Wysing Arts_ communal amphitheatre
A really exciting project taking is place in Cambourne this summer with Wysing Arts. This large scale project will be the creation of a giant outdoor structure using only found and discarded materials. They need you to get involved – by give them your unwanted building materials or by joining in the designing and building of the structure.
This large communal structure is being headed by Berlin based artists Folke Köbberling and Martin Kaltwasser. You are all invited to work together on building the main structure, the amphitheatre, connect your own structures to it – anything goes! The only things you need bring with you are very basic carpentry skills (training will be given) and a willingness to experiment with scale, materials and concepts.
Wysing wants to encourage the communities surrounding us to work and play together. Influenced by the writings of American academic Robert Putnam who refers to “the collective value of all social networks and the inclinations that arise from these networks to do things for each other”.
Putnam’s concept of social capital stresses the importance of social ties among communities : “increased co-operation, collaboration and trust .. leads to .. better opportunities, health,
quality of life and neighbourliness”
Through this project Wysing is seeking to “raise levels of social capital locally, by developing experimental models of artistic activity and production”.
From 19 May onwards Wysing’s gallery has become a repository for unwanted and discarded, found and recycled materials, so if you are throwing away wood, windows, doors or any other kinds of structural materials, please let them know and they will take it off your hands.
International Residency with Folke Köbberling & Martin Kaltwasser takes place from July 16th and runs until August 31st.
To register your participation, or your unwanted building material, please contact info@wysingartscentre.org or 01954 718881.
www.wysingartscentre.org
Thursday 26 February 2009
Muddy Arts Festival 2008
Muddy Arts Update:
Grassroots Festival 5/6/7th September 2008
The art boards are going very fast and have created quite a bit of excitement. It now looks like the festival itself will be very active with artists producing a lot of work live on site. Artists from Locality, a local Hip Hop crew, the Muddy Arts Collective, Kelzo and friends from Manchester, and many others have all agreed to get involved. (check out www.kelzo.com) The boards measure 8ft x 4ft and can be painted both sides. If you have other art work you wish to display, on fabric, taurpaulin or board please contact me and I will try to accommadate it in the site. We want as much art on site as possible, so don't be shy.
“No Protection” is an additional feature to the site and will present artwork on small boards, cardboard etc. cable-tied to Harris fencing (the standard metal fencing you see around building sites) The idea of this project is for artists to donate art work to the temporary gallery, which festival goers can buy, proceeds going to St Teresa's Homeless Shelter. The work will be hung in the open air, hence “No Protection”. The work can be brought along or made on site, materials will be available.
If you have any old sofa cushions, curtains, fabric, wood, chickenwire, bedsheets, half used paint pots, wool, rugs,blankets,string,net curtains,tablecloths or anything else you think we could use we would be very grateful!!
Any other ideas for art on site please contact Luke on: lukepayn@hotmail.com
www.myspace.com/muddyarts
www.thegrassrootsfestival.co.uk
Grassroots Festival 5/6/7th September 2008
The art boards are going very fast and have created quite a bit of excitement. It now looks like the festival itself will be very active with artists producing a lot of work live on site. Artists from Locality, a local Hip Hop crew, the Muddy Arts Collective, Kelzo and friends from Manchester, and many others have all agreed to get involved. (check out www.kelzo.com) The boards measure 8ft x 4ft and can be painted both sides. If you have other art work you wish to display, on fabric, taurpaulin or board please contact me and I will try to accommadate it in the site. We want as much art on site as possible, so don't be shy.
“No Protection” is an additional feature to the site and will present artwork on small boards, cardboard etc. cable-tied to Harris fencing (the standard metal fencing you see around building sites) The idea of this project is for artists to donate art work to the temporary gallery, which festival goers can buy, proceeds going to St Teresa's Homeless Shelter. The work will be hung in the open air, hence “No Protection”. The work can be brought along or made on site, materials will be available.
If you have any old sofa cushions, curtains, fabric, wood, chickenwire, bedsheets, half used paint pots, wool, rugs,blankets,string,net curtains,tablecloths or anything else you think we could use we would be very grateful!!
Any other ideas for art on site please contact Luke on: lukepayn@hotmail.com
www.myspace.com/muddyarts
www.thegrassrootsfestival.co.uk
Arts Diary July 2008
Arts Diary
First Published in Art & Soul Magazine July 2008
This month I have been getting into the work of Thomas Hirschhorn, someone who's work at first confused and displaced me, but taking a bit of time for closer inspection has revealed a wonderous world of sincere and strongly galvanised artwork. This was a great reminder for me that, in the spirit of the great Bo Diddly who passed away this month, you can't judge a book by looking at the cover.
Kat Moores exhibition at The Great Northern was an incredible delight. The pictures show amazing visual dexterity, Kat has really worked hard at presenting the true nature of light. The atmosphere in the venue was very friendly and open, many thanks to Jessica and Kat for inviting us and making the afternoon so enjoyable.
