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Category: Art

From May until July 2014, venues in Brighton and London will be holding arts and theatre performances for a range of interests. LIFT Festival, in its 33rd year, brings together performers from all over the world to look at key issues in today’s society. Brighton Festival aims to transform the city of Brighton into a hub of artistic activity, with exhibitions and performances from local and national artists. A few of the shows coming up over the next few months include:

Bring the Happy at ONCA Gallery, Brighton. Running from the 23rd – 25th of May, the exhibition invites members of the public to add their own happy memories to a giant 3D map of England. Invisible Flock and Hope & Social will then accumulate all the memories into a performance at The Old Market.

Information is Beautiful, a show by author & designer David McCandless, discusses the potential of visualised information to help us understand, navigate and find meaning in a complex world. Taking place on the 15th of May at Brighton Dome, it demonstrates the challenges of presenting necessary information to audiences in an age of information overload.

For anyone who’s interested in the philosophy of art, Symphony of a Missing Room is a must-see. Taking place at the Royal Academy of Arts from the 19th of May until the 8th of June, Lundahl & Seitl’s work discusses the imprints left on a room once the art inside it is taken away.

Museum of Water by Amy Sharrocks [https://www.artsadmin.co.uk/artists/amy-sharrocks] looks at the intricate challenges surrounding climate change, international development and human nature, by asking people to give their own unique perspectives on the most common substance on the planet. It runs from the 6th – 9th of June at Somerset House, Strand.

International artists collaborate on a takeover of the Battersea Arts Centre for After a War, an exploration of the first world war and its impact on the 21st century. Twenty-five artists and companies from around the world discuss the global impact and legacy of WWI alongside contemporary issues of war and peace. Taking place from the 27th – 29th of June, its highlights include the use of several thousand dominoes to demonstrate the impact of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination, and Lucien Bourjeily’s new maps of the middle east.

Follow @LIFTFestival and @BrightFest on Twitter for more info.

Category: Art

Delaine Le Bas first met artist/photographer Tara Darby at the Transition Gallery during her solo show Room in 2005. Tara along with Alex Michon and Cathy Lomax at Transition, became one of her ‘comrades’ as she calls them. 'To be an Artist you need these comrades,' she says 'We are not with each other all the time but as soon as we are it is like the time in between just disappears. Our minds and ways of working are linked in a way that cannot not be defined. We always pick up where we left.' The exhibition is something of a homecoming, after all the collaborations and all the activism which is always implicit in her practice she wanted to work with people she could trust on an exhibition which was more personal and where she could explore facets of her own quixotic persona.
 


Thus with Tara Darby she has created a performative series of photographs. Her relationship with the gallery, shared interests in clothes and music and particularly a punk sensibility were central to this as she says, 'Keeping it real to me is what it is and will always be about. The artists who run Transition get this, Tara gets this. It's not about being fashionable even though the irony is that that is where I started, on a Fashion and Textiles MA at St Martins 1986 – 1988. Through music and clothing I could truly be me. It was not about attracting the opposite sex, it was about identity and forming that identity for myself. I brought magazines when I could, and music papers. I dressed up in a mish mash, crossing what I saw with the old musicals I watched with my Nan and Great Uncle, with Jumble sale finds and old clothing my Mum had. Even before Dennis Potter I dreamed of people 'singing in the rain' and breaking into song instead of speaking, dressed in fantastic outfits that had the glamour of the films and energy of Polystyrene.'
 

In the lead up to the show Delaine and Alex Michon (who have collaborated on a special publication for the show entitled Sister and Comrade) were both reading Viv Albertine’s recently published memoir Girls Girls Girls, Music Music, Music, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Much of the inspirational spirit of punk and especially the girls in punk lie behind this immersive show which also includes paintings, music and film. So often the media want to put Delaine in the box marked 'exotic Romany' as she herself says 'In the series of portraits with the Kabuki make up I wanted to play with who and what I am. I was taught to do the make up by my old friend Suzi Skelton from Worthing, she was part of the Kemp company. I have much to thank her for regarding how the make up works and what you can do with it. Life is not black and white, as human beings we are complex and multi faceted creatures, we are not flat pieces of paper but living three dimensional objects moving in space. As a child, I grew with music blasting in my head and with clothing and make up I realised that you could be whoever you wanted to be and the best thing to do was not to give a fuck no matter what anyone else said or tried to impose upon you. Free spirit, comrade, sister, Portrait Of An Artist is about keeping it real, for yourself and always remaining true to who you want to be no matter how the rest of the world tries to confine and restrict you in the words of Polystyrene “Oh Bondage Up Yours!!'

