The morning of 8th of September saw me in london for the Unlimited Festival at Southbank – a festival highlighting the best in disability arts and performance – mostly from commissioned work by Unlimited. But I had other things on my mind – I needed to return north to the closing event of Malgorzata Dawidek at VARC where she had been the first resident on a pilot project specifically designed for disabled professional artists. One month with a studio, a flat and a good stipend to concentrate on her own practice with no desired outcome or exhibition requirement. However Malgosha had produced a massive body of work in the month she was in rural northumberland and wanted to exhibit some to it. Nearly a hundred people turned up at the remote location in Northumberland to see her work and hear her talk about her experience and process.
Looking back it was a great success and Malgosha was the perfect artist. I am really pleased that VARC and Janet Ross engaged in the process of becoming more inclusive and diverse. And yes, 4 1/2 years in the making and then the month passed so quickly.
See examples of this here at instagram.
This is what she said
A few shots from the opening of the “Foreign Body” exhibition last Saturday (08.09.18).
This solo show concluded my five-week-long #artresidency with @varc_arts at #Highgreen/ #Northumberland.
My work was focused on lone #performances undertaken to explore notions of #illness, #pain, #voidness and #limitations of the body, as well its #abilities. Each performance expresses the relationship between my condition, feelings and the specific features of the chosen rural #location, and inosculates my #corporealitywith the environment.
The performances were being documented through photographs.
The residency has been one of the most incredible and #challenging experiences of my #artpractice, due to specific #ruralconditions where I was working in – the pervasive nature, cold and #darkness, immersive and spectacular #sky and landscapes views, an #isolation, and living at the wing of remarkable, XIX-century #manorhouse.
During this time I received enormous support from my hosts – the VARC Foundation, #JanetRoss, @aidanmoesby, and Cynthia and William Morrison-Bell @northumbrianhermit – Thank you all for this fantastic opportunity!
Also, special thanks to #KhosroAdibi, an amazing artist and human being, without whose help and support I couldn’t cope with many situations. !شكرا لك Dank je wel! Merci beaucoup!
I love Northumberland!
