At the beginning of March I was privileged to have My piece of work Seven Stages chosen to be part of the Prism 'Agenda' Exhibition at Hiscox Art Cafe in the City of London, for the Insurance Supper Club. The work looked superb in the Art Cafe and was well received by the members of the Insurance Supper Club at the Private View and their guests. Catherine Dormor and Rosalind Wyatt, the guest speakers, gave two really thoughtful, interesting and appropriate talks to open the exhibition which went down extremely well. It was a lovely surprise to find my work had been chosen for the exhibition catalogue cover. Pictures from the exhibition are on Prism's Facebook page here. | Title : Seven Stages Hand spun lens tissue, ink. For the Alzheimer's sufferer, more often a woman, there is no escape from the disease's relentless and stealthy agenda. Vigorous distortion and disintegration leads to the eventual unravelling of its victim. |
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Don’t miss the Sonia Delaunay Exhibition which ends soon. Her work sizzles with charged modernity. She was a complex artist and she worked in many media. It is all here to see and for me not being familiar with the depth and breadth of her work, it was an eye-opener.
Being a textile artist I was most captivated by her brilliant designs for clothes, many of which would not be out of place today, although I cannot imagine the practicality of wearing a knitted swimsuit for swimming. The exhibition is crammed full to the brim with her diverse work and consequently I think there is a lot to take in just the one visit. link here This is a calm and yet surprising exhibition. Much of the work follows her reoccurring themes of grids, rectangles and lines in many patterns and hues .However, I particularly loved the work in Room 3 developed from her experiments with different materials such as metals, wood and found objects.
The work sits well in the high ceilinged rooms full of natural light. And there is greatest impact where work is grouped around themes rather in chronological order. My favourite was The Islands collection, whilst inviting utmost contemplation, it resonated with powerful ‘white noise’. It is an exhibition to take your time viewing and one most definitely to revisit. link here My friend and I had a busy and exciting day in London visiting three very different Exhibitions.
First on our list was Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the V&A. This was a breathtaking, magnificent exhibition with a dark and disturbing edge. It was wonderful to get up close to see the intricate embroideries, the detail and quality of materials and workmanship. Halfway through the exhibition we came upon the fabulous Cabinet of Curiosities crammed from floor to ceiling with fantastical dresses and accessories, including my favourite impossible heels. It is a worthy celebration of an incredible artistic talent. Second on the list was the giant Embroidery of The Magna Carta's Wikipedia page in the British Library.This enormous work, 13 metres in length is stunning, subtle with the majority of stitching being text rather than illustrations. Mirrors are placed at intervals beneath the tapestry and it is fascinating to glimpse the reverse in places. This work resonated with me feeling very much a portrait of today as our civil rights come under threat. Cornelia Parker led the work supported by a range of contributors from prisoners, skilled members of the Embroiders' Guild, Royal School of Needlework along with the well-known. It was fascinating to see the significance of the words each of these embroidered. I came away with a feeling that this will be a lasting contemporary artistic comment on the significance of the Magna Carta. Finally we were lucky enough to have tickets for the Preview of the Summer Show at the R A. Interesting as ever with plenty to discuss, the exhibition was easier to view with the work being far less crowded than in previous years. We wondered if there had been less submissions or a more rigorous selection process this year. Although the latter might be in doubt when some works are viewed. Oh to be a fly on the wall when the Selection Committee is discussing in the final selection process! This year there were fewer pieces I longed to take home with me. Two of the exceptions were unfortunately prohibitive by cost and size: Richard Long's Mississippi River Blues, stunning against the shocking pink wall of show's signature space and Conrad Shawcross' The Dappled Light of the Sun. The fabulous weather enabled us to see the latter in all its glory.
Today I visited the fantastic new Sheila Hicks exhibition at the Heyward Gallery, Southbank Centre (link). This was a fabulous exhibition with the added bonus of being free. I loved the chaotic use of colour, energy and vibrancy in her work. The miniature experimental weaving a in the back room were thought-provoking and particularly resonated with me. My favourite pieces were the only drawings with mohair on rice paper where she has played around with the materials. It seems unbelievable that this is the first time Hicks has been shown in the UK.
The exhibition has inspired me to spend my birthday money on "Weaving as a Metaphor" which is a work of art itself, with its tactile construction of irregular edged, thick white pages and completely white exterior. |
Jeryl ChurchI am a practising contemporary textile/mixed media artist based in Hampshire. Archives
April 2016
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