Summer Open 2024 Exhibition at Gallagher and Turner

I am delighted to be exhibiting my drawing 'Speedy Gonzales' in the Summer Open 2024 Exhibition at Gallagher and Turner.

Hope you can make it along to the exhibition. 

SUMMER OPEN 2024

Gallagher & Turner

30 St. Mary's Place, Newcastle, NE1 7PQ

Preview: Friday 12th July, 6-8pm

Exhibition: 13th July – 10th August 2024

Selected Artists: 

Olamide Ayomipo Adesola, Nick Banks, Harry Bell , Emma Bennett, Mr Mark R Bletcher, Tanya Bentham, Joanna Bourne, Alfons Bytautas, Hannah Campion, Marilou Chagnaud, Andrew Cheetham, Chun-Chao Chiu, Rae Clarke, Qi Fang Colbert, Janet E Davis, Lewis Dimmick, Seanna Doonan, Jennifer Douglas, Dotty Earl, Katy Fortune, Andrew Frith, Ceri Green, Peter Hanmer, Bethan Harris, Imogen Hawgood, Lawrie Hutcheon, Peter Hanmer, Wendy Rose Heath, Jayne Johnson, Stuart Jones, Bernadette Koranteng, Maria Laffey, Paul Merrick, Jasmine Nattrass, Kevin Petrie, Rhiannon Robinson, Beth J Ross, Jane Sanders, Lucy May Schofield , Holly Magdalene Scott, Kate Miller, Richard Scott, Deborah Snell, Helen Shaddock, Kate Sweeney, Elizabeth Talbot, Errol Theunissen, Anna Turnbull, Åse Vikse, Claire Ward, Lucy Waters, Brenda Watson, Katie Watson, Caitlin Whitaker, Andrew Winnard, Lesley Wood, Sam Wood, Yixue Yang

Image: Alfons Bytautas, Together, 2022, Acrylic & collage on panel, 30 X 30 cm

Exciting exhibition announcement - New work selected for BALTIC group exhibition

I am delighted to announce that I will be exhibiting new work as part of a group exhibition at the BALTIC. 

BALTIC OPEN SUBMISSION 2020 will run from 28 November 2020 – 14 March 2021

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead is pleased to announce BALTIC Open Submission 2020, a major open-call exhibition. Opening Saturday 28 November the exhibition involves over 150 artists and makers based in the North East of England.

BALTIC received over 540 submissions through an open-call application process announced in the summer whilst the gallery was closed during lockdown. All entries were selected by a panel of three artists based in the North East: Richard Bliss, Lady Kitt and Padma Rao, and Katie Hickman, Curator (Performance and Public Programme) at BALTIC.

BALTIC Open Submission 2020 celebrates creativity in the North East; the vast number of entries and the works included in the exhibition highlight the variety and high quality of arts practice across the North East. The exhibition presents works by artists who have been making throughout their lifetime to those just beginning; from people who work collectively, to those who create alone; those who have studied fine art, to self-taught creatives who have only ever made work in their private homes.

The exhibition will include a wide range of media including painting, drawing, print, sculpture, ceramic, installation, video and sound works. BALTIC Open Submission 2020 seeks to give visibility to arts practice from individuals and collectives that may not previously have been seen by a public audience.

Artists selected for the exhibition in alphabetical order are:

