Keeping It Going

There has been a lot going on.

A common fantasy I have is that once all distractions are out of the way, I’ll finally get to have some precious time in the studio and will be able to focus solely on making art. In reality, of course, life’s not like that and the art gets thought about and made along the way, hand in hand with living.

I can sometimes feel overwhelmed by what life throws at me and just how many things there are to think about.  I find it useful to separate and compartmentalise the various aspects and writing here, on this blog, as I’ve said many times before, helps me separate and park a lot of the thoughts and feelings. It often clears the way for a period of calm and focus and is another example of the benefits and the reflective quality of blog writing – how useful it is to have this space to contain so many of the thoughts buzzing around my brain.

Containment and being contained has been at the forefront of my thoughts recently, largely triggered by the recent studio move, which meant seeing my work en masse for the first time in ages. I was struck by the number of cages I’d used and how big a part themes around restriction and restraint play in the work I have produced so far.

Attending a symposium at the APT Gallery in Deptford last Thursday evening reminded me of this all over again. The discussion was based around many of the works on display in the exhibition, Both Ends of Madness. The show, curated by Angus Pryor, looks at the effect of well being on contemporary visual arts practice and the symposium gave the audience insight into the lives of some of the exhibiting artists. Conversations moved quickly, but my familiarity with the work of psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion and particularly his work around the theme of containment, meant that I was inspired and came away with much food for thought.

Thoughts around containment crop up a lot in my work, and specifically in relation to the many ready made objects with which I work – how much the actual objects themselves contain, through acting as receptacles of collective emotions – specifically those rescued from my Nana’s house, in terms of the stories and narratives associated with and attached to them.

There are many other important issues I feel I would like to write in terms of what’s been going on since I last posted here, but for now, at the start of a new working week, my main aim is to locate the objects I need in order to create my next body of work. I’m extremely grateful for the professional development bursary received from a-n which will allow me to take a completely new path in my practice, to have the freedom to experiment and not least, the financial support to pay an expert to help me realise my plan.

More on that soon, as things progress …

HOME TIME at Transition Gallery ends March 12th, 2016

Really pleased to have two pieces of my work included in the group show ‘Home Time’ at Transition Gallery, Hackney. ‘Every Mother’s Son’ and ‘Wrench’ will be shown alongside work by artists Alex Michon, Alex Pearl and Corinna Spencer, who has organised the show.

‘In this era of generation rent, political inertia in affordable house building has caused a psychological shift in the home is where the heart is ideal. A troubling sense of unease now resides behind closed doors. Reflecting on this disorientating dislocation, by picking over treasured knick-knacks, considering family histories, looking forwards at sci-fi solutions or clinging to the wreckage of lost utopias, ‘Home Time’ asks its artists to make responses to the objects which they surround themselves with.’
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Read more about ‘Home Time’:
http://transitiongallery.co.uk/htmlpages/Hometime.html

Directions and opening times:
​​http://transitiongallery.co.uk/htmlpages/location.html

The For What It’s Worth group show in South Square Gallery, Thornton, Bradford continues until February 28th.

The booklet published alongside the exhibition contains some fascinating anecdotes from artists in response to the show’s theme around value and worth and are eloquently written about by Elspeth Mitchell in a recent review. From the participating artists’ individual positions on valuing and pricing their own artwork, through to the value of art in a more universal sense, her review very much captures the essence of the exhibition for me; it was written for the contemporary art and writing journal, Corridor8 and can be read here:

The Shape Open 2016 exhibition which opened on the evening of Thursday February 4th at the Guest Projects space in Hackney, was a memorable night for me. ‘Bad Head Day‘ – the piece of work I searched high and low for (finally materialising in the 119th box) was selected for the Shape Open 2016 award. It had been no small task to locate the artwork, but in the event, my persistent searching paid off. I feel honoured to receive a prize from an organisation whose work I’ve always respected and felt very positive about. Shape supported many of the students I worked with when I was a disability adviser in HE.

‘Bad Head Day‘ is part of a group show, featuring the work of 38 artists exploring the theme of ‘My Life.‘ The premise of the show was chosen by Shape patron Yinka Shonibare who explained in his introduction that he decided on this theme as an open brief, in order to allow artists to freely explore it. ‘In the context of an ever-changing society‘ he felt it was important to ‘… encourage reflection on the lives of disabled people and create an honest and wide-ranging discussion about the barriers we face.’

Both disabled and non-disabled artists were invited to submit work for what is Shape Art’s fourth annual open exhibition. Thank you to everyone at Shape Arts, including the curator of the Shape Open 2016, Ben Fredericks and his team. (Ben is pictured above with me, standing next to ‘Bad Head Day.’) And thanks also to the Shape and Guest Projects staff for such a warm welcome on the opening night. The show is well worth a visit and is on until February 21st. The details of opening times at the Guest Projects space are here and I’m pleased to say, is fully accessible!
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https://www.shapearts.org.uk/Event/my-life-shape-open-2016

Footnote on the subject of value and worth and pricing your artwork …

… in another example of perfect timing, artist Helen Dearnley posted an article on FB about pricing artwork. I’d just started this blog post when it came through. The section on cultural, emotional and monetary value is of particular relevance to me when it comes to pricing my artwork and there’s a lot that resonates. How do you put a price on work that is composed primarily of found objects?

Historians studying past cultures use several ways to come up with a theory of how a particular civilization existed. Written text, archaeological evidence, stories passed down through generations, and the artwork of that time are often indicators. Artists have, over thousands of years, provided a lasting record of events, beliefs, sights, and emotions. We continue to do so and the work you buy has cultural significance as a result. As well, when you buy an original piece of art, you are not just buying any old object like a shoe. Granted, one could argue, a shoe has a purpose – I need it to protect my foot. But once that shoe is worn out and tossed, there is nothing left – no personal connection at all. The opposite is true of original art. Before you buy a piece there is an emotional connection to it – maybe you have been to that location and had a great time there,  or you love elephants, or that bike looks like one you owned as a kid etc. Some people find emotion in simply connecting with the artist themselves and consider the work made by that persons hands a token of that connection. Hard to put a price on that. In any case, an original work of art has something that many costly items do not – lasting value. As a society we spend millions on extracurricular vehicles, electronics, computers, clothing etc. – none of which will be there when you have grandchildren. Original art increases in value over time, and especially so if the artist is successful in their career. It can be a lucrative investment if you are a collector, or simply a treasure that you wish to pass down to someone in your will.

The rest of the article can be read here: