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Andrew Webb, The Aristocratic Hairline Machine, 1997

Andrew Webb, The Aristocratic Hairline Machine, 1997

Steel, wood, bicycle wheel, 200 books and chair

 

The Aristocratic Hair Line has been a mark of distinction in western culture for over six hundred years. The man who sports the Aristocratic Hair Line is widely though of as being intelligent, virile and perhaps just a little more cultured than the average man. The man who can hold his head up high with an intellectual Aristocratic Hair Line will also be considered artistic and elegant, mature and dignified - even, insightful and perceptive. Gentlemen do not despair - you too can enjoy a higher status in society - with little effort - just by changing your hair style to the intellectual Aristocratic Hair Line. With regular use of your own personal Aristocratic Hair Line Machine in just three months your hair line will have receded sufficiently to give you that perfectly natural intelligent, aristocratic look of the kind that, previously you have been so envious of in other men.

Andrew Webb, Habillé jusqu’ aux neufs, 1995 - 2003

Andrew Webb, Habillé jusqu’ aux neufs, 1995 - 2003

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a. Cibachrome framed under glass , 152 x 108 cm,1997

b. Hat: cotton duck canvas, car paint, stand, book and plinth, 1995

(after M. Duchamp)

c. Collage, 50 x 40 cm, 2003

 

The shape of the hat/object is taken from a photograph of a ventilator on Fire Island, New York, similar to one used by Marcel Duchamp as a ‘ready-made’ in 1915. An etching by Duchamp, made in 1964, is the only record of this now lost work. The object was inscribed; ‘Pulled at Four Pins’ a literal translation of the french idiom, ‘Tiré à quatre epingles’. The english equivalent ‘Dressed up to the nines’ translated literally into french gives; ‘Habillé jusqu’ aux neufs’ - Webbs’ title. A ‘toil’ is a prototype garment made by a designer from light weight cotton duck. ‘Toil’ from the Latin; téla, meaning ‘web’ and ‘toil’ can also be phonetically punned, in english, with the word ‘twirl’.

Andrew Webb, Love the Winner, 2004

Andrew Webb, Love the Winner, 2004

Wooden box, thimbles, feathers, wood, velum and brass, 71 x 47 x 5 cm

 

The title is stolen from the painting of Eros by Caravagio - misunderstood by the artist. The piece with its’ backgammon like box resembles a game. However, the game comes with no instructions, rules or logic. The game is also invoked by the pun on the french word ‘dé’ which means both ‘thimble and dice’. The thimbles are adorned by multicoloured feathers, bound as a fly used infishing. These flies are brilliant.

Weg Ten Hemel is the title of the missal placed on the miniature staircase - a forth metaphysical step.The staircase has three steps; one is singular, two is a pair and three is infinity - and suggests the trinity. The cages placed on the piece indicate hazard, with a bilingual pun on the word ‘trap’, which in flemish means ‘staircase'.

Andrew Webb, Weg Ten Hemel  II, (Way to heaven II), (Apprentice piece II), 2006

Andrew Webb, Weg Ten Hemel  II, (Way to heaven II), (Apprentice piece II), 2006

Wood, gesso, boll, mouse traps, missal, 32.2 x 32.5 x 15.5 cm

Andrew Webb, The Angle of Eternity, 2006

Andrew Webb, The Angle of Eternity, 2006

Oil paint on wood with brass. Five pieces; 210.7 x 4.5 x 4.5 cm

 

The artist stated that he wanted to make a work directly influenced by the writing of Alfred Jarry, in this case the story “Fear Visits Love”. Fear becomes trapped in a dark alley surrounded by a cemetery wall, an inexplicable wall that forms an angle, that Love declares to be‘the angle of eternity’. In the wall are little, narrow doors without handles or locks. “In my opinion doors should have no sex. It’s more chaste.” remarks Love to Fear.

Andrew Webb, Unfolding leaves, 2006

Collages, 52 x 42 cm

 

The starting point for this set of collages begins with the devotional cards and other material found saved in missals. They are littered with elements of humanism and classical references such as flowers, leaves and ribbons and explore the amazing similarity between religious and physical iconography in renaissance painting and contemporary images of the male figure and homosexual pornography. Some contain elements of autobiography and others directly reference artists of the modern period.

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