Bluecoat Arts Centre, Liverpool
Till 19th June 2016

Reviewed by JJ Schaer

The Bluecoat is currently serving as host for Double Act: Art and Comedy. In the literature it says that the exhibition aims to highlight the connection between comedy and art. However, I found that there was little art or comedy on show.

The exhibition is mainly made up of video installations – someone stood in the middle of a room with a helmet on and one of a man pouring red sauce over his face whilst reciting a monologue and the like. There were some sausage sculptures you could help create and some newspapers with graffiti on them, but my eyes had glazed over by that point.

There where a number of signs throughout the exhibition warning that I may be offended by the nudity and themes of the pieces. But seeing as a series of photos of a man sitting naked on a chair and raising a can to slowly reveal his genitals served neither to offend or arouse mirth in me I couldn’t help but feel that the curator was desperately trying to shock but missing the post. Maybe I’ve just become completely desensitised.

The funniest thing I saw there was the look on the face of the gallery attendant in the large room at the back. He sat there dejectedly looking into his phone, swiping periodically, whilst two video installations deafeningly played on repeat. He looked like he had completely lost the will to live whilst sat opposite a sculpture of a chair committing suicide in front of a heater. This summed up the whole affair for me.

The saving grace of the exhibition is that entry is free.