Cassie Adams / Judith Appleby / Frances Arnold / Aastha Bairolia / Emma Barratt / Beacons Films / Emma Bennett / C Mae Bloom / Aidan Bowes / Anita Brain Tyrrell / Simon Briggs / Amber Brown / Deborah Buchan / Roland Buckingham-Hsiao / Matthew Burdis / Rosalynd Byass / Marilyn Cain / Mark Carr / Andrew Carter / Gary Carter / Christie Chan / David Chaney / Poppy Chennells / Chun-Chao Chiu / BJ Choudre / Connor Clements / Ellie Clewlow / Erin Collins / Leah Sarah Coxon / Michael Crew / Evelyn Cromwell / Ben Crozier / Feliks Culpa / Peter Davies / Clive Davis / David De La Haye / Jayamini De Silva / Amir Dehghan / Jane Dennis / Alison Diamond / Erin Dickson / Egeman Dogan / Dolby\Messer (Jessica Dolby & Sebastian Messer) / Jessica Donnelly / Peter Doubt / Kelly Dunlop / Dyad / Cliff Edges / Hengameh Firoozi / Francis Fitzgerald / Abigail Flanders / Sarah Framrose / Dora Frankel / Timothy French / Hannah Gawne / Billy Goffa / Maisie Goodfellow / Chantal Goulder / Lydia Griffiths / Katarzyna Grzelak / Phil Hardy / Marcus Paul Hargis / Mayada Hassan / Becca Heath / Adonia Hirst / Josh Howard / Maggie Hsiao / Joanna Hutton / Inspiratori Art / Sarah Isherwood / Beth Johnson / Talia Johnson / Minty Jowett / Just Florence / Jezzelle Kellam / Jack Connor Kemp / Lyn Killeen / Craig Knight / Lauryn Lamb / Tomislav Latinovic / Pheobe Law / John Lawson / Annie Lee / Malcolm Lewis / Kwan Li / Toby P Lloyd / Sarah Lock / Sue Loughlin / Niamh Emily Mackintosh / Annie Macmillan / David Mangenie / Justin Marshall / Brian Mccleary / Georgia McGrath / Zack Miller / Edwin Mingard / Lauren Mitchell / Aidan Moesby / Rosie Morris and Rhodri Davies / Robert Myers / Ellie Niblock / Nolasean / Magdalena Patrascu / Kath Price & Ellen Baker / Phil Punton / Sara Qaed / Katherina Radeva / Bishwadhan Rai / Dolores Ramona / Beryl Rankin / Ellen Ranson / Simon Raven / Paul Raymond / Paul Richardson-Chute / Tom Rob / Bede Robinson / Rhiannon Robinson / Susan Rowe / Mark Salmon / Richard Scott / Lauren Seatter-Messer / Dot Seddon / Helen Shaddock / Joe Shaw / Sharon Simpson / Michael Smith / Hazel Soper / Kristi Sparkes / Sarah Stamp / Bethany Stead / Will Stockwell / Katherine Strachan / Matilda Sutton / Jeffrey Swan / Annabel Talbot / Jill Tate / Alan Thoburn / Ailish Treanor / Seb Trend / Aruna Udawatte / Beth Waddingham / Christine Walker / Maya Wallis / Diane Watson / Jonathan Lloyd West / Geoff Weston / Jack Williams / Joshua Williamson / Jennine Wilson / Stuart Mel Wilson / Adam Wilson Holmes / Lesley Wood / Steven Wood / Lydia Wysock

Pierre Huyghe - Untitled (Human Mask)

As I walked from home to my studio it was clear that this was no ordinary day. My journey had begun in Fenham, a multicultural neighbourhood popular with families and creatives. One of the reasons why I like living there is the amount of parkland and green space that is at my doorstep. It is around this time of year when these spaces become the hub of the community. Families and friends gather together with picnics or BBQ's to share food and enjoy the brighter weather. Groups of male youths turn the tennis courts into a cricket pitch, where they can be found day and night.  

Today there were people out and about, but rather than large gatherings or groups, families stuck together in 3's or 4's, and parents seemed more conscious than ever to ensure that their children remained easily within their eyesight, if not at their side. 

As I transitioned through this friendly neighbourhood and into the centre of Newcastle, the changes became more blatantly obvious. Crossing Barack Road could take a while if you caught the traffic lights at a bad time as the road was always busy, but today there were very few cars about, reducing my journey time by a couple of minutes. 

The Alan Shearer statue outside St Jame's Park usually attracted at least a couple of tourists who would be posing for a photo taken by a fellow football fanatic. Today Alan Shearer, arm up in the air, was celebrating his goal alone. 

The greasy fried chicken smell that normally polluted the area around Chicken Cottage, the source of the stench, was absent and the takeaway shop was closed, along with the many other eateries in the vicinity. The occasional cafe that did have lights on and doors open were advertising that they were operating on a take-away basis only. Queues for buses were vastly reduced, perhaps only a couple of people were waiting at the most popular stands by Monument Metro station. 

