Members’ events: beauty in Liverpool, site-responsive drawing and post-Brexit survival

The Politics of Beauty
A group exhibition by painters Chrissy Collinson, Paul Collinson, Josie Jenkins and John Elcock, the works here deal with the idea of ‘beauty’ and its political, social and economic connotations. Chrissy Collinson and Elock use Edmund Burke’s A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful as a starting point for their landscapes, and how they are culturally and socially apprehended for differing ends. Jenkins’ paintings begin in the urban and interior landscapes of the Far East and reflect her time spent in Xiamen, China. Paul Collinson meanwhile uses smoothness to ‘render the hyper-real beauty of the modern consumer society’. Part of Liverpool Independents Biennial.
30 August to 28 September 2018, Corke Gallery, 296-298 Aigburth Road, Liverpool, L17 9PW.
www.a-n.co.uk/events/the-politics-of-beauty

An Undertaking
This collaboration by re:collect artists Julie Edwards, Jill Impey, Jacqui Dodds and Keith Ashford considers the fragility of human life, memorial and legacy. Featuring sculpture, installation, film and print, the exhibition refers to the sacrifice of individuals for their country during the first world war and the artists’ commitment to produce fitting work to honour this 100 years on.
Until 30 September 2018, St. Chad’s Church, St Chad’s Terrace, Shrewsbury, SY1 1JL.
www.a-n.co.uk/events/an-undertaking

Ashes to Ashes
Genderqueer artist Alex Billingham explores how people outside of the white, cis male category survive in a ‘post-Brexit, post-apocalyptic world’. The audience is invited to engage in discussion about a variety of issues as the artist creates and adds crystals to the exhibition, with each day culminating in experimental filming. The exhibition also features supporting performances aimed at LGBTQ+ and BAME audiences.
31 August to 15 September 2018, Stryx, Unit 16, Minerva Works, 158 Fazeley Street, Birmingham B5 5RT.
www.a-n.co.uk/events/ashes-to-ashes-2

Button It
Curated by Alice Bradshaw and Vanessa Haley, this exhibition brings together a collection of buttons from a wide range of local and international artists with a story to tell in the form of visual art, written prose or a combination of the two. Each button in the collection has been selected by the contributor to represent themselves or another person, and is labelled with their story in various imaginative and creative ways.
Until 20 October 2018, Platform, St Mary’s Market, off Chalon Way, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 1AR.
www.a-n.co.uk/events/button-it

Fiona Grady: Cross Sections
A site-responsive exhibition by Fiona Grady exploring the relationship between interior and exterior spaces in a public setting. The artist has worked directly onto the windows and walls of Glass Cloud Gallery to create a three-dimensional drawing, using hand-cut vinyl and pasted screenprints to mimicking advertising posters. Layers of geometric shapes create a visual illusion of movement, while the urban scenery reflected on the windows draws parallels between motifs in the artwork and architectural details of surrounding buildings.
Until 9 September 2018, Glass Cloud Gallery, 58-60 Hampstead Road, London, NW1 2PY.
www.a-n.co.uk/events/fiona-grady-cross-sections

All of the above are taken from a-n’s Events listings section, featuring events posted by a-n’s members

Images:
1. Paul Collinson, Adam & Eve, oil on canvas, 97cm x 120cm. Courtesy: the artist
2. Julie Edwards, Together, wire and wire mesh, 2018. Courtesy: the artist
3. Alex Billingham, Ashes to Ashes, exhibition poster
4. ‘Button It’, exhibition poster
5. Fiona Grady, Cross Sections, 2018. Courtesy: the artist

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