I also visited the Bury St Edmunds art gallery where three artists displayed work under the title “focus on dance”. “Dancers” by Morten Nilsson, “Backstage at the Ballet” by Oona Richards” and “In The Flesh” by Billy Cowie. The exhibition was based around the formal side of dance, suits, ballrooms and ballerinas, (not the techno tribal side).The three pieces were a very clever video installation that made creative use of 3D specs, an automated sculptural construction that saw ballerina shoes moving without bodies, and some incredibly eerie photographs of aspiring young dances all kitted out in full ball room attire, there was something unnerving about these portraits. The gallery itself had a lovely ambience and we were warmly greeted. Their next show is “Suffolk Showcase” June 14th to July 19th www.burystedmundsartgallery.org
This month you can see “Poetry in Colour - The Art of Nature by Genevieve” at The Stamford Arts Centre. Geneviève mixes her own paints made from vegetable oils, organic colour pigments, ochres, and minerals resulting in a very personal style and textures. Her astonishing natural colours and versatile techniques of nudes, landscapes and abstracts have become her main trademark.
5th to 31st July
www.genevieveart.nl
At the Kings Lynn Arts Centre is a show dedicated to Walter Dexter. This offers a unique opportunity to view the breadth of work produced by this prolific local artist and includes drawings, paintings, illustrations, books and posters. 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the death of Walter Dexter (1876 – 1958), who lived and worked in King’s Lynn, latterly in Nelson Street and was tragically knocked over and killed by a motorbike in Saturday Market Place. Dexter was the first President of the King’s Lynn Art Club in 1945 and taught Art at King Edward VII High School. He was a remarkable painter of both landscape and portrait and was renowned for his fine views of King’s Lynn across the river from West Lynn.
Fermoy Gallery | 13 July – 9 August www.kingslynnarts.co.uk
In Cambridge you can visit Kettles Yard to see the work of Roger Hilton (1911-1975). He is widely thought to be one of the best and most adventurous painters of his generation. His paintings can be as rumbustious as the life he led. However abstract the paintings become the human body is never very far away. Spontaneous in gesture, they show him to be one of the boldest yet subtlest colourists. The exhibition focuses on Hilton at the height of his powers, from 1953 when he first saw the paintings of Mondrian, to 1965. It will feature more than forty oil paintings including several rarely or never seen before in exhibitions. 2 August - 21 September 2008
Also in Cambridge at the Ftizwilliam Museum is the exhibition “On the Shoulders of Giants”: Photographic Portraits from the University of Cambridge. Part of the University of Cambridge’s celebration of its 800th anniversary, this exhibition of photographic portraits by accomplished Cambridge photographer Howard Guest offers an intriguing insight into the working life of one of the world’s most celebrated academic institutions.
10 June 2008 - 28 September 2008
Wysing Arts Centre in Bourn, near Cambridge will be hosting an International Residency with Folke Köbberling & Martin Kaltwasser as they help the local community build a huge amphitheatre from waste materials. This looks like a fascinating project and hopefully I will get the chance to visit and see the artists in action, if so I will bring you a full write up. www.wysingartscentre.org
Over near Norwich at the Sainsbury's Centre For Visual Arts is a massive exhibition of Abstract and Constructivist Art, Architecture and Design called “Constructed - 40 Years of the UEA Collection”
The UEA collection began in response to the modernity of the University of East Anglia’s architecture. In 1968, UEA was one of England’s ‘New Universities’ with a bold concrete campus designed by architect Denys Lasdun to reflect the ambitious inter-disciplinary approach of the young institution.
The earliest group of works in the exhibition date from between circa 1910 and 1930 and reflect the origins of a modern ‘movement’. Early exponents included artists and architects associated with the De Stijl Group such as Gerrit Rietveld and those associated with the Bauhaus in Germany such as Wassily Kandinsky. Also works by Wassily Kandinsky and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy. Artists began making work now described as ‘constructivist’ in the second decade of the twentieth century. WW1 and the creation of a new social order through the Revolution in Russia were instrumental in causing many artists to rethink how art and design shapes the way people live. This is a real treat and will give a real insight to art in the early 20th century.1st Jul 2008 - 14th Dec 2008. www.scva.org.uk
There are two fantasic shows in London for you this month, Stolen Space Gallery has some of the freshest work around at it's “Summer Group Show” with work from Vitche, Jana & Nunca (all from Brazil), Vhils (Portugal), Word To Mother (UK), Shepard Fairey (USA) and Andrew McAttee (UK). Check out their work on the internet to see what I mean. 18th July - 10th August. And the Tate Modern has it's own exhibition, “Street Art” from 23 May – 25 August.
Last of all Peterborough Open Studios is on throughout July, so make sure you take the opportunity to support our local artists, there is loads of great work on show so be sure to take some time to see what's being made in this fair city
That's all for this month, enjoy the summer !!
Luke Payn
First Published in Art & Soul Magazine July 2008
This month I have been getting into the work of Thomas Hirschhorn, someone who's work at first confused and displaced me, but taking a bit of time for closer inspection has revealed a wonderous world of sincere and strongly galvanised artwork. This was a great reminder for me that, in the spirit of the great Bo Diddly who passed away this month, you can't judge a book by looking at the cover.
