‘We Are Here’, an exhibition organised by a new generation of curators opened at the Wallner Gallery, Lakeside, Nottingham yesterday. The 14 -22 yr olds selected work from the huge pool of talent found in Nottingham’s many studio groups and came up with a mature response to notions of place, identity and geography. I was impressed. It was also a great chance to catch up with artists I hadn’t seen for a while :) I also managed a few hours at the studio. It’s the Derbyshire Open Studios weekend and although I wasn’t participating, it was good to see such a positive reaction to the studios by visitors. I attempted to paint but it definitely wasn’t the best. Justine has also installed her exhibition of drawings and paintings in the Exhibition Space. It’s been fantastic to see her work develop and her confidence grow since moving to HMS over 2 years ago. Her work is inspired by the local parklands to which she has returned again and again to record the changing seasons. The language has become more sophisticated and the latest charcoal pieces offer a real sense of personal engagement with nature. Two drawings were selected for the ‘We are Here’ exhibition.
