Nailed

After the self-imposed containment triggered by sessions of intense CSS-ing, it felt good to get out and see as much as possible that didn't involve a computer screen.  On this packed Thursday, this involved bags, new stores previews of collections - the usual stuff - did I expect to see erm... this?  Definitely not... 

The highly ornate set of nails are the creation of Sam Biddle, one of a group of ten highly respected, highly skilled nail technicians that form a new exhibition 'Nailphilia' at the DegreeArt gallery.  We're all familiar with nail art with it blowing up in particular in the last few years with the expansion of WAH Nails and thus spurring on ever-elaborate DIY nail jobbies.  The concept as nails as art themselves though has not really been explored in the context of a gallery.  Beyond the ComicCon-esque nail art contest Nailympics or the mahussive manicurist tradeshows in Japan (I plan on going to one in my lifetime so I can huff huge amoutns of acetone), nails are almost always considered to be accessory rather the central feature.

It's therefore odd to be confronted with so many incarnations of nail art that push practicality and function totally out of the window.  They might not even involve the painting of nails at all as seen in these metal rings that masquerade as giant nails were created for Beyonce in her 'Run the World video by Laruicci a jewellery designer.  I'd like to physically poke every one of my Facebook friends with one of these... 

Here's Sam Biddle again with a nail-based interpretation of coveting an expensive bag as nails slowly morph into the croc pattern... 

Most of the exhibition revolves around the mobile manicurist Sophie Harris-Greenslade of The Illustrated Nail who does the neatest illustrations on nails I've ever seen with a fine precision which makes her a ripe candidate to choose five artists from Degree Art's roster of emerging talent and interpret them in her own way.  Or vice versa in this instance where photographer Moses Powers takes Harris-Greenslade's nail patterns and collages them into his photographs...  

The curator very kindly let me lift up the moulded hands (created by another DegreeArt artist Sophie Hanson) to hold the nails in front the original artwork.  I've got to say that I can't really look at super super long nails without thinking about that guy in the Guinness Book of Records who had those insanely long nails that curved around his body.  Still these lengths certainly allow the nail technicians to really show their skill in transfering a wee bit of art to your fingertips...   

Names such as Sophy Robson who has worked with Louis Vuitton, Dior etc is represented at the exhibition with these beetles that sport logo-ed nail shells.  Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Fendi or erm...skulls?  You choose... 

The legendary Marian Newman is also represented with a film by SHOWstudio (who has also undergone a redesign!) where she interprets S/S 11 collections with her nail art.  Newman's stellar work has predecessors though.  I discovered the work of Sue Marsh at the exhibition who really pushed the boundaries of nail art during a period of time when it was barely established.  Marsh's archive nail work is on display including nails like the leopard ones created fro Mel B of the Spice Girls (you can only be scary if you can swipe someone with your talons), Boy George's long spindly silver nails, PJ Harvey's gradiated feather nails and most fascinating of all a set of REAL metal nails created for one of Alexander McQueen's early shows, back before the days of Minx Metallic fakies.  

A lot of the nail art on display at the exhibition pushes the levels of grotesque and gaudy to the tipping point where you're undecided whether it's amazingly fab or kind of disgusting.  This Mike Pocock installation could well be a mannequin hanging outside a Stables Market Camden stall selling rainbow arm legwarmers and neon fishnets but the hyper kitchness of the nails is kind of awe-inspiring.  Even better if someone in real life was toodling along with these nails and holding a Tesco's shopping bag at the same time... 

The curator also scoured blogs all over the world and with their consent Czech Republic Soccer Jersey, gathered up what appears to be a nail art obsessed population that has blown up beyond 'ghetto' nail salons.  Mine are embarrassingly shambolic at the moment - unpolished, unfiled and gnarled to bits.  This exhibition has spurred me on to rectify this IMMEDIATELY.