Kat Moores exhibition at The Great Northern was an incredible delight. The pictures show amazing visual dexterity, Kat has really worked hard at presenting the true nature of light. The atmosphere in the venue was very friendly and open, many thanks to Jessica and Kat for inviting us and making the afternoon so enjoyable.
I also visited the Bury St Edmunds art gallery where three artists displayed work under the title “focus on dance”. “Dancers” by Morten Nilsson, “Backstage at the Ballet” by Oona Richards” and “In The Flesh” by Billy Cowie. The exhibition was based around the formal side of dance, suits, ballrooms and ballerinas, (not the techno tribal side).The three pieces were a very clever video installation that made creative use of 3D specs, an automated sculptural construction that saw ballerina shoes moving without bodies, and some incredibly eerie photographs of aspiring young dances all kitted out in full ball room attire, there was something unnerving about these portraits. The gallery itself had a lovely ambience and we were warmly greeted. Their next show is “Suffolk Showcase” June 14th to July 19th www.burystedmundsartgallery.org
This month you can see “Poetry in Colour - The Art of Nature by Genevieve” at The Stamford Arts Centre. Geneviève mixes her own paints made from vegetable oils, organic colour pigments, ochres, and minerals resulting in a very personal style and textures. Her astonishing natural colours and versatile techniques of nudes, landscapes and abstracts have become her main trademark.
5th to 31st July
www.genevieveart.nl
At the Kings Lynn Arts Centre is a show dedicated to Walter Dexter. This offers a unique opportunity to view the breadth of work produced by this prolific local artist and includes drawings, paintings, illustrations, books and posters. 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the death of Walter Dexter (1876 – 1958), who lived and worked in King’s Lynn, latterly in Nelson Street and was tragically knocked over and killed by a motorbike in Saturday Market Place. Dexter was the first President of the King’s Lynn Art Club in 1945 and taught Art at King Edward VII High School. He was a remarkable painter of both landscape and portrait and was renowned for his fine views of King’s Lynn across the river from West Lynn.
Fermoy Gallery | 13 July – 9 August www.kingslynnarts.co.uk
In Cambridge you can visit Kettles Yard to see the work of Roger Hilton (1911-1975). He is widely thought to be one of the best and most adventurous painters of his generation. His paintings can be as rumbustious as the life he led. However abstract the paintings become the human body is never very far away. Spontaneous in gesture, they show him to be one of the boldest yet subtlest colourists. The exhibition focuses on Hilton at the height of his powers, from 1953 when he first saw the paintings of Mondrian, to 1965. It will feature more than forty oil paintings including several rarely or never seen before in exhibitions. 2 August - 21 September 2008
Also in Cambridge at the Ftizwilliam Museum is the exhibition “On the Shoulders of Giants”: Photographic Portraits from the University of Cambridge. Part of the University of Cambridge’s celebration of its 800th anniversary, this exhibition of photographic portraits by accomplished Cambridge photographer Howard Guest offers an intriguing insight into the working life of one of the world’s most celebrated academic institutions.
10 June 2008 - 28 September 2008
Wysing Arts Centre in Bourn, near Cambridge will be hosting an International Residency with Folke Köbberling & Martin Kaltwasser as they help the local community build a huge amphitheatre from waste materials. This looks like a fascinating project and hopefully I will get the chance to visit and see the artists in action, if so I will bring you a full write up. www.wysingartscentre.org
Over near Norwich at the Sainsbury's Centre For Visual Arts is a massive exhibition of Abstract and Constructivist Art, Architecture and Design called “Constructed - 40 Years of the UEA Collection”
The UEA collection began in response to the modernity of the University of East Anglia’s architecture. In 1968, UEA was one of England’s ‘New Universities’ with a bold concrete campus designed by architect Denys Lasdun to reflect the ambitious inter-disciplinary approach of the young institution.
The earliest group of works in the exhibition date from between circa 1910 and 1930 and reflect the origins of a modern ‘movement’. Early exponents included artists and architects associated with the De Stijl Group such as Gerrit Rietveld and those associated with the Bauhaus in Germany such as Wassily Kandinsky. Also works by Wassily Kandinsky and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy. Artists began making work now described as ‘constructivist’ in the second decade of the twentieth century. WW1 and the creation of a new social order through the Revolution in Russia were instrumental in causing many artists to rethink how art and design shapes the way people live. This is a real treat and will give a real insight to art in the early 20th century.1st Jul 2008 - 14th Dec 2008. www.scva.org.uk
There are two fantasic shows in London for you this month, Stolen Space Gallery has some of the freshest work around at it's “Summer Group Show” with work from Vitche, Jana & Nunca (all from Brazil), Vhils (Portugal), Word To Mother (UK), Shepard Fairey (USA) and Andrew McAttee (UK). Check out their work on the internet to see what I mean. 18th July - 10th August. And the Tate Modern has it's own exhibition, “Street Art” from 23 May – 25 August.
Last of all Peterborough Open Studios is on throughout July, so make sure you take the opportunity to support our local artists, there is loads of great work on show so be sure to take some time to see what's being made in this fair city
That's all for this month, enjoy the summer !!
