A Very Merry And Magical Christmas To You All - A Very Happy & Exciting New Year Awaits!

So this time comes again, when we put down our tools and get ready to rest up with some much needed relaxation and of course celebration! But before all the festivities start, I get great joy from making and sending out my Limited Edition Christmas Cards and this year I pay homage to the greats that are the Dadaists, with a edition of 50 cards.

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a magical Christmas. I hope that it is filled with much  joy and happiness. It has been an absolute pleasure working with so many extraordinary people this year and I thoroughly look forward to what 2018 brings. Let's raise a glass to 2017 and await the excitement of 2018 - which I know is going to be an amazing year already!

New Commission Revealed In The New Publication "American ABCD" Tonight at La Fabrica In Madrid

 

I am absolutely delighted to reveal that my new body of work Verbatim, inspired and commissioned by the wonderful Patricio from Paripe Books is launched tonight, part of the new set of publications entitled America ABCD, at La Fabrica in Madrid.

Earlier this year, I was asked to rework one of the images from Patricio's archive, predominately black and white imagery from the 1950's and create a new set of works or work in response to this one image. It was an incredibly moving project to work on, seeing the strange parallels between the times we thought we had moved on from to the startling reality of todays political and social climate. 

I was deeply inspired by the way that women were being represented in those times and sadly found an astounding connection, mirror of the times of America (and more widely) that we are party to today. I drew on modern day inspirational speeches, shocking historical 'educational' films intermixed with the streaming consciousness of a never ending vocal from the political strong and interlaced this with my own personal experiences to create Verbatim, a script.

The resulting works are 5 pages from a wider script that I am currently writing around the socio-politics of our current times, but what you see published in this book, gives a strong flavour to what I am working on and will release, in part, next spring. Sad, yet inspiring times, gives a wealth of material to work with. So delighted to be part of this publication and to have many fellow friends and colleagues, a part of this too.

More to can be seen and purchased here - http://www.paripebooks.com/libros/

'Reversiones' Exhibition Shots - Centro De La Imagen - In Mexico City - 23 Nov. - 1 April 2018

I am absolutely delighted to have the installation shots back from my new group exhibition, "Reversiones"  at the wonderful Centro De La Imagen in Mexico City. The show really does look stunning and working with all the museum has been an absolutely delightful experience. I would like to extend my huge thanks to the following people, whom without them, this exhibition could not have happened.

Firstly to all at ROSEGALLERY for their patience, support and incredible assistance in getting these works from Santa Monica to Mexico, David Solo for his continued and never-ending support in my practice, Darren Warner and Steffi Klenz, both dear friends and extraordinary curators and artists in their own right for their continued interest and creative excitement for the project and of course all at the museum, technicians, curators and of course the Director for the opportunity to have such a great show up for such a wonderful duration. But of course, last, but by non means least, two women who have been extraordinary throughout this process; curator Natasha Christia and Mairela Sancari who dreamt up this idea as well as the trio of Vincent, Brad and Lewis, the other artists exhibiting that I am honoured to also exhibit with.

This project has been such a dream to work on, and it has only just began, as we prepare for our Educational programme which will expand the exhibition, but also bring us to this wonderful city, Mexico! 2018 preparation has already began and I am over excited about what we can achieve. What a perfect way to end this year, with much excitement, joy and many projects in the wings!

More here - http://s682870528.onlinehome.mx/reversiones

Installation Shots From 'A Motley Crew' Exhibition At Christian Larsen Gallery On Until 16 December

I am back from Sweden and what an incredible city Stockholm is.  Such wonderful clean, crisp air, warmth in all the people I met and such generosity and positivity from the artistic community, it really was a delight to be in such great company!

So I am delighted to show the installation shots from this exciting group show, curated by Darren Warner at Christian Larsen Gallery, "A Motley Crew - An informal expression for a roughly organised assembly of individuals of various backgrounds, appearance and character. They are typified by containing characters of conflicting personality and usually a wide array of methods of overcoming adversity."

