I went to Birmingham today to see the BOOK SHOW, which was great and certainly food for thought… of course there was a talk this evening and I missed it – sod’s law, but then I did get the BOOK and think I may even like that better than the exhibition. I also saw a sumptuous and beautiful video piece at Ikon Eastside and ‘Inbindable Volume’ at VIVID, which was astonishing. It was strange and a little pretentious at points, but beautiful, poetic and laugh out loud funny in parts.
http://www.ikon-gallery.co.uk/programme/current/ev…
After my brief trip to Edinburgh at the start of the month I had a bit of a revelation about why I left my BA as clueless as I did. Depending on the traditional tourist pound means that Edinburgh just doesn’t have the same kind of art scene as cities like Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester. It’s a bit insular in a way, although vastly improved since I lived there and Martin Creed was fab. Funny to experience the lift piece in Birmingham again today. So I thought I would go to a few more cities and see what they are like. Newcastle is next on my list. It all helps to appreciate what you have at home and Liverpool is fantastic really, despite its flaws.
I am currently being interviewed by an LA based curator via email. This will be published somewhere to accompany my exhibition at Showreel in Milan this autumn.
http://www.showreelproject.com/artisti.html
As questions and answers go back and forth I can recognise this as a really valuable experience. It’s rare to have someone delve so deeply into my work and I have enjoyed being challenged and pushed on things. I have a meeting with the curator at YSP on Monday too and a good look round my space, so things feel stressful and rich and bursting with possibility. I am also terrified, but this is familiar territory…
