Victoria Karlsson – Scores for Silence, a&e gallery

Art has always had a close relationship with the frame around the work or the plinth on which it sits. At least one entire book has been written about this frequently overlooked object.

In either case, the presentation brings something to the art. It adds value. No consideration of a painting is possible without some influence from its frame, or the fact it does not have one.

The plastic vials in Victoria Karlsson’s show are vital to the meaning of her tiny exhibits. Each one draws attention to the curiosity within and puts clinical distance between viewer and contents.

The artist has assembled a number of small objects which might provoke a thought, memory or an emotion. The containers stop them blurring into one another and keep the genies in the bottles.

As the name of the show suggests, Karlsson has arranged her show to resemble a musical score. In this case the scraps of gauze and chips of wood are individual notes, while the vials act as a stave.

This framework makes it easier to read the show. Perhaps all gallery plans and hanging conventions could be described as Scores for Silence.

Scores for Silence is at a&e gallery, Brighton, until August 29. See gallery website for opening times.

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