books, while in 2003 his first novel, Manchester-set 'Taken For A Ride' was published to critical acclaim.

Originally training as a solicitor, Roland did not want to pursue a legal career, and having founded Manchester's first pure theatre magazine, Greater Manchester Theatre back in 1989, he went on to feature write for The Independent, The Sunday Times and numerous other journals before being offered his first one-man show of photographs at Salford City Art Gallery in 2002.

Since then, his fascination with the exquisite, often unnoticed architectural detail of our city, teamed with a passion for colour and a determination to preserve our threatened urban history in the face of bland development , has resulted in a dramatic success story for his work.

He was offered his first Manchester one-man show at The Portico Gallery, from where almost the entire collection was bought by Chadwick's, a Manchester accountancy firm, who then commissioned him to do the same for Liverpool as he had done for his home city. The resulting exhibition at Liverpool's View Two Gallery launched him into becoming one of the most successful photographers in the North West.

"Roland has a sharp eye, a penchant for perspective. He spots things the rest of us might never notice... His photographs celebrating Manchester's architectural diversity has made him one of the most popular photographers recording the city's ever-changing beauty" Independent on Sunday

His work is on permanent display at the Embassy of Sweden in London, and individual commissions from both individual and corporate buyers has seen his work appearing in public spaces throughout Britain as well as private collections in Paris, Germany, the USA and Scandinavia.

Yet despite the popularity of his pictures - all sold as limited editions of 50 - they are all achieved without the use of digital imagery or any filters. Roland uses the Pentax K1000 camera he has used since 1978.

"What inspires me is colour and form and the historical significance of my subject matter," he explains. "The unexpected relationship when certain images are put together can bring a rush of life to images we thought we knew well. Seeing is like bird-song. It's easy to be unaware of what is around us, but once noticed, it's incredible what there is to stimulate the eye."

In The M Factor, his newest collection, Roland has progressed his ideas. As well as the new glass towers around the city reflecting the old Victorian architecture, he noticed the remarkable images reflected from cars parked around the city. 'Who notices that everywhere is Venice in the boot lid of a Fiat Punto?" he asks - who indeed?

Unfixed

A collection of paintings and drawings by Daniel Burigo
Covent Garden Store, Sept 2005 - January 2006

The exhibition of paintings and drawings by Brazilian artist Daniel Burigo is a wonderful set of shapes, colours and patterns combined in beautiful and harmonic compositions. Exploring ageing as a main theme, Daniel constructs portraits that self-transform and register the time passage trough continuous makeovers. For this exhibition at Suburb Covent Garden, the artist selected works that cover his first period of activity in London, a time during which he has matured his ideas under new settings of time and space.

He uses transparency frequently, which reveals previous features and contrasts with flat shining surfaces, gold and glossy shapes. Foreground and background are blended together with intricate, but roughly made patterns, in a dynamic universe of transformation. An important element in his work is randomness and he allows mistakes to unpredictably reveal new paths. "While painting I deliberately change the direction of my work exploring qualities related to its media, introducing different elements brought in by memory, the use of symbolism and also allowing the material or personal feelings influence me conceptually." His work looks sometimes as an intricate collage of ideas.

It's a good opportunity to witness this moment in his career since his pieces keep changing with him. Attention should be paid to the beautiful lines in his drawings, which, in contrast with his colourful and "shapy" paintings, are simpler but dare a lot.

The exhibition is open until 8th of January 2006. All works are for sale. For further information please speak a member of staff. Alternatively contact Daniel on 07816998018 or log on www.danielpinto.plus.com