Opening times: Fri-Sun 12-6pm

Category: Art

An eclectic collection of contemporary tiger-inspired art launches today at Sanderson Hotel. The collection is not only set to raise significant awareness of the plight of the wild tiger but also raise desperately needed funds to help to save the wild tiger before it’s too late.The artwork will then be auctioned at a Save Wild Tigers fund raising dinner at Belgravia’s Mango Tree on 20th May.

Art by Shannon Rose Lane.

Twenty artists have contributed artworks for Thrive, curated by Lauren Baker, a London artist who recently created an installation at Tate Britain. She also exhibits in galleries across the US and Europe and has art directed the windows of Selfridges. You can read more about her on our website here. Lauren Baker's most intricate work yet, The Crystal Tigress, will be launched at Thrive – a stunning life-size sculpture of a tigress head, encrusted with 50,000 Swarovski crystals.

Lauren Baker's Crystal Tigress.

Lauren says, 'I am honoured to be working with such a talented array of artists who have all joined forces to create this very intriguing and special one-off tiger-inspired exhibition in London, all in aid of Save Wild Tigers. Sanderson offers an ideal back-drop for this exclusive collection and it’s so heartening to get the contemporary art community together to protect our tigers.'

Art by Mark Powell.

Save Wild Tigers is a global initiative set up by Simon Clinton in 2010, with profits going to tiger conservation charities including the Born Free Foundation (BFF), the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the Wildlife Conservation Society of Malaysia (WCS). Developing creative and engaging marketing campaigns – it boasts support of global celebrities such as Joanna Lumley, Brian May, Gok Wan and Jimmy Choo.

Art by Magnus.

Founder of Save Wild Tigers, Simon Clinton comments: 'In 1900, there were believed to be 150,000 wild tigers in the world. Today there are fewer than 3,500 across 13 countries. With a constant threat of poaching and a decrease in habitat, this majestic species could be extinct in less than 10 years if we don’t act now.'

Art by Chapter.

Artists exhibiting at Thrive include: Cassandra Yap, Chapter, Chiara Lisa Perano and Bellerby & co, Claire Bentley Smith, Clara Bacou, Chris Wright, Gary Hodges, Jane McCracken, Laura Lian, Lauren Baker, Magnus Gjoen, Mark Powell, Mikey Brain, Otto Schade, Pampa Louzao, Rohan Chhabra, Roger Hooper, Shannon Rose Lane, Thomas Knights and Yanskiy.

Private viewings of Thrive are available between 9am and 9pm daily.

Category: Earth

Fancy a festival with a difference? Then Starry Skies could be for you… part festival, part camp, this event promises a plethora of family friendly activities in the great outdoors. Expect to learn with forest school, take wild walks in the woods, make nature art, star gaze into the night, sing around the campfire and have fun playing in the woodland playground. Starry Skies has been designed to make the most of the picturesque setting at Barton Hill Farm in the beautiful Brecon Beacons, allowing children the freedom to explore the great outdoors as they often can't at home.

Starry Skies is brought to you by the folks who run Shambala Festival (read our review of Shambala in 2010 here) and I love the ethos behind the camp – that parents often don't have as much fun when they attend festivals with the little ones, and long to go on a holiday where they can relax too. There is even a dedicated Toddler Tent, it doesn't get much better than that!

There will also be entertainment in the form of music from the likes of Lori Campbell, Nuala Honan and Me and My Friends. And of course there will be plenty of other options for the adults, such as yoga, walking adventures, extreme days out and Buddhist chanting.