Luke Payn
Saturday 31 January 2009
Derek Massey_interview by Luke Payn
First published in ARt & Soul in June 2008
Derek Massey
I walk into the room and see the dining table bursting with portfolios and photo-albums, bold prints and sumptious paintings. Derek conversation flows easily and soon we are discussing a full cast of art-historic themes. His knowledge on art and his ease of manner make the whole subject of art seem vibrant and real.
Born in the East End, Derek grew up around the timber yards where his father worked. He started using paints at the age of 5 whilst his father was teaching him carpentry and design. He recalls this dialogue with his father;
“what do you want to be when you grow up?”,
“a painter, dad” he replied.
“there's no way you're going to be a painter, I'll make sure it won't happen.”
Shortly after this he began secretly painting at his aunts house, during the weekends.
Leaving school at 14 with no qualifications he applied to art school but was turned away. Working as a mechanics apprentice he reapplied to Art School, they said they would let him in but only to take a graphics course, however once in Derek spent more time in the life drawing classes and spent most of his time with the art students rather than in the graphics department.
In the early 60's he and his brother spent a couple of years in a band with some notable successes,
getting several singles pressed, appearing on TV and generally being part of the buzz in the early 60's.
Derek was recording in Abbey Road when his friend Pip showed up and said “you're not going to be big in music, there's hundreds of bands doing this sound now, you're a painter. Why don't you come and work for me, I need someone to help me with my sculpture,.” So in 1966 he moved to study painting and sculpture with Pip Warwick at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After qualifying as a teacher, and with the encouragement of his wife, he moved back to The Fens to work, becoming a full time professional in 1987.
During our conversation he links Hirst and Emin with Monet and Michaelangelo, “sure Michaelangelo would have taken Saatchi's money.” The business of art, it's fashion and politics, hasn't changed much. We talk about how the renaissance studios would have been much like the film-studios of today, creating big productions to wow the public and generate revenue from the church, the state and the wealthy aristocracy. His sense of how theatrics and marketing influences artists success, their income and longevity, is well informed.
The conversation evolves to Impressionism which he tells me was created by Windsor & Newton through their painting technology. The creation of paint-tubes allowed artists to paint outside, instead of land-locked in their mighty studios. This led to a re-investment in nature and most keenly for painters of this time it established a new relationship with light. This was revolutionary. Painters working outdoors was unheard of and it was new technology that ignited it. This is not a footnote in the history of art but an inspiration for his landscape work. He studies Monet, Matisse and others first hand, even visiting Arles and painting at night to see the same colours Van Gogh saw.
Derek's talks me through a selection of his work, which takes in many styles including Pop-Art, Landscapes, Wildlife, Figurative and Sculpture, he starts with “1812”.
“1812” is a series of sumptious volumputious smooth curvy and delicious women. The title refers to the ladies measurements, not to the Overture. The bodies lay brightly over orange yellow and blue piano paper with punch holes, a joyous celebration of big beautiful women. He talks of how Matisse and Monet loved curvy women, going into details of their personal lives with deft display of intricate knowledge.
He then shows me a set of images exploring the icon with Bowie, Dylan, Lennon, Madonna, Christ and Che Guevara , who's image has become the archetypal revolutionary (as well as a global merchandising sensation). The image was painted from a photo negative taken just before he was executed. In the photo he is reading a book on guerilla warfare. The source image was printed from a PC and due to an error it was slightly scrambled, an effect that appealed and was worked into the final result. This is a particularly strong image and has all sorts of evocative hints, Catholicism with modern stencil & silhouette effects, mixed with ancient ideas of hero's and saints, soldiers and villains, passion and redemption and finally the glitchiness of the computer error era. A sublime image.
He moves to his Pop-Art paintings. Burst with images of galaxies, Buddy Holly, Buzz Lightyear, (to whom he bears an uncanny likeness), saints, travel alarm-clocks, visa and master cards, constellations, his own glasses and references to born free, (an association that he has supported throughout his career), they detail an active narrative of their creator.
Finally he shows me some work in progress. We walk into a small room, part of his studio. Here I see a splendid piece with Laurel & Hardy juggling, a colourful sculpture about two foot high. The juggling balls are in fact references to the planets and atoms, clowns playing with the universe.
As for the future he's off to Venice to study Turner and Monet, ( both visited Venice in their 60's), is planning some new seascapes and is considering the possibility of writing a book about his experiences in the '60's.
Derek is clearly a master craftsman who knows his subjects and studies them first hand. Our conversation has been saturated with gems and flourishes of keenly studied knowledge and observations.
I felt enchanted and refreshed by his eloquent conversation and knowledge. His work is stunning, the quality and range left me breathless and very inspired. Derek is my first ever interviewee, I genuinely don't think it could have been bettered and I am very lucky to have met the man and his work.
By Luke Payn
work available at www.normancrossgallery.co.uk
Derek Massey
I walk into the room and see the dining table bursting with portfolios and photo-albums, bold prints and sumptious paintings. Derek conversation flows easily and soon we are discussing a full cast of art-historic themes. His knowledge on art and his ease of manner make the whole subject of art seem vibrant and real.
