Julia Church, Jane Crawley, Sarah Curtis, Susan Fereday, Maggie Fooks, Helen Grutzner, Shiralee Saul, June Savage
The idea of Plurality, with its attendant associations of polyvalance and freedom, is one that requires little defence nowadays: in fact, it is well on its way to becoming a cultural imperative. While some affirmation of the validity of the plural is far better than the absolute univocity of aesthetic or political fascism, all too often the term is promulgated without much regard for its own contradictions. Such unproblematised usage denies a paradox, which if not inherent in the concept itself, certainly resides within its contextual currency.
Absolute plurality, the hallmark of the death of god, the subject and the author, would seem to be impossible; for as such it always implies some degree of imperative. On one hand it connotes a denial of the validity of any sort of positionality, even its own, and demands an absolute restlessness which is never allowed any sort of resting place. Conversely, it also suggests a relentless affirmation of any system, any position, even the most elitist. The limits of both sides circumscribe a black hole: an object of critical mass, infinitely heavy but ultimately inexpressive and it is this dangerous territory that much recent 'plural' art must negotiate.
Cite, Sight, Site charts the disparate responses of eight artists to a brief which included the three word title as well as Albert Tucker's image, The Victory Girls. This brief which forms Linda Sprule's curatorial statement is prominently exhibited at the entrance to the show itself. From this point, the work sprawls outward, both in terms of formal and conceptual interests. Like most contemporary group shows it attempts to play out the impossible ideal of plurality, with a laudably serious emphasis on a diversity