There is only room for 250 families so expect a very friendly environment with a strong communal spirit. You could be in with a chance to win a family ticket, by suggesting your favourite campfire song here.

Category: Art

Hannah Battershell’s works are small insights into a fantasy world, often with a strong feeling of narrative running through the imagery. Her studies of English Literature are evident, with many pieces structured as if to illustrate a story. She draws on her imagination, books she has read, half remembered quotations and unusual words as starting points for her pieces. The characters and narratives within the work have a surreal quality to them, a dark sense of humour and at times an unnerving sense of loneliness. This illustrative quality to her work has previously drawn comparison to artists such as Edward Gorey or Leonora Carrington.

Hannah Battershell, Homunculus, mixed media, vintage tin, glass, 10x8cm.

Hannah Battershell, The Melancholy Dictator, mixed media on paper collage, 21 x 16cm.
 
Alongside Hannah Battershell’s painted imagery and richly textured collages, found objects feature or, at times are a framework from which the work evolves. Battershell continually hunts down vintage cigarette tins, old buttons, compasses or pocket watches to incorporate into her work, adding to a sense of nostalgia and atmosphere of an old curiosity shop. Her work is particularly suited to the setting of this exhibition – the unique space of The Rectory Gallery, the Hawksmoor designed Rectory of Christ Church Spitalfields. The Rectory Gallery maintains its domestic feel and period features such as the panelled walls, which add an interesting context to this collection of her works. 
 

Hannah Battershell, The Drunken Librarian, mixed media, 9x9cm.

Hannah Battershell, The Performance, mixed media on paper collage, 18 x 18cm.

Hannah Battershell has exhibited with Curwen Gallery since 2011, and has had work in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions in 2013 and 2011. Her painting 'Crocodilian' appeared in 'Images 36', the 2012 Association of Illustrators' Best of New British Illustration publication. Hannah lives and works in London.
 
Opening times: The Rectory Gallery is open First Thursdays of the month 1-9pm and by appointment only at all other times. Private views: Wednesday 21 May 6-8pm and Sunday 25 May 2-4pm.
 
 
 

Category: Art

Illustration By Rosa and Carlotta Crepax, Illustrated Moodboard.

Exploring boundaries between cities, cultures and institutions, laced together through the poetics of space, Wanderings documents the varying approaches to city life of a select group of emerging international artists. The emerging talent of London’s promising contemporary art scene meets Latin American artists quenching their wanderlust on new shores, and a team of Italian twins welding together art and fashion. This exhibition is the brainchild of a collective of Goldsmiths based curators, entrepreneurs and artists.

Illustration by Jennifer Pitchers, ELX Art.

Exhibiting artists include: Alberto Borea, Rosa & Carlotta Crepax, William Goldsmith, Edi Hirose, Jennifer Matignas Pitchers, Johnatan Molina Arroyo, Josè Vera Matos and Jacob Wolff.

Artwork by Rosa and Carlotta Crepax, Illustrated Moodboard.

Wanderings is curated by Hannah Thorne and produced by ELX Art and Amelia's Magazine contributors Illustrated Moodboard, with support from Galería Lucia de la Puente.

Artwork by Alberto Borea.

Select Artist bios:

ALBERTO BOREA was born in Lima, Peru in 1979. His work has been exhibited in several solo shows, as well as group shows in Latin America, Europe and the U.S. He lives and works between New York and Lima and is represented by Galería Lucia de la Puente.

ROSA & CARLOTTA CREPAX are twin sisters from Milan and London based visual artists. Their work is influenced by fashion and fashion photography. They use a wide range of media to create elegant, colourful and whimsical interpretations of style, contemporary life and culture. Their work aims to address questions of equality, diversity, inclusion and exclusion in relation to gender and sexuality. Their work has been featured in the pages of publications worldwide including Vogue Italia, Glamour, Grazia, Amica, Io Donna, La Repubblica, and Il Corriere della Sera. They have collaborated with a series of brands including Trussardi, Absolut Vodka, Tia Maria, and Pinco Pallino. They live and work in London.