Born in the East End, Derek grew up around the timber yards where his father worked. He started using paints at the age of 5 whilst his father was teaching him carpentry and design. He recalls this dialogue with his father;
“what do you want to be when you grow up?”,
“a painter, dad” he replied.
“there's no way you're going to be a painter, I'll make sure it won't happen.”
Shortly after this he began secretly painting at his aunts house, during the weekends.
Leaving school at 14 with no qualifications he applied to art school but was turned away. Working as a mechanics apprentice he reapplied to Art School, they said they would let him in but only to take a graphics course, however once in Derek spent more time in the life drawing classes and spent most of his time with the art students rather than in the graphics department.
In the early 60's he and his brother spent a couple of years in a band with some notable successes,
getting several singles pressed, appearing on TV and generally being part of the buzz in the early 60's.
Derek was recording in Abbey Road when his friend Pip showed up and said “you're not going to be big in music, there's hundreds of bands doing this sound now, you're a painter. Why don't you come and work for me, I need someone to help me with my sculpture,.” So in 1966 he moved to study painting and sculpture with Pip Warwick at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After qualifying as a teacher, and with the encouragement of his wife, he moved back to The Fens to work, becoming a full time professional in 1987.
During our conversation he links Hirst and Emin with Monet and Michaelangelo, “sure Michaelangelo would have taken Saatchi's money.” The business of art, it's fashion and politics, hasn't changed much. We talk about how the renaissance studios would have been much like the film-studios of today, creating big productions to wow the public and generate revenue from the church, the state and the wealthy aristocracy. His sense of how theatrics and marketing influences artists success, their income and longevity, is well informed.
The conversation evolves to Impressionism which he tells me was created by Windsor & Newton through their painting technology. The creation of paint-tubes allowed artists to paint outside, instead of land-locked in their mighty studios. This led to a re-investment in nature and most keenly for painters of this time it established a new relationship with light. This was revolutionary. Painters working outdoors was unheard of and it was new technology that ignited it. This is not a footnote in the history of art but an inspiration for his landscape work. He studies Monet, Matisse and others first hand, even visiting Arles and painting at night to see the same colours Van Gogh saw.
Derek's talks me through a selection of his work, which takes in many styles including Pop-Art, Landscapes, Wildlife, Figurative and Sculpture, he starts with “1812”.
“1812” is a series of sumptious volumputious smooth curvy and delicious women. The title refers to the ladies measurements, not to the Overture. The bodies lay brightly over orange yellow and blue piano paper with punch holes, a joyous celebration of big beautiful women. He talks of how Matisse and Monet loved curvy women, going into details of their personal lives with deft display of intricate knowledge.
He then shows me a set of images exploring the icon with Bowie, Dylan, Lennon, Madonna, Christ and Che Guevara , who's image has become the archetypal revolutionary (as well as a global merchandising sensation). The image was painted from a photo negative taken just before he was executed. In the photo he is reading a book on guerilla warfare. The source image was printed from a PC and due to an error it was slightly scrambled, an effect that appealed and was worked into the final result. This is a particularly strong image and has all sorts of evocative hints, Catholicism with modern stencil & silhouette effects, mixed with ancient ideas of hero's and saints, soldiers and villains, passion and redemption and finally the glitchiness of the computer error era. A sublime image.
He moves to his Pop-Art paintings. Burst with images of galaxies, Buddy Holly, Buzz Lightyear, (to whom he bears an uncanny likeness), saints, travel alarm-clocks, visa and master cards, constellations, his own glasses and references to born free, (an association that he has supported throughout his career), they detail an active narrative of their creator.
Finally he shows me some work in progress. We walk into a small room, part of his studio. Here I see a splendid piece with Laurel & Hardy juggling, a colourful sculpture about two foot high. The juggling balls are in fact references to the planets and atoms, clowns playing with the universe.
As for the future he's off to Venice to study Turner and Monet, ( both visited Venice in their 60's), is planning some new seascapes and is considering the possibility of writing a book about his experiences in the '60's.
Derek is clearly a master craftsman who knows his subjects and studies them first hand. Our conversation has been saturated with gems and flourishes of keenly studied knowledge and observations.
I felt enchanted and refreshed by his eloquent conversation and knowledge. His work is stunning, the quality and range left me breathless and very inspired. Derek is my first ever interviewee, I genuinely don't think it could have been bettered and I am very lucky to have met the man and his work.
By Luke Payn
work available at www.normancrossgallery.co.uk
Wednesday 28 January 2009
Art & Soul Magazine_Andie Scott , “1100 Tokens”
First published in Art & Soul Magazine June 2008
Andie Scott @ Space4
“1100 Tokens”
Andie Scotts paintings are sombre meditation on the valiant perseverance of the Burmese people, monks, nuns and ordinary citizens facing up to such a brutal and medieval regime.
The installation comprises 1100 portraits of prisoners and demonstrators, some of whom have died through torture.
The room is awash with the colours so familiar to us representing Burma, oranges, reds and yellows, like the robes and the flags. The simplicity of the line portraits also recalls the simplicity of the Buddhist message, elegance and grace, subtle and yet profound and engaging. I felt quite tearful walking around the room, looking at faces who had, are many who still are, facing such horrible imprisonment and torture.