The Exhibition is on until 16 December, and if in Stockholm, this show really is not to be missed! More information and the full press release can be found here - http://www.christianlarsen.se/a-motley-crew

New Exhibition, 'Reversiones' Opens Thursday 23 November At Centro De La Imagen In Mexico City

Absolutely delighted to announce my forthcoming group exhibition, 'Reversiones' at the Centro De La Imagen in Mexico City, part of the E.Folio.001, an encounter on the Contemporary Photobook, curated by Mariela Sancari, wonderful Museum, Centro De La Imagen and curated by the amazing Natasha Christia. I am honoured to be working with all on this show and exhibiting with artist, Brad Feuerhelm, Lewis Bush and Vincent Delbrouck. The exhibition will run from 23 November through to Mid March 2018, with an exciting educational programme running alongside.

I would like to extend my huge thanks to all at ROSEGALLERY, who made this exhibition possible and to all friends and colleagues whose commitment to my practice is heartwarming - my deepest thanks to each and everyone one of you.

"This exhibition starts from the sacred place of the library to a profane land of appropriation, recycling and reinventions of the (photo) book, as an object in process: an object open to subversive reinterpretations of hegemonic authorships and stories.

Reversiones hosts (photo) books that revisit great milestones of photography, (photo) books that are envisaged with forms and ideological baggage of others in order to subvert them and make visible identities and hidden narratives, as well as (photo) books that are fractured and They revert, challenging their own story, form and signature of author.

All of them testify, as tools of activism, the complicity of the images with the narratives and the dominant ideologies of our "liquid times", as they suggest the need for a novel reading of history through the support of (photo) book . An insubstantial reading that does not hesitate to deconstruct the axioms and stories of the photograph itself."

More can be found here: http://folio.com.mx/reversiones

"A Motley Crew" - New Group Exhibition Opens At Christain Larsen Gallery, Stockholm On 16 Nov.

I am absolutely delighted to be part of a new exhibition at Christain Larsen Gallery, in Stockholm, "A Motley Crew" which opens this coming Thursday 16 November and runs until 16 December. The show promises to be a beautiful curation with selected works from some astounding artists, Caroline Achaintre, Olivia Bax, Ross Taylor and Thomas Sauvin & I's delicate, destructive works from our collaborative series, Lunar Caustic. Below is an excerpt from the press release -

"Christian Larsen is pleased to present A Motley Crew featuring five UK based artists Caroline Achaintre, Melinda Gibson & Thomas Sauvin, Olivia Bax and Ross Taylor. Although there may not be one prevailing theme that unites the artists featured, there are strands and commonalities that thread themselves throughout, from the immediacy and malleability of their mediums and material to the feeling that each of the artists imbue their work with multiple personalities, never quite resolving into one thing or the other, but existing as their own distinctive selves."

I certainly look forward to all that Stockholm and Sweden has to offer, having never visited Sweden before I can not wait to taste and sample all of the delights of the city. As a Baker's daughter who likes her beer, I certainly need to tease out, fresh-from-the-oven kardemummabullar and Omnipollo, a local gypsy brewer making some of the most interesting beers in Scandinavia! I can't wait.

More can be seen here: http://www.christianlarsen.se/

Beg, Steal & Borrow: Artists Against Originality Remixing: The Photograph As Contemporary Art

I am delighted to say that my series, The Photograph As Contemporary Art has been included in this new-to be seminal text about artistic appropriation. Edited by the wonderful Robert Shore, this book is a provocative survey of a complex subject that is destined to grow in relevance and importance.

"Art is theft,’ Picasso once proclaimed, and much of the best and most ‘original’ new art involves an act or two of unequivocal, overt theft.  Paradoxically, the law relating to artistic borrowing has grown more restrictive. ‘The plagiarism and copyright trials of the twenty-first century are what the obscenity trials were to the twentieth century’, Kenneth Goldsmith, has observed. ‘These are really the issues of our time.’ Beg, Steal and Borrow offers a comprehensive and provocative survey of a complex subject that is destined to grow in relevance and importance. It traces an artistic lineage of appropriation from Michelangelo to Jeff Koons, and examines the history of its legality from the sixteenth century to now."