JENNIFER MATIGNAS PITCHERS studied illustration at Camberwell College of Arts and lives and works in London. Born in 1985 to British and Filipino parents, her personal work focuses on identity, belonging and a sense of place. Often linear in style, she explores traditional ink techniques and experiments with etching and relief printing. Her work for Wanderings is inspired by her native Whitechapel. She has previously worked in collaboration with fashion designer Coco Fennell and Samsung, and many years ago worked at Amelia's Magazine. She is currently the Artist in Residence at the Gate Theatre, a role supported by the Chelsea Arts Club Trust. Jennifer is represented by ELX Art.

PRIVATE VIEW: Thursday 17th 6-11pm
OPENING TIMES: Friday 18th – 10am-10pm, Saturday 19th – 10am-10pm, Sunday 20th – 10am-4pm

Category: Art

From the end of this month, the sprawling environs of The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane will once again become home to Free Range, the leading (and largest) showcase for creative graduates across the land. The exhibitions open to the public on Friday 30th May and run for seven weeks until mid-July, presenting the work of over 3000 students across five disciplines: Design; Fashion; Photography; Art; Interiors and Architecture.

Arat Komsawadichai, Ravensbourne Photography

Amy Watts, University of Hertfordshire Fine Art

Aimee Lupin, Roehampton Photography

What with Graduate Fashion Week making the big move east to The Old Truman Brewery (I am very excited to have this showcase on our doorstep at last!), Brick Lane will be the place to spot emerging fashion talent this summer. Catwalk shows at Free Range come from Winchester School of Art, Coventry University, Regent’s College and University of Brighton.

Nara Lee, University of Brighton Fashion

All exhibitions are free to the general public. I can't wait to spot the newest design talent, and you can too. Check the website for opening times: www.free-range.org.uk Here are just a few of our reviews from Free Range 2013.

Category: Art

The MA Illustration Final Show at Camberwell College of the Arts promises to delight, amaze and intrigue. On show this year is the work from 48 graduating artists, alongside a selection of pieces by part-time students completing their first year of work.

This year’s show explores a wide variety of contemporary illustration practice, including picture books, comics, and works created for a variety textiles. The show takes place as part of the larger Postgraduate Final Show at Camberwell, featuring work from students in Printmaking, Designer-Maker, Fine Art Digital and Book Arts as well as Illustration. For more information and a preview of some of the work being exhibited, check out the website here. Here is a selection of work from some of the graduating artists:

Fay Huo is a London-based Chinese illustrator and pattern designer. Inspired by her childhood and philosophy, Fay likes to create dreamy and uncanny works which invite the viewers to enjoy the details as well as her wildest imagination. She has worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for companies/ organization in Hong Kong, Bulgaria and United Kingdom. Her illustrations have been selected to show in the MTV Young at Art exhibition and the D&AD New Blood 2013, and her work caught my eye at the graduate shows last year. The concept of her MA project is Trap.

Emily Nash makes work that is primarily narrative based, taking inspiration from fictional stories, folk tales and current affairs. She uses collage and mixed media to create other-worldly characters and settings. Patterns, textures and found ephemera are built upon to create layered and playful imagery.

Jady Ong was born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, and graduated with an undergraduate degree in Animation from Dong Hua University, Shanghai in 2012. She is currently studying MA Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts.

Marja de Sanctis is a Brazilian visual artist and illustrator. She lived between Brazil and Italy and is now based in London. She is addicted to vibrant colours and enjoys making images using mixed media. Marja’s work is informed by a curiosity for human stories, romantic songs and relationships’ podcasts that she seeks to represent through the use of metaphor and symbolism.

Marina Muun is an illustrator working and living in London, whose work is a delicate synthesis of the digital with more traditional media. She has worked on various projects including editorial, fashion and packaging. Her illustrations was selected for D&AD New Blood 2013 and she has recently been shortlisted for the AOI Awards. Her latest work is centred around perception of external stimuli and the ability to match visions and experiences to a deeper knowledge within. We are lucky enough to have had her contributions on the website.