Scott has also produced small Buddha icons, which symbolise the lost dignity of the Burmese people and the reason why they risk imprisonment to highlight their cause on the world stage.
£10 from the sale of each canvas goes directly to the prisioners via Assistance Association for Political Prisioners Burma (AAPPB) www.aappb.org
I urge you to take time out this month to visit this exhibition and experience an art piece that truly has something to say.
Luke Payn
Art & Soul Magazine_Luke Payn
First published in Art & Soul Magazine June 2008
Arts Diary June 2008
Summer is nearly here and I hope the sunshine is striring your creative appitites because there is loads going on. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas for future features, contact details below.
This month my brain has been brimming with visual stimulation. I got the chance to go the opening night of Ruth Joyces show in Stamford, great pictures with lots of movement and action, many thanks to Ruth for making us feel so welcome. I also visited London to see “The Adam & Ron Show”, and the Duchamp /Man Ray / Picabia show at the Tate Modern, and also took in a huge piece by Banksy that had gone up about 48 hours before. I came home dizzy with delight and inspiration, well worth the train fare.
Space4 has two other artists exhibiting alongside the installation. Photographer Doug Gray whose ‘Selected Coincidences’ makes use of “accidental multiple exposures where seeking out the hidden objects within the prints becomes an experience in itself”, and painter Andie Scott's “1100 Tokens”, comprising of 1100 portraits in oil on canvas of Burmese monks. 9th May -22nd June
Newly opened at The Great Northern Hotel is Peter Boizots gallery which house's his private collection alongside regularly rotating work by new and local artists. Kat Moores work will be on show here until June 15th.
In London you can check out the retrospective of Cy Twombly at the Tate Modern. A great opportunity to see this mans work in his 80th year. It is his first major retrospective to be held in over twenty years. If it is as well designed as the Duchamp show then expect to be impressed. 19th June-14th September. At ElmLesters gallery is “Delta: The New Dutch Master”. “Delta” aka BORIS TELLEGEN has been an inspirational pioneer in the European graffiti scene since 1983, this work goes to a whole new level however. June 6th - 28th. www.elmslesters.co.uk
Over in Cambridge you can visit Kettles Yard to see the work of Michelle Charles whose subject is everyday domestic life - glasses of milk, medicine bottles, tea towels, pan scrubs and bars of soap. Working in series - in paintings, drawings, photograms or cast glass - she repeats a motif to explore the possibilities of how we might see the same thing in many ways, depending on the fall of light or the attention we give it. Recent series include house flies and the knitting and unraveling of wool. 7th June - 27th July. www.kettlesyard.co.uk
Whilst in Cambridge you might like to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum's “Fifty Etchings 2005” by Christopher Le Brun's. Made over one year and employing an extraordinary variety of subtle etching techniques, the series revisits a wide range of subjects known from Le Brun’s other work whilst also introducing new themes and motifs. The sequence shapes associations of literature, music and art, like the questing travellers in the prints, the viewer is drawn into a metaphysical journey in search of meaning as well as beauty.
20th May to 28th September .
Also at the Fitzwilliam is the very exotic “Chinese Imperial Jades” displaying exceptional pieces of jade from the Qing imperial collection. These jades were carved during the reign of the Emperor Qianlong (r.1736-96), and their materials would have been mined and carefully shipped to Beijing to be carved in the imperial workshop. Some of the pieces on display bear poems composed by the Emperor himself emphasising the important status of jade in Chinese art and culture.
The pieces on display illuminate the different features of Qing dynasty jade carving, including the fashion for copying ancient objects, particularly bronzes, and the technique of carving a two-dimensional landscape with figures onto a three dimensional jade.
1st May to 29th June
www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
At the Sainsburys Centre for Visual Art is Margaret Mellis's - “A Life in Colour”
Margaret was a central figure in the St Ives group of artists which included Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson.
1st July to 31st August
www.scva.org.uk
Angelor Mellor Gallery
The Angelor Mellor Gallery in Ely is showing “In Return – Cycles of Influence” a show exploring the returning and revolving influences between textile artist Gill Recordon and her daughter, painter Tess Recordon.
Gill is an experienced textile artist who has travelled widely. A characteristic of her work is the interplay of images to be seen and found. Dragons can form out of tree roots and fire; winding serpents, fish or tree branches from rivulets flowing across win-ribbed sand.
Tess, working from her memories of Morocco and Japan, explores the space between landscape and abstraction. The paintings use condensed colour and texture to convey the atmosphere of rural and urban landscapes.
14th May – 14th June
www.angelamellorgallery.com
At the Stamford Arts Centre is The Guild of Fine Artists' “Summer Exhibition”, an exhibition of traditional fine representative paintings by a Guild dedicated to keep traditional craft techniques in the production of visual art. Subject matter ranges from still life, natural world, landscape, townscape and marine.
10th - 28th June
www.stamfordartscentre.com
“Continuous Practice” is currently showing in Kings Lynn at The College of West Anglia.
