It’s two days later and my head has almost stopped spinning.
I am pleased to report that the preview was a huge success. The gallery was absolutely packed, and feedback was cheek-reddeningly good. Although I was personally happy with the work, of course I was expecting some negativity; I decided that if 50% hated it and 50% liked it, that would be a result. As it was, a lady with the makings of a splendid beard said “I prefer more literal stuff.”, and one or two clearly just didn’t get it. That inevitable aside, response has made me very happy indeed. WW Gallery said it’s gone crazy.
Including fellow A-N bloggers, I finally got to meet many people I had only previously known through the ether, and almost met several more. I did an awful lot of talking!
It was a big relief to be able to finally unveil the work. The press preview had taken place earlier in the day, and once that was under way I made the work live on my website. Ta-da! The exhibition is the Event of the Week on Artlicks (thanks, chaps!), and I have seen it on Time Out and Fad, amongst others. It’s a bit soon for press, but once I get copies I’ll report back. In the meantime, Kevin Broughton & Fiona Birnie have made a video.
Frightening Albert
The PV for my solo show is a week today. I have had my head down, concentrating on making the work, for what seems like an eternity. Apart from the odd exception I’m not comfortable talking about work in progress, so when I have mentioned it it has necessarily been in very general terms. I have also deliberately kept the work under wraps. So, apart from other work appearing in the odd show, it feels like I have been out of the loop for ages. It is an odd feeling: making work to be seen, but keeping it hidden.
Looking back, it is indeed a long time in the making. The piece which was the springboard for the new body of work was selected for the last John Moores – round two being almost exactly two years ago, and I had been working on the initial ideas several months prior to that. The idea excited me enormously then and now, and although I would have continued regardless, if I’m absolutely honest with myself, the fact that that particular work was selected for the John Moores exhibition was a kind of official endorsement that I was on to something. The new works bear little superficial resemblance to that piece, but the connection seems very clear to me.
I have the added honour in that the show is to be the inaugural exhibition to mark the launch of WW Gallery’s new premises in Hatton Garden. The past month or so has seen the space being transformed – they have worked incredibly hard.
I hope to see some of you at the show!
http://www.wilsonwilliamsgallery.com/frighteningal…