Augusta Akerman is a freelance Illustrator and surface pattern designer currently living and working in London. After Graduating from the Glasgow School of Art in 2008, she has previously worked as a Set Decorator for film and advertising before studying for an MA in Illustration at Camberwell College of Art in 2013. Her work is primarily narrative based combining a classic illustrative style with a looser abstract sense of design. She has recently begun working with textiles transferring her illustrations to silk and cotton, exploring repeating patterns that also lend themselves to wallpaper design.

Private View: 15th July, 6pm
Opening Times: 10am — 8pm, not open on Sunday

Category: Art

Laura Weston presents an exhibition of 40 vibrant Intaglio and Relief prints at Southbank Printmakers Gallery in Gabriel's Wharf. Laura Weston is the winner of the 2012 Artichoke Prize for the 8th British international Mini Print Tour. Her original prints are populated by trees, foxes, birds and the flora and fauna of 1920's garden suburbs. You can follow Laura on Twitter @laurawestonart.

Laura Weston,Seven Birds.

Laura Weston, Fox.

Laura Weston, Postcard collage.

Opening times: Mon To Fri & Sunday 11.30 – 6.30pm, Saturdays 10.00am – 8.00pm, Private View: Thursday 22 May at 6pm – 8pm

Category: Art

Is it For Now by Adam Hayes.

The Current is a group exhibition coinciding with the 10th Birthday of Bristol based Soma Gallery, and brings together the work of five contemporary graphic artists. Adam Bridgland, Matthew Green, Adam Hayes, Lucy Gough and Jessica Wilson have all exhibited widely throughout the UK and internationally and have completed major commissions for clients such as Nike, Uniqlo, the Guardian and You Tube. They are also held in a number of important collections like the Victoria and Albert and the British Museum. The Current is an exciting, fresh and vibrant exhibition showcasing recent works, including a number specially launched for this show.

Adam Hayes
Adam Hayes is a specialist in hand-rendered typography and intricate, intelligent illustration. His prolific work style has generated an impressive portfolio that reflects an interest in vernacular lettering and a fascination with urban and natural landscapes. Adam’s creative process see’s his simple pencil sketches transformed and refined into elaborate and optimistic illustration. Each project is concept-driven, allowing his work to grow and maintain a sense of energy and sophistication. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Adam has since established a diverse client base which welcomes collaboration with global companies, charitable organisations and small, local start-ups.

Spin 1 by Adam Bridgland.

Adam Bridgland
Born in 1979, Adam Bridgland studied printmaking at Norwich School of Art & Design and then studied at the Royal College of Art (MA Fine Art Printmaking). Since graduating in 2006, Bridgland has used a diverse range of materials and working methods to pursue an incisive and often witty exploration of distinctively British sentiments, externalising the underlying sense of loss and nostalgia that permeates our memories.

Hut by Matthew Green.

Matthew Green
Matthew Green excels in producing beautifully hand-drawn illustrations, his signature style is often compared to wood-cut prints and etchings. Beyond this craftsmanship and at the heart of all of Matthew’s work lies an enormous sense of fun. He creates worlds and moments where fantasy can meet the most mundane; from a voyeuristic zebra who resides in an old wooden shed to a glamorous blue tit dining for one.

Balloon Fiesta by Lucy Gough.

Lucy Gough
Lucy Gough studied Creative & Cultural Studies at Norwich School of Art and since graduating in 2002 has exhibited extensively throughout the UK and beyond. Lucy’s most recent work draws inspiration from a variety of sources including architecture, industry and the solar system. The stylised representation of everyday objects and use of hand drawn type are recurrent themes in her artistic practice. The content of the text varies in its sentiment from poetic to purposeful to playfully ironic.

Great Britain by Jess Wilson.

Jess Wilson
Jess Wilson graduated in 2006 and has been living and working in London ever since. Graduating from university with a 1st degree honours in Graphic design she started straight away getting her illustration work out there. Jess has worked with top clients producing big jobs for magazines, clothing ranges, prints, books and packaging. As well as working with clients Jess tries to get involved in as many exhibitions as possible and carrying out self initiated projects.

Opening times: Monday: Closed, Tuesday-Saturday: 10:00am – 5:30pm, Sunday: Closed. Visit Soma Gallery online here.