Pages 127-128 see my series analysed within the context of, 'Seven types of continuity' and with particular reference to 'remixing'. I am honoured to be part of this exciting new title, which can be brought here; http://www.laurenceking.com/us/beg-steal-and-borrow-artists-against-originality/ 

International Mentor - Master of Arts - Photography At PSC In Melbourne Australia - February 2018

I am absolutely delighted to say that I am going to be joining PSC, (Photographic College Studies) in Melbourne, Australia as an International Mentor for the Master of Arts - Photography program, which will be the first of its kind in Australia as well as the Asia-Pacific region!

This program introduces an innovative and cutting-edge curriculum targeted at photographic practitioners from diverse backgrounds and is taught in an immersive environment, and delivered flexibly across three semesters (18 months). The Master of Arts Photography is driven by intensive periods of seminars, workshops, lectures and labs that encourage experimentation and practice-driven results in a supportive and rigorous environment. As Master of Arts Photography students, you will be taught and supervised by Australia’s leading photographers, artists, academics, curators, writers & publishers. You will also be mentored by one of our international teachers drawn from the world's leading photo agencies, galleries, and publishers. 

Photography Studies College (Melbourne) is calling for applications or expression of interest for its Master of Arts - Photography program now - do not miss this exciting opportunity to be part of the future of photographic education.

http://www.psc.edu.au/ma_photo/

Lunar Caustic Chapter II Begins...

It may seem that I have been very quiet lately and indeed I have been. The months seem to be flying by and we are already half way through the year, the Summer is in full swing with festivals and delights to be consumed. But as quiet as I have been, much thought has been playing in my mind. With two projects being worked on over the summer, the fruits of my labour will be released later in the year and early next. But what excites me greatly is the opportunity for me to work on a new chapter of Lunar Caustic as the archive grows, so does this series. With every new image, an opportunity to re look, revision and recreate new works that blur the gaps between the years and flourish the series. 

I am delighted to now have the new archive, safe at home and ready to be edited! With a new selection of 350,000 images, it will certainly be a new journey, but one that I am so excited to be running through once more. Today the archive was opened and such amazing imagery has already been found. Some truly tender shots, intermixed with the array of weddings, lovers, babies, holidays and an abundance of portraiture. Each folder I open, my eyes widen and my inspiration grows, it is wonderful to see how the archive provides such a mix of visual stimulation. I've already edited over 17,000 this afternoon and this week will see many more put through my conceptual scrutiny. I await the next folder with bated breath and know this new chapter will truly add to the series. Inspired once again!

Guye, Pol Roger & Mackie, Blank

       

One of my highlights during the PhotoLondon week is getting the all the exhibitions that I've been meaning to get too and revisiting the ones that I loved so much, I just can't get enough! That was certainly the case in the wonderful Irma Blank exhibition Life Time, at Alison Jacques Gallery; Since the late 1960s, Blank's singular production has focused on the recording of time as gesture. In her drawings and paintings time is inscribed as a material record of life through the material traces of the artist's labour. Located between drawing and writing, the work evokes the space of the book but encompasses paintings on canvas and paper, screen-prints and drawings in pastel, pencil and ink. 

Irma said, "Writing is the home of being. I free writing from sense and highlight its structure, its skeleton, the nude sign, the sign that is such and does not refer back to anything but itself. It refers to the energy reserve, to the initial drive, the source-giving urge, the desire to reveal itself, to emerge from the secret, closed place of night."

I was delighted to manage to make the last day of Christina Mackie's new show, Drift Rust at Herald Street Gallery which closed on Sunday 22 May. I absolutely love Mackie's practice and this exhibition certainly did not disappoint. She has such an astounding ability to understand and present materiality in it's purest form, here is an excerpt from the press release, "Materials resisting catergorisation from her studio are assembled in momentary synthesis as the viewer encounters sculptural sequences, video projection, ceramics, watercolours and oil paintings...Resisting the traps of rational systems of classification and narrative containment, she encourages associative leaps rather than resting on, or seeking, any single objective truth. Visual and cognitive meandering on the part of the viewer is prompted and encouraged."

