Sofia Stevi - turning forty winks into a decade at BALTIC

"Sofia Stevi (born Athens, 1982) makes paintings, sculpture and works on paper. Drawing inspiration from literature, philosophy and the everyday, her works bring together a wide range of references, from the writings of Victorian poet Christina Rossetti, to found images on Instagram.

Stevi’s sweeping lines and colours describe form with a sense of playfulness and animation. Her paintings capture fleshy fruits and soft body contours with a cartoon-like expressiveness. Made with Japanese ink on untreated cotton fabric, the works evoke the domestic but have a charged eroticism. Torsos and limbs dissolve into psychedelic patterns and washes of colour. Moving between the real and imaginary, Stevi’s works are often deeply personal, exploring the artist’s desires and dreams."

In the smaller room of the gallery Stevi displays some of her offcuts of fabrics that have been made into what resemble sample books that have been placed on a low coffee table. Viewers can sit on one of the bespoke bean bag style cushions made by Stevi. It is these that I am particularly attracted to because of their abstraction and non-figurative nature.

KOTA and cardboard lightshades

I frequently visit Grainger Market, not only passing through on my way to the studio, but regularly stopping to stock up on fruit and vegetables from the range of greengrocers. In and amongst the various eateries, clothes stalls and bargain shops you will find KOTA, Newcastle's first Scandinavian design store selling Scandinavian design, homeware, fashion, stationery, fabric and gifts. It's a favourite of mine!

KOTA is owned by Helsinki-born Krista Puranen Wilson, an interior specialist with a background in styling and desire. Krista wants to offer products by brands that are not already sold in Newcastle.

“I want to be able to offer things that are unique and not just for British people but also some Scandinavians who live in the region. We stock eco-friendly products, hand chosen and in small editions, so there’s very little chance anyone else will have the same item."

I am attracted to the pattern designs and the colours used in many of the products. I enjoy the choice of materials and the simplicity of the designs.



On my latest visit to KOTA I found the ideal range of lights to be installed with my 'Portion Control' publications. They are made from folded cardboard and have a concertina design so would complement the cardboard concertina stools.



https://www.kotastore.uk/

Newcastle University MFA 2015 Summer Exhibition - Mirela Bistram

Mirela Bistran

is a Romanian artist living in the UK.

In her “

Unfolded Dowry

” she explores the cultural significance of objects

.

The imagined space of the installation is a layerin

g of references alluding to

Romanian cultural heritage and veiling Bistran’s ow

n memories.

In seeming together old and new fabrics - hand fini

shed and machine fabricated –

the past and the present, the real and the artifici

al combine.

The installation is a journey out of time, it is ab

out past traditions – though traditions

which have become increasingly alien – and it is th

rough memory: but it is a memory

re-imagined, remembered and manufactured.

Mirela Bistran is a Romanian artist living in the UK.

In her “Unfolded Dowry” she explores the cultural significance of objects.

The imagined space of the installation is a layering of references alluding to Romanian cultural heritage and veiling Bistran’s own memories.

In seeming together old and new fabrics - hand finished and machine fabricated – the past and the present, the real and the artificial combine.

Mirela Bistran

is a Romanian artist living in the UK.

In her “

Unfolded Dowry

” she explores the cultural significance of objects

.

The imagined space of the installation is a layerin

g of references alluding to

Romanian cultural heritage and veiling Bistran’s ow

n memories.

In seeming together old and new fabrics - hand fini

shed and machine fabricated –

the past and the present, the real and the artifici

al combine.

The installation is a journey out of time, it is ab

out past traditions – though traditions

which have become increasingly alien – and it is th

rough memory: but it is a memory

re-imagined, remembered and manufactured.

The installation is a journey out of time, it is about past traditions – though traditions which have become increasingly alien – and it is through memory: but it is a memory re-imagined, remembered and manufactured.

http://www.mirelabistran.blogspot.co.uk

Reduce, reduce, reduce

In preparation for my crit, I began editing in my studio, reducing the amount in the space, and beginning to turn it from a studio and into more of a gallery space. I need to remember not to cram the studio, and to give each work enough space to breathe. I also need to vary the scale of the work so everything isn't on the same level.

With this in mind, I introduced a large piece of fabric, and hung it from one of the pipes going round the space. This size of fabric has a presence, and contrasts with the smaller collages.

Now I am deciding what to do with the fabric, and whether to print directly onto it, or to put the seaweed prints onto the fabric. I would like to try both options, but don't want my space to be dominated by similar prints. 

I also need to consider the type of design / pattern on the seaweed. I want for them to make a whole composition rather than have a self contained image on each separate sheet of seaweed.

A Third Exhibit

It has been a really intense but exciting and fun day installing the collaborative installation 'A Third Exhibit' in the Hatton Gallery. All was resting on today - bringing the various elements together into the space and turning them into a cohesive whole.

As Sean dealt with all the programming operations of the sensors for the lights and sound, Corbin adapted the footage that we were recording in the space during the install into something unrecognisable and extremely atmospheric and mesmerising.

Ed was busy attaching all the lights to the columns, inflating the balloons and positioning the speakers.

Once Mags had cut the aluminium rods and I had cut the fabric, we wrapped double sided carpet tape around the rods and then rolled the top of the fabric around the rod, creating the horizontal pole from which the fabric hung.

Rob and Jack made little sandbags which acted as weights to prevent the balloons from floating up to the ceiling. These were attached to the corners at the bottom of the lengths of fabric by eyelets that had been punched into the fabric.

The balloons were inflated with helium and between us we managed to create suspended planes from the fabric.

It all came together in the last hour when we collectively decided on the volume levels, the fine tuning of the lights and the positioning of the planes.

This entire process, and throughout the Late Night event, a webcam filmed what we were up to and live streamed to view online.

The exhibition will be open to the public between Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm. The exhibition runs until Friday 22nd May 2015

Missoni

My friend Yein has just introduced me to Missoni, "a high-end Italian fashion house based in Varese, and known for its colorful knitwear designs."

The Jealous Curator and Jennifer Sanchez

The Jealous Curator is "a curator who is inspired {and just a tad jealous} of amazing contemporary art, every day.
www.thejealouscurator.com

She has a BFA in Visual Arts {painting, printmaking, and art history}, and a post-grad in Design. She has worked as a designer and Creative Director for 14 years, but never stopped loving and creating art. 

She writes, "After decades of looking at beautiful contemporary art and thinking “Damn, I wish I thought of that”, I decided to say it out loud, and The Jealous Curator was born." 

The Jealous Curator writes daily posts showcasing artwork from around the world, and it was in one of these posts that I saw the work of Jennifer Sanchez.


I enjoy the layers, colours, pattern and composition within the work. I note how Sanchez has applied her work to different surfaces including fabrics and wallpaper, and it has made me think about how I could transfer my work to other surfaces and extend its reach.


http://jennifersanchez.info