I couldn't take my short-cut through the shopping centre as the automatic doors were turned off, and most, if not all, of the clothes shops, book shops, and other non-food shops displayed CLOSED signs in their doors. I seem to have passed an equal amount of patrolling police officers as I did members of public, and they gave me a suspicious gaze as I walked past them with purpose, suggesting that I should not be on the street. It all felt extremely eerie and I was reminded of Untitled (Human Mask), a video by Pierre Huyghe that I recently saw at the BALTIC as part of their Animalesque exhibition. 

The press release reads

"Pierre Huyghe’s video Untitled (Human Mask) (2014) opens with footage from the nuclear disaster area of Fukushima following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The city is utterly ruined, its houses pushed away from their foundations and its streets empty of life.



An unmanned drone camera takes us into a restaurant that initially seems abandoned, but in a dimly lit room we come across a monkey that has been trained to act as a waiter. We look on in wonder as we follow the animal’s restless movements inside the empty restaurant, moving back and forth between the filthy kitchen and the dark dining space. Apart from some cockroaches scuttling across the floor and a single cat, the monkey appears to be the sole survivor of the disaster.



Like an automaton, the monkey continues to carry out the routines that its training has instilled in it. Without any patrons to serve, those actions form a pointless pattern of repetition and variation. The animal is trapped inside a re-enactment of human activity – sometimes inoperative, endlessly waiting, subject to boredom, left between instruction and instinct.



With the dystopian setting of Untitled (Human Mask) Pierre Huyghe points to the impact that
human activity has on nature. Perhaps the work reflects our present-day Anthropocene era; a
time when mankind has become a force that changes the planet, affecting its ecosystems.
Huyghe’s work shows us an apocalyptic world in which humanity has been eradicated, with
the monkey’s lingering training the only relic of human civilisation."

https://frieze.com/article/one-take-human-mask

https://www.artsy.net/show/copenhagen-contemporary-pierre-huyghe-untitled-human-mask

Burn the Furniture to Heat the House - Joe Shaw - Lime Street

Burn the Furniture to Heat the House

Joe Shaw

Burn the Furniture to Heat the House brings into relief the brief glimpse of stability that occurred between two defining moments: the fall of the Soviet Union and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In this optimistic time, a disconnection formed between the precariousness of the world and ourselves, and we became complacent, imbued with a false sense of security. The sculptures in this exhibition are about the abrupt end of this complacency, the surge in ad hoc/insecure modes of living, a scrabble for resources, and the artists’ place within all this.

Joe Shaw (born 1990, Mansfield, Notts) is an artist based in Newcastle upon Tyne who makes performative sculptures and installations. His works use recognisable, everyday objects and often plastic or low quality materials to comment on the mechanism of disposability built into post-millennium society. Shaw’s lo-fi aesthetic and materials draw attention to the increased precarity surrounding modes of employment, housing, politics and our natural environment. The sculptures are used as a vehicle to both scrutinise the art-world and spoof fragile masculinity using a language of dry wit and black humour.

http://joseph-shaw.com/

Out of The Blue - Susan Aldworth as part of Illuminating the Self

"On display at Newcastle University’s Hatton Gallery (18 January – 9 May 2020) Aldworth’s principal work, Out of the Blue, represents the experiences of people living with epilepsy through art and the cutting-edge brain implants being developed by the CANDO project to try and control focal epilepsy."

Over fifty people living with epilepsy contributed their highly personal experiences to Out of the Blue. They came from all ages, diverse backgrounds, and from as far afield as Kenya, the USA and, of course, the UK. For many, it is the first time they have publicly shared their feelings, either as a sufferer, or carer of someone living with epilepsy.

This was followed by a successful national appeal, which found 100 experienced embroiderers and needlework specialists who volunteered to assist Aldworth sewing the testimonies of people living with epilepsy onto 100 items of Victorian underwear using UV threads; to represent the hidden nature of epilepsy, now made public through the embroidered words.

Inside the space, the garments have been attached to pulleys and motors, which shake in the manner of an epileptic seizure, while UV and blue lights shine onto the work to illuminate the wording.

“The idea is to present the hidden experience of epilepsy on garments usually obscured beneath our clothes,” explains Susan. “The installation brings the experience into the public domain. The threads fluoresce under UV light, effectively mirroring and representing the optogenetics employed in CANDO’s remarkable work.”