This intermixed with meeting new and old friends, sipping Champagne and taking in gallery meals, adventures off to Peckham 24 and making plans for future projects, to me, is really what those fair weeks are all about.

http://www.alisonjacquesgallery.com/

http://www.heraldst.com/

Post PhotoLondon 2017

So May is nearly over and another month has passed. The crowds have been and gone and the city gets back to business as usual. This year saw the third edition of PhotoLondon at Somerset House and with this still young and establishing fair, a collection of works and rooms that at times work wonders intermixed with a commercial maze that does little to inspire or attract. What I always find so interestingly difficult is the sheer volume of work that is exhibited. Whether over or underwhelming, with so much imagery surrounding us on a daily basis, entering a fair like this demands a clarify of the visual mind, that I feel is almost impossible to have in our current cultural climate. For me, such fairs always present us with a problem to resolve at the first hurdle; how to consume when you have already been consumed?

I think what is also very important to note is that for the last two years of this three year venture to date, the city in which the fair is held is changing in ways many thought wouldn't or couldn't be possible. The socio-political landscape is shaping our future in a way I personally didn't believe would happen so quickly. We are now living in historical times, quietly, softly, passively watching and waiting as the next wave crashes over upon us and we all reappear, half drowned and dazed, but carrying on our daily lives. I had hoped for a gentle sheer, a nod to this in the work that was exhibited but I must admit, this work was somewhat missing. Maybe it is too close, but I was surprised to see a distinct lack of work that engaged on this level, when last year Wolfgang Tillman's Brexit Posters where so beautifully pinned. 

For me, some of the most stunning imagery was found within the 2017 Pavilion and especially in the new gallery editions to the fair this year, of which these Alison Jacques and Victoria Miro were two. The sensual, poetic and tender moments presented at Victoria Miro with works by Issac Julien and his work entitled Looking for Langston (1989/2017) which is currently showing at the gallery until the end of July. The large scale silver gelatin prints hung in the booth empowered. These images intermixed with the tender, exquisite small prints by Francesca Woodman made for one of the best booths at the entire fair. 

Closely positioned was Alison Jacques whose Robert Mapplethrope's and Catherine Yass prints. A huge fan of both artists it was wonderful see the large scale Mapplethrope's, seductive and sensual with the harder, high saturated and process based Yass'. A very clean, considered and sharp booth that was a pleasure to see. 

This years edition was undoubtedly an improvement from the previous years and with the new Matt Collishaw exhibit uusing the latest VR technology to restaged Fox Talbot’s pioneering 1839 exhibition of photography through careful digital reconstructions, it brought both old and new technologies to the same stage without 'that' need to question, digital vs analogue. It will be interesting to see what the next year brings.  

http://photolondon.org/

The Feminine Heroic - The Paris Review

In times with so such political unrest, with misogynistic themes and phrases rife, it is always so comforting to see women take the rains and steer so hope and humanity back into our mysterious, troublesome ways. I am very pleased to have, (although a small contribution) an image of mine representing some key values and themes in an article about "The Feminine Heroic", written by Megan Mayhew Bergman.

A little excerpt from the article here, "Perhaps some early eremitic women, as devout as they might have been, were not running toward Christ but away from life as it had become. If they needed relief, respite, communion with the divine, or a chance to play the protagonist of their own lives, they had to take great risks to claim it.

Times of hardship often demanded women step outside gender roles, such as the expansion of the American frontier, which resulted in heroic, physical pursuits by women. Willa Cather’s Alexandra Berson in O Pioneers! is independent and entrepreneurial. The world wars gave women opportunities to serve as nurses, ambulance drivers, and fighter pilots. The painter Romaine Brooks presented her iconic image of the heroic feminine in 1914: La France Croisée depicts her lover, Ida Rubinstein, as an ambulance driver, the city of Ypres burning behind her."

You can read more here - https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/04/11/the-feminine-heroic/

24 Hours In Antwerp - FOMU & Des Artist

 

 

Thursday saw the opening of the new Braakland exhibition at FOMU, Surface Tension: Breaking The Plane Of The Photographic Image. Sadly I could not attend the opening, but travelled on Friday for a flying visit, just 24 hours to see the show, the sites and sample the delights Antwerp had to offer!

First stop of this whistle stop tour was at FOMU to see the show, meet one of the wonderful curators, fellow friends and collectors. The Museum certainly does not disappoint. A former warehouse, converted into a stunning exhibition venue; multiple floors, all with stunningly high ceilings that provide an inspirational backdrop to a conceptual curation. Here is a little excerpt from the press release.

