"As the collective imagination gets lost in information overload, Rick Vermey's solo show of neo-pop digital prints redefines our cultural cartography."

Digital "prints" still seem to arouse some suspicion among gallery goers and artists, from the point of view that the end result has not been rendered by hand, there is no imprint from the plate passing through the press and the paper does not have that beautiful grainy, textured appearance we are used to. Having once been a suspecter myself, I was impressed with the depth and strength of the imagery shown in Rick Vermeys recent show, TERMINAL.

The works (nine in total and all the same size) are digital collages, a mix of familiar pop style cartoon images overlaying multiple levels of mapping and travel symbols, photographs and fragments of art history. They have a surprising depth, with many layers and tones only becoming apparent as you approach the work quite closely. One such piece, Transit Zone, shows a large black and white iconic pop image in the foreground, but the informal nature of that image belies the beautiful semi transparent tones shown in a confusion of maps and timetables underneath. As is the case with many of the works in this exhibition, the cartoon style image a stylised family, a guy in a new car or a giant, dripping brush stroke - which is initially apparent, draws you in with its familiarity but the surface tension simmers with incongruous "perfect couples" and Venus-like statues floundering in the modern computerised world in which they have been placed.

Vermey has created open narratives, not questions with answers. Even the title of the show, Terminal, is a dual reference to our computer oriented society and to the possible state of our imagination and sense of originality.

As a whole, this exhibition of finely crafted inkjet prints is querying our society and its direction. The past and the present have been collaged together, leaving cartoon characters in a quasi real scene to ponder their fate.

Simona Piscioneri,
Artist