“The entire piece is programmed to move in the neural patterns and pathways associated with epilepsy. The movement will become increasingly synchronised and, once fully aligned, they will collapse onto the floor. Slowly, the clothes will start to move again, and restore themselves into their original configuration,” Aldworth adds.

The significance of the 100 embroiderers and 100 items of clothing is also poignant, as epilepsy affects 1 in 100 people and uncontrolled seizures can have devastating effects on people’s lives. Out of the Blue seeks to highlight the experience of living with epilepsy and create a discourse about the ethical and personal implications of the CANDO implants."

Despite there being a slight technical problem with the mechanics of the pulleys, meaning that they were not moving at the time I saw the exhibition, I found this installation visually stimulating and thought provoking.

The garments had a ghostly presence in the space, unified by their lack of pattern or colour. This placed emphasis on the words. The careful and intricate labour that went into producing the work is suggestive of an onerous time-consuming task, one that is challenging and overwhelming in itself, rather like how I imagine the experience of living with epilepsy is. Each embroiderer interpreted the words (written by someone living with epilepsy) in their own way and created unique designs for each and every garment. The UV light literally illuminates our awareness of the condition and references the CANDO research in a non-overly scientific manner. I really respect the way that Aldworth has respectfully used the experiences and personal responses of others to form a very powerful installation.

The limited edition Artist’s book containing the full text of the testimonies alongside 64 photographs by Peter Abrahams of the embroidered garments, is a beautiful document providing a deeper level of understanding about the experience of epilepsy. Similarly, the embroiderers' notes that can be read in the gallery also offers us an insight into the experience of another group of individuals who are fundamental to the project. It is clear from these accounts that being involved in this artwork has had a profound effect on them.

Illuminating the Self - Susan Aldworth and Andrew Carnie - Hatton Gallery and Vane Gallery

Illuminating The Self began in 2017 when artists Susan Aldworth and Andrew Carnie were invited to make an artistic response to the research being conducted at Newcastle University, namely the CANDO (Controlling Abnormal Network Dynamics using Optogenetics) Project. 

In the brain, nerve cells generate rhythmic activity or ‘brain waves’. In many neurological diseases these rhythms are disrupted, producing abnormal patterns of activity. In epilepsy, abnormal activity can often be localised to a small ‘focus’, which then spreads causing a seizure. Epilepsy affects 600,000 people in the UK and uncontrolled seizures have devastating effects on patients’ lives. Nearly a third of cases fail to respond to conventional drug treatments and may require surgical removal of the focus. However, surgery may not be suitable for all patients due to irreversible damage to necessary brain functions.

This CANDO project proposes an alternative treatment using a small implant to modulate abnormal activity and so prevent seizure development. The implant provides precisely timed stimulation by continuously monitoring brain waves via implanted electrodes and modifying them via implanted light sources. This requires that some cells within the focus are genetically altered using a safe virus to make them sensitive to light. The goal of this project is to create a successful first-in-human trial in epilepsy patients.

http://www.cando.ac.uk/aboutcando/

The exhibition is the artists' response to spending time studying the complex computer modelling that tests thousands of different scenarios, observing the animal experiments that are essential ahead of any human trials, and lengthy discussions with legal experts about the ethical implications of this kind of technology and what it might mean for all of us.

"The question of how we construct our sense of self and how it might be changed by the integration of biotechnology within the body has been central to discussions for Illuminating the Self. The artworks in the exhibition navigate the scientific and technological aspects of the project alongside the intensely human experience of epilepsy."

"For Andrew carnie this has meant focussing on the inner workings of the brain, how they are disrupted during a seizure and how gene therapy and the CANDO implant might modulate this disruption. Susan Aldworth has responded to the inner feelings and experiences of those living with epilepsy."

"The exhibitions of Illuminating the Self attempt to give us insight into cutting edge and complex neuroscience, and convey a sense of pioneering research on the brink of breakthrough. They also aim to increase our understanding of what epilepsy is and what it means to live with the condition. Their main concern however remains to encourage visitors to ask their own questions - about the science, the technology, the art and about themselves."

