Chilling new horror exhibition opens in Nottingham and makes people ‘feel connected’

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John Humphreys with his famous 'Alien Autopsy' sculpture

By Callum Wright

A new exhibition celebrating the art and production of horror has opened just in time for Halloween in Nottingham.

‘The Last Horror Show’, located in Backlit Gallery in Sneinton, says it aims to ‘provoke a conversation between the production of horror films and the evocative power of visual art, creating an unsettling experience.’

Hidden behind a curtain and contained within a labyrinth of black walls, the exhibition, which was launched on Friday (October 25), features a wide range of surreal artworks, from paintings and sculptures to videos and large-scale sets.

Both local and worldwide artists had their work featured, including Justin Simien, who directed Disney’s 2003 film ‘The Haunted Mansion’.

He gave the event a worldwide exclusive with his first contribution to a visual arts exhibition.

Justin Simien’s “Bad Hair” at the exhibition

Another one of those with work featured in the exhibit is John Humphreys.

His work includes the original sculpture of 1980s TV legend Max Headroom and the famous alien sculpture from the 1995 film ‘Alien Autopsy’ – with the latter featured in the gallery.

“It’s great to show it [the alien] in an exhibition as a sculpture in its own right. I like working in films but it’s really nice to see it in 3D,” he said.

“I think the Alien Autopsy has been seen by a couple billion people. Max Headroom was meant to be the first computer-generated TV presenter and everyone thought it was digitally created, when in fact, he was done with special effects.”

Close up look at John Humphreys’ famous “Roswell Alien” model

The exhibition’s was inspired by the 1982 cult comedy horror film ‘The Last Horror Movie’, a film Mr Humphreys had also been a part of.

Every seven minutes, the exhibition includes the sound of screaming, courtesy of musician and filmmaker Gina Birch and her short film ‘Three Screams’ – in which she films herself screaming at the camera years apart from each other.

Talking about the film’s origin, Nottingham-born Ms Birch, said: “I think it was partly due to feeling slightly inarticulate but also like a bit of a misfit, like what am I doing, who am I?

“I was a bit angry I suppose so I decided I would scream. Someone when they came to see it suggested I orchestrated the scream which I thought was quite an interesting idea.”

Gina Birch and her “Three Screams” short film

Nottingham-based contemporary painter and illustrator Kim Thompson, who goes by the name Kim-a-Tron, also had a piece featured in the exhibition which she says was inspired by Greek mythology.

“As a kid, I was really into Greek mythology and learning more about these stories; I was always drawn to the hags and monsters -these villainised women in mythology and wondered a bit more about what it was that appealed about them,” she said.

Kim Thompson’s “Retribution” artwork on display at the gallery

“Learning more about the reasons why these characters were cast into these hideous forms or isolated, it just seemed like there was this weird narrative of punishment of powerful women characters and I kind of liked the idea of reversing that narrative and celebrating those powerful villainised women.”

She also added about the impact horror can have on people across its many different artforms.

Oliver Ventress’ “The End” display was ominously lit in red in a separate room of the gallery

“One of the things that I love about horror is that it seems to unite communities, sometimes in rooting for a misunderstood villain; I think there’s a lot of examples, particularly as a queer person in the queer community, there is something in horror that allows people who feel marginalised to feel connected-it’s relatable and understandable,” she said.

“For me, horror is comforting for sure and I’m drawn to it for all it can do in terms of the characterisation of people on the fringes of things, and there’s so much scope in horror that you don’t find in any other genre.

“It allows people, particularly those in marginalised groups, to share stories of their own experiences in the context of a world they’ve created and I think not many genres allow for that.”

The event was co-curated by Matthew Chesney and Jazz Swali, with Mr Chesney also having a display in the exhibit.

Nathaniel Mellors’ “Invigilator” on display at the gallery

He said he was very happy with how the event showcased the diversity of horror and how many people contributed to its inception.

He said: “I think the diverse responses from each artist in relation to their perspective on ‘horror’, shows that each person finds a different version of themselves within this sphere.

“For some, it is finding comedy and resilience in adversity, for some it’s a finding strength or a form of activism or political statement. Horror is not just one thing, but many things. And they are all beautiful in their own way.

“Once the exhibition was fully installed, it dawned on me that horror provides a platform to find resilience in ourselves – whether we’re dealing with fear, grief, anxiety, or oppression.

“It’s within this resilience we find hope and whilst we live In such challenges times of significant unrest and conflict, it’s the most important thing we all need right now.”

Maya Deren’s “The Witch’s Cradle” playing at the exhibition in a special cinema room

A rare part of the exhibition is a short film playing continuously in a hidden room, showing unfinished 1944 short film ‘The Witch’s Cradle’ by legendary avant-garde filmmaker Maya Deren.

The exhibit will remain in Backlit Gallery, on Ashley Street, until December 8.

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