The photographic image exists largely on screen or in flat two-dimensional form. As photography progresses and the synthesis between fine art practice and lens culture merge, the photographic image itself establishes itself in flux between the praxis of de-materialization and three-dimensional representation. The surface of an image is often a great starting point for considering how to liberate the photograph from its previous nominal flat state into a state of object-hood.

After our private tour, off to experience the delights of the city and what better way to start then with an Antwerpen Institution, Des Artist; a wonderful Brasserie that shares in a look and feel of many of the Parisian establishments, but with a warmth and generosity that I found, it seems to be very Antwerpen. Sampling the traditional dishes with the array of Belgian beers, it certainly was the best way to start off the evening. As the evening progressed, we sampled the delights of the city (the many extraordinarily designed bars) and enjoyed until the early hours, all intermixed with old and new friends. 

A huge thank you to all at FOMU and also to Stieglitz 19 for their warmth and generosity. 

http://www.braakland-fomu.be/surfacetension.php?lang=en

New Exhibition - Surface Tension At FOMU Antwerp - Opening Thursday 9 March At 18:00

I am very please to announce that my collaborative series, Lunar Caustic, will be part of an exciting new exhibition, Surface Tension, curated by Brad Feuerhelm at FOMU, Antwerp's Foto Museum opening this Thursday, 9th March at 18:00, part of the Braakland initiative. 

The photographic surface is generally conditioned towards flatness. This exhibition works with artists who are considering the surface of the image as a starting point to investigate what a photographic representation is, was and can be. Photographic surfaces are destroyed, built up, and worn to create completely new images. Participating artists: Sofia Borges, Brad Feuerhelm, Melinda Gibson, Petra Kubisova, Thomas Sauvin, Ruth van Beek, Thomas Vandenberghe & Daisuke Yokota.

More for information, please visit their website - http://www.braakland-fomu.be/surfacetension.php?lang=en

New Editorial - Ambit Magazine - Issue 227

 

I am delighted to say that my collaborative series "Lunar Caustic" with Thomas Sauvin has been selected by Darren Warner, part of his take over for the new issue of the wonderfully inspiring magazine, Ambit. Our contribution is amoung some astounding artists that include, Alex Crocker, Sam Windett, Ryan Mosley, Caroline Achaintre, John Finneran and many more. You can even download one of our artworks for the next two months from their website here - http://ambitmagazine.co.uk/download-artwork

Ambit is a London-based 96 page literary and art magazine that features poetry, prose and art. We strive to feature fresh voices and visions from across the world, placing first-time writers alongside giants of the scene. Started in 1959 by the London paediatrician Dr Martin Bax, the magazine helped discover and establish Edwin Brock, Carol Ann Duffy, JG Ballard, Eduardo Paolozzi, William Burroughs, Fleur Adcock, Liz Berry and Sir Peter Blake among others. 

In these changing times, it was truly wonderful to be part of the launch night on Tuesday, where young poets performed their pieces with artistic onlookers and listeners. It seems in these changing times, poetry is increasingly becoming an important outlet for vocal frustrations, love, loss and life. Language is so important in the era where fiction controls fact.

Happy New Year - Welcome 2017

So the new year begins, and I must say what a beautiful start to 2017 I have had. I have a feeling that this year is going to be different, full of many adventures with much hope and positivity. Only six days in and the hope I draw on, is from all the great people in my life who share the same values. I see that there is strength in humanity, even in times of great turmoil and that although the journey is full of ups and downs, when we truly believe, we can join together and try and push for change. Because to try, is to open your mind to new things and be educated by others; 2017 is surely that for me.

December saw a wealth of inspiration and I was delighted to have worked on a special commission with the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, so as the new year starts, I see the final artworks in the context they were produced for, in the Oton programme magazine. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Shahin, Sina and of course all at the Tonhalle. In the coming months I hope this collaboration will grow, exciting plans dance in the background. 

The year has started well and projects are well on their way with  many more in the balance, so do watch this space for news, updates and invitations to exhibitions throughout 2017.