Lucy Jenkins, Curator of Illuminating the Self


Hatton Gallery
18th January - 9th May

Vane Gallery
16th January - 29th February

Testing Situations | Experiences of dementia, assessment and art

Over the last year, artist Charles Harrison and the Testing Situations team have been touring around the UK to learn more about people's experiences of being tested for dementia.



The Catalyst: National Innovation Centre for Ageing. 

Testing Situations presented an exhibition of learning from the tour featuring artworks from Clive Smith, Dan Moxam and a newly commissioned film titled 'Margaret' and supporting imagery by film-maker Harry Lawson. 

The main event featured presentations from project lead Charlie Harrison, social scientist Emma Harding and collaborator Mhari McLintock followed by screenings of 3 artistic films made by, or in collaboration with people living with dementia. 





The afternoon session included a participatory workshop and group conversations with around 60 attendees, both individuals and groups from North East.



I didn't attend the event, but saw the exhibition, and was particularly moved by Harry Lawson's body of work about his late Grandma, Margaret, during her last 4 years living in residential care. The film includes footage taken by Geoff, Harry's father of Margaret in her bedroom and scenes from the rest of the care home that was later filmed by Harry. It shifts between tender, intimate interactions between Margaret and Geoff and more routine observations of life in the residential home. As the UK population is living longer, more people are living in residential care, and this film gives an insight into life in a residential home. 

I felt privileged to witness the loving scenes between Margaret and Geoff, in which Geoff gently strokes Margaret's hands and tries to make her comfortable. I was gripped by the Geoff's patience and care in the way he spoke and handled his Mum, and though highly personal, the film did not seem invasive.

The more general shots within the home give a good impression of the rapport between Harry and the residents. Harry is happy to engage with the residents, some of whom make a point of being on film. As I watched one woman ask Harry if he would like her to introduce herself on camera and then go on to tell a little story, I notice that I'm smiling, for the residents are being treated respectfully as individuals who are valued.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/testing-situations-at-the-national-innovation-centre-of-ageing-newcastle-tickets-84623227351#

https://www.charlesrobertharrison.com/testingsituationsblog

Culmination of 'Text in Art' strand with Year 2 Fine Art students at Newcastle University

Today was my final session with the group of 2nd year Fine Art students that chose the 'Text in Art' strand that I have been leading. The students all have different interests and make work that addresses different concerns. Many of the students had never thought about the use of text in their own practice, but they all had an underlying interest in text, prompting them to choose this strand.





















I have met with the students as a group every two weeks for the past three months. The strand began with me giving an overview of how artists use text within their artwork. I introduced the students to a variety of artists using text in their work. 

Over the course of a couple of weeks each student gave a presentation on one artist of their choice who makes use of text within their work.

Another week was devoted to titling work. I asked each group member to select 5 artists that use titles in an interesting way. We shared these and had a group discussion about titling work.

The main focus for the rest of the sessions was the development of each of the students work. Every alternate week the students brought their work to the table for us to discuss. 

I'd like to congratulate the students for engaging very well with the course and for installing an interesting exhibition. The show is in the project space until Friday 10th January, so pop along if you can. 

Alphabet Series drawings installed in White Cube Space at The NewBridge Project, Newcastle

Facilitating Text and Art Strand for Newcastle University 2nd year Fine Art Students

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I am excited about facilitating my first Fine Art session of the new academic year (2019-2020). I am leading one of the strand electives for the Newcastle University second year Fine Art students. I have written the programme documentation and will be delivering all the sessions. Here's is a brief introduction to what's in store for the students!

This strand is about exploring the use of text within artworks.

I will begin by giving a brief history of the word in art from 20th Century. We will look at examples of artists working with text, and consider the different forms that text can take in an artwork such as through writing, performance and sound. We will discuss how the form of text changes the meaning of an artwork and alters the way that an audience engages with the artwork. We will think about how text can be an individual artwork, or act as a component for a larger artwork.

It is not about writing about art, writing text to accompany exhibitions or writing about your practice e.g. artist statements.

Teaching will take a number of forms, including individual 1-1 tutorials, seminars and group sessions presenting and discussing ideas and artworks. The strand will culminate in a group exhibition. Students are expected to work together to plan their contribution to the exhibition, and think about the most appropriate way to realise their artwork.