The Art and Design Department shares an insight into the work of tutors, created as continued professional practice in their specialist teaching fields. It is the strong belief of the department that art educators should remain current within their fields, so as to be able to convey an up to date and real enthusiasm for their subject to their students. For the very first time, tutors and technical staff show some their work . 7th – 21st June www.kingslynnarts.co.uk
Nearby in Wisbech and presented byAtelier East are Louise Stebbing's prints at The Angles Theatre, 1st June - 4th July
www.atelier-east.co.uk
And finally Peterborough Open Studios is back! The opening event is at the end of June with the Open Weekends taking place throughout early July. Be sure to make the most of this wonderful opportunity and support our local artists.
www.paos.org.uk
So plenty to quench your creative thirst this month as the solstice sun glides across the horizon, have a great month!
By Luke Payn
Monday 26 January 2009
Luke's Arts Diary May 2008
Arts Diary May 2008
This month has been very busy for me, I have really enjoyed writing for this magazine, meeting several artists and visting art shows, great fun indeed.
I said last month that I would find out about Space4 closing. Well the rumour that the gallery will be shutting it's doors in September is simply untrue. There is no one officially curating the Space4 at the moment, however shows are booked up until October this year.
This month I thought I'd look at events happening slightly further afield. And the theme seems to be claim the streets, claim the city with a re-wiring of the social spaces & structures that weave us together.
First up is “The Adam and Ron Show” which features the work of billboard-hijacking, pop surrealist and US legend Ron English and British artist Adam Neate who's subversion of street space has resulted in reports on CNN and European television, major collectors and celebrities fighting for his originals and international critics praising the artist's work. Over the past five years Adam Neate has left thousands of pieces of work on the streets of London, either hanging on nails or propped against lampposts for people to find. His two and three dimensional paintings use recycled cardboard boxes as canvases - Neate is a street artist with a difference. His work is technically expert and has won him acknowledgement from Tate, National Portrait Gallery and The National Gallery.
Ron English has pirated over one thousand billboards in the last twenty years, replacing existing advertisements with his own hand-painted "subvertisements." He revels in taking on the establishment, tearing down corporate icons, and unravelling social constructs. His works on canvas contain an equally biting commentary whilst being flawlessly painted in a hyper-real style.
Take the opportunity to see this astonishing work if you can.
May 2nd - 31st at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms,
Tuesday - Saturday 12 - 6pm, Thursdays 'til 9pm
www.elmslesters.co.uk
The second event on the radar is futuresonic in Manchester. This is an “Urban Festival of Art, Music & Ideas” titled “The Social - Social Networking Unplugged”. An annual event currently in its 12th year, futuresonic is extending the focus on presenting artworks in unexpected city spaces, and on social art and social technologies. The 2008 theme presents a sideways and playful look at social networking. This is the first major art exhibition to present a comprehensive and creative look at social networking. For five days and nights Manchester will be the most sociable city on the planet - with new commissioned artworks and many world firsts from an array of international artists Manchester city centre will be overrun with ‘unplugged’ social networking.
So what's the thinking behind this project? In their words: “Computers have become social interfaces to build online communities and folksonomies. Some technologies are more social than others. Social technologies are bottom up and many-to-many instead of one-to-one or one-to-many. They can include technologies created and maintained by social networks, such as communities of developers and users working collaboratively with open source tools. At the same time we see how electronic communication can isolate us, as more and more people drown in a deluge of email that generates stress, even reducing IQ. Additionally, 'online communities' are based upon an artificial equivalence between 'users' which obscures power relationships and issues of ownership.The festival and conference will explore the new social spaces and the social implications of technologies for the many different kinds of people who make, use and are affected by them.”
“This runs much deeper than online social networking websites alone. When you use your credit card, you are using a social technology. Each time we buy something we let the company know where we are and what we are buying. An electronic profile is created for each one of us and the aggregated information is used to shape services and select the products on the shelves. This in turn shapes the choices available to us, and the society we live in. Futuresonic plans to pull out the plug in order to take the new social spaces apart, see how they work, and put them together in new ways.”
1-5 May, exhibitions till 17th May.
Exhibitions are free
www.futuresonic.com
Street Blitz is a 2 week festival of street art and creative subversion. The motivation for this festival is, in their words, the “corporate image factory” which “spends a huge amount of money on billboards, flyers or ‘guerrilla’ marketing campaigns masquerading as street art. They fill your lives with an unrelenting barrage of preposterous ideals, numb values and false icons. No one asks for your permission before they push these images in your face so neither should we seek consent in order to leave our own mark on the city.” And it's action that counts as they propose a 2 week blitz of street art in London between 1st-15th May. “Whether you make murals, stencils, stickers, posters, sculptures, street projections, sign modification/removal/additions, billboard subverting/defacing/destruction etc; whether creative or destructive; whether to convey a message, brighten up a dull spot, rewire some corporate brainwashing tactics; whether to leave your mark, remove a stain, express yourself or simply to show your disgust – it’s all valid and all adds to The Blitz!” So if that sounds like your thing nip done and get involved. www.streetblitz.com
And also for your consideration are the following events, Blek Le Rat's solo show at the Black Rat Press gallery in London, May 8th -22nd. Blek Le Rat is one of the pioneers of street art and has been weilding his stencil styles since 1981, a visionary artist and well worth a look. www.blackratpress.co.uk and Noisefestival which is the UK's first cross-media showcase for artists under 25, there are loads of opportunities to present your work, check their website www.noisefestival.com and see just how big this project is.
