A Room Full Of Life

So I've realised I haven't really posted much of my own art recently which is due to the fact I've been busy writing an essay for university and because of some slight laziness; sorry! I have now completed this painting, A Room Full Of Life, which I have entered into the John Moores Painting Prize. This year I am trying to engage more with the outside art world and get involved in as many external competitions as I can. There are a few other exhibitions coming up that I have submitted work for so hopefully my efforts will pay off!

As well as writing an essay I am also in the process of finishing three more paintings to complete a series of four. The composition of each painting will be exactly the same, but the process of making them will vary between them all. I am having some fun collaging wooden veneer into my paintings so I think I will do more of this in the future. Above is a snapshot of what my studio space looks like at the moment and hopefully I will get this essay out of the way so that I can concentrate on making work again!

Jonny Hannah - Main Street

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is currently holding a solo exhibition by Illustrator Jonny Hannah. The Exhibition invited its visitors to "take a stroll down Main Street in Hannah's vintage-inspired homage to the independent trader". Displayed in the Yorkshire Sculpture Parks main building, Jonny Hannah's work provides an amazing colourful tunnel to walk through before entering the huge landscape of the YSP.

I really enjoyed looking at Jonny Hannah's playful illustrations because of the vibrant colours and gestural brushwork employed in the creation of his work. When I was at York College studying a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Jonny Hannah had an exhibition in the small event space on the second floor so it was great to see some of his more recent work in a different setting. I admired the curation of his work, it was packed full of colourful prints and painted objects in a bric-a-brac manner, producing an interesting and dynamic array of work to be seen. If you have not already been to see the exhibition I would really recommend it. Not only is there the amazing work of Jonny Hannah, but there is lots more art to be seen throughout the park including the exhibition Poppies: Wave and a selection of the pioneering American video and instillation artist, Bill Viola.

I'll Show You Mine...

I'll Show You Mine...If You Show Me Yours was a fantastic exhibition curated by Leon Co, a group of level 6 students from Leeds College of Art. The exhibition, featuring the work of over 100 artists across multiple disciplines, was held at a student house in Leeds last weekend and I had one of my paintings on show in the exhibition. The aim was to pack the house with as much art as possible to create a "dialogue between disparate practices" and was a brilliant success.

The curation of the work was amazing and the use of limited space was fantastic. Upon entering the house you were instantly confronted by a wall of art displayed in the kitchen. Cupboard doors were removed to house small sculptures and an 'L' board was erected to display even more work that could not fit on the walls. The kitchen then split off to two other rooms; one a staircase leading to a basement and another leading to an emptied lounge. The stairs to the basement were lined with small paintings and a draping textile piece hung from the ceiling. The basement itself was hidden behind a black curtain that revealed two light instillations once pulled back. One was a laser circling the room like a trip wire and the other was an abstract video piece which reminded me of the sun shining through a forest. The lounge, devoid of its furniture, was packed full of artwork covering the walls and provided a perfect place to mingle and chat about the work exhibited.

Here are a few photos from the exhibition:

Doorless cupboards displaying a variety of sculpture

The stairs down to the basement

Video installation

Lasers

A corner of the lounge displaying a range of art pieces

Another corner of the lounge, complete with a rabbit sat on a chair

A video piece presented above the mantelpiece

One of the lounge walls with my painting in the middle

A closer photo of my exhibited painting

Venice Biennale Highlights

So last week I was lucky enough to visit the 56th international Venice Biennale Art Exhibition, All The World's Futures. The exhibitions took place in the beautiful pavilions at the Giardini, the Arsenale and in the city of Venice featuring over 130 artists from 53 different countries.

Entitled All The World's Futures, the Venice Biennale seeks to "observe the relationship between art and developments in the human, social and political worlds as external forces" within a world where "we are negotiating an age of anxiety".

The Biennale was an amazing avalanche of work from all over the world with a lot of art to take in over the two days I was there. There was a heavy focus on media, sculpture and instillation in the work linking back to the theme of the increase in knowledge and technology within the world.

Here is a tiny selection of my favourite pieces of work exhibited at the Biennale from the Giardini and Arsenale.

Katharina Grosse

Untitled Trumpet.

The Propeller Group

The AK47 vs The M16.

Thea Djordjadze

That is the last item on this list: A glass of anger.

Kerry James Marshall

Untitled (Blot).

Irina Nakhova

Devestatingly Direct.

Chiharn Shiota

Key In The Hand.

The work I found most interesting at the Arsenale was The AK47 vs The M16 by The Propeller Group because of its concept. The work is about the rare occasion when opposing military bullets have collided on the battlefield to form a single object. The two bullets, aimed with the intention of killing the other, fuse together in mid air under ridiculous odds. The M16 is America's gun of choice from the second half of the 20th century and is a symbol of freedom while the AK47 is the weapon of choice for liberation and revolution. Both 'weapons of peace' that are still used on battlefields today. This piece is a series of performances where the rifles were aimed at each other and shot in order to replicate the collision and fusion of the bullets. This was recorded in high speed videos and a ballistics gel block capturing the indexical mark produced by the projectiles flight paths so that they can be seen by the human eye.

I also enjoyed the work of Irina Nakhova in the Russian pavilion at the Giardini. There was something about being confronted by a huge head upon entering the pavilion that made it feel slightly haunting. The work then continued into other rooms that were transformed into environments of colour relating to the history of the 100 year old building, emphasising the significance of colour for Russian Postmodernism.

I had such a great time visiting Venice and all the art it had to offer. Such a beautiful city with loads of rich history, it was an amazing opportunity to stay there for a couple of days and absorb it all!