Luke Payn
lukepayn@hotmail.com
www.myspace.com/muddyarts
First published in Art & Soul Magazine in May 2008
This month has been very busy for me, I have really enjoyed writing for this magazine, meeting several artists and visting art shows, great fun indeed.
I said last month that I would find out about Space4 closing. Well the rumour that the gallery will be shutting it's doors in September is simply untrue. There is no one officially curating the Space4 at the moment, however shows are booked up until October this year.
This month I thought I'd look at events happening slightly further afield. And the theme seems to be claim the streets, claim the city with a re-wiring of the social spaces & structures that weave us together.
First up is “The Adam and Ron Show” which features the work of billboard-hijacking, pop surrealist and US legend Ron English and British artist Adam Neate who's subversion of street space has resulted in reports on CNN and European television, major collectors and celebrities fighting for his originals and international critics praising the artist's work. Over the past five years Adam Neate has left thousands of pieces of work on the streets of London, either hanging on nails or propped against lampposts for people to find. His two and three dimensional paintings use recycled cardboard boxes as canvases - Neate is a street artist with a difference. His work is technically expert and has won him acknowledgement from Tate, National Portrait Gallery and The National Gallery.
Ron English has pirated over one thousand billboards in the last twenty years, replacing existing advertisements with his own hand-painted "subvertisements." He revels in taking on the establishment, tearing down corporate icons, and unravelling social constructs. His works on canvas contain an equally biting commentary whilst being flawlessly painted in a hyper-real style.
Take the opportunity to see this astonishing work if you can.
May 2nd - 31st at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms,
Tuesday - Saturday 12 - 6pm, Thursdays 'til 9pm
www.elmslesters.co.uk
The second event on the radar is futuresonic in Manchester. This is an “Urban Festival of Art, Music & Ideas” titled “The Social - Social Networking Unplugged”. An annual event currently in its 12th year, futuresonic is extending the focus on presenting artworks in unexpected city spaces, and on social art and social technologies. The 2008 theme presents a sideways and playful look at social networking. This is the first major art exhibition to present a comprehensive and creative look at social networking. For five days and nights Manchester will be the most sociable city on the planet - with new commissioned artworks and many world firsts from an array of international artists Manchester city centre will be overrun with ‘unplugged’ social networking.
So what's the thinking behind this project? In their words: “Computers have become social interfaces to build online communities and folksonomies. Some technologies are more social than others. Social technologies are bottom up and many-to-many instead of one-to-one or one-to-many. They can include technologies created and maintained by social networks, such as communities of developers and users working collaboratively with open source tools. At the same time we see how electronic communication can isolate us, as more and more people drown in a deluge of email that generates stress, even reducing IQ. Additionally, 'online communities' are based upon an artificial equivalence between 'users' which obscures power relationships and issues of ownership.The festival and conference will explore the new social spaces and the social implications of technologies for the many different kinds of people who make, use and are affected by them.”
“This runs much deeper than online social networking websites alone. When you use your credit card, you are using a social technology. Each time we buy something we let the company know where we are and what we are buying. An electronic profile is created for each one of us and the aggregated information is used to shape services and select the products on the shelves. This in turn shapes the choices available to us, and the society we live in. Futuresonic plans to pull out the plug in order to take the new social spaces apart, see how they work, and put them together in new ways.”
1-5 May, exhibitions till 17th May.
Exhibitions are free
www.futuresonic.com
Street Blitz is a 2 week festival of street art and creative subversion. The motivation for this festival is, in their words, the “corporate image factory” which “spends a huge amount of money on billboards, flyers or ‘guerrilla’ marketing campaigns masquerading as street art. They fill your lives with an unrelenting barrage of preposterous ideals, numb values and false icons. No one asks for your permission before they push these images in your face so neither should we seek consent in order to leave our own mark on the city.” And it's action that counts as they propose a 2 week blitz of street art in London between 1st-15th May. “Whether you make murals, stencils, stickers, posters, sculptures, street projections, sign modification/removal/additions, billboard subverting/defacing/destruction etc; whether creative or destructive; whether to convey a message, brighten up a dull spot, rewire some corporate brainwashing tactics; whether to leave your mark, remove a stain, express yourself or simply to show your disgust – it’s all valid and all adds to The Blitz!” So if that sounds like your thing nip done and get involved. www.streetblitz.com
And also for your consideration are the following events, Blek Le Rat's solo show at the Black Rat Press gallery in London, May 8th -22nd. Blek Le Rat is one of the pioneers of street art and has been weilding his stencil styles since 1981, a visionary artist and well worth a look. www.blackratpress.co.uk and Noisefestival which is the UK's first cross-media showcase for artists under 25, there are loads of opportunities to present your work, check their website www.noisefestival.com and see just how big this project is.
Luke Payn
lukepayn@hotmail.com
www.myspace.com/muddyarts
First published in Art & Soul Magazine in May 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)