David Blandy
Jake Clark
Susan Collis
Thomas Cox-Bisham
Sarah Hardy
Juneau Projects
Simon Morse
Daniel James Newnham
Marcelle Price
Ian Skoyles
An open submission group exhibition, selected from some 350 submissions. The exhibition seeks to highlight the work of emerging and establishing visual artists. One prize-winner will be offered a solo exhibition at Aspex.
David Blandy, Jake Clark, Susan Collis, Thomas
Cox-Bisham, Sarah Hardy, Juneau Projects, Simon Morse, Daniel James Newnham,
Marcelle Price, Ian Skoyles
EMERGENCY is an open submission group exhibition, selected from some 350
submissions, by Nick Baker, Director of fa projects in London, Helen Maurer,
artist & winner of the 2003 Jerwood Applied Arts Prize, Sarah Shalgosky,
Director of Mead Gallery at Warwick University and Joanne Bushnell, Director of
Aspex Gallery. The exhibition seeks to highlight the work of emerging and
establishing visual artists. One prize-winner will be offered a solo exhibition
at Aspex.
Information about the work on display
'Everyone knows Attila on the streets of Fulham where we met', says photographer
Marcelle Price. Since that first meeting, Price has developed a series of
portraits of the ex-stuntman and film extra, who moved to London from his native
Turkey in the mid 70's. Aged 68, his home is adorned with photographs and
theatrical backdrops. His persona is as flamboyant as his wardrobe and is based
on cinematic role models such as Errol Flynn and John Wayne.
It is the game-show-host and compere-come-celebrity Bruce Forsyth who is central
to 'The Bruce Forsyth Exam Papers' by artist, Simon Morse. A set of five
faux-exam papers, including 'Maths 'B' (Play Your Cards Right)' ape established,
curriculum-based learning techniques by introducing the influence of popular
television culture. 'How a Painting Is Made', defines through an extravagant,
wall-based diagram, not only the established creative process of the conception
of a painting, but various external socio-political influences.
Through his video works David Blandy attempts to assert his own cultural
identity by exploring the cultural influence of television, film and popular
music. Blandy mouths passages from Mike Leigh's 'Secrets and Lies', is taught
about art by the late Bruce Lee and mimes to Syl Johnson's 'Is It Because I'm
Black' to leave us to wonder if, indeed, he has an identity of his own. Also
referencing the cultural impact of popular music, Juneau Projects' film 'Born in
82', features a first edition Sex Pistols - 'Never Mind the B*ll*cks' LP, as it
is set fire to while playing. Other scenarios include paper, amplified as it is
shredded and a marksman, originally employed to control the population of deer
in the Grizedale forest, employed, in this case, to take aim and fire at a video
camera.
Jake Clark's landscape and scenic paintings often begin as collaged photographs
and picture postcards. The resulting oil paintings are intense, fragmented and
abstracted reflections of suburban architecture and lifestyle. Ian Skoyles
employs a variation on the theme of collage and assemblage to create 'unreal'
landscapes. Jigsaw puzzles that feature typically British and European scenes
of historic castles and cathedrals and country villages with thatch-roofed
houses are combined to juxtapose, almost seamlessly, previously unrelated
architecture and cultures.
Susan Collis works directly with the fixtures and fittings of the spaces in
which she exhibits, subtly subverting the objects that she embellishes. Almost
hidden from view, her interventions take the form of an old, apparently, paint
splattered wooden stool that, upon closer inspection, is revealed to have been
inlaid with semi-precious stones. At Aspex, she has distressed the large white
installation doors with coloured adhesive plastics that imitate the scratches,
marks and chipped paint of constant use. Sarah Hardy also appropriates the
objects around her in her work. In her 'Messages' series, the spines of library
books are ordered to expose hidden messages in the 'Dewey' classification
labels.
'Disco Box' is one of two works exhibited by Thomas Cox-Bisham. What, at first,
appears to be a redundant cardboard box, upon closer inspection, houses an
illuminated, flashing disco floor. 'Police Bike' homogenises the instantly
recognisable chequered livery of police vehicles, colloquially known as
'Battenberg', to create an abstracted yet equally instantly recognisable
life-size sculpture. Daniel James Newnham edits a series of five newspaper
pages through processes of cutting, pasting, drawing and stencilling to expose
new meanings and a recognisable, though subverted aesthetic.
Preview Friday 23 January, 7-9pm
____________
Events January - March 2004
Friday 23 January, 2pm - 5pm
ARC: EMERGENCY: Symposium
Exposed: What are the roles of public and commercial galleries, opens and
prizes, in the development of the artist's career?
Panel:
Exhibition selectors, Helen Maurer, Sarah Shalgosky and Joanne Bushnell and
Andrew Wheatley, Director, Cabinet Gallery, London
Chair:
Les Buckingham
£5 entrance fee includes buffet reception from 5pm-7pm followed by the opening
of EMERGENCY and announcement of winner. BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL.
For further information about ARC: Aspex Artists' Resource Centre, please
contact the gallery
Thursday 5 February, 7.30pm
Gallery Talk
Steve Fisher, Exhibitions & Marketing Co-ordinator and organiser of EMERGENCY,
will talk about the exhibition from the selection process to the work on
display.
Admission FREE
Sunday 22 February, 10am - 4pm
Source Magazine: Publication Opportunity
Source Magazine for photography in the UK and Ireland is interested in meeting
photographers and artists with previously unpublished work to be considered for
inclusion in the publication. For further information, please email
john@source.ie with a two-paragraph description of your work and if possible,
three 72 dpi jpegs. Alternatively John Duncan can be contacted on 02890 329691.
It is essential to have a good knowledge of the magazine and it's content prior to booking.
Thursday 4 March, 7.30pm
Gallery Talk in association with Gallery Go
One of the short-listed artists will be invited to talk about their work and the
exhibition.
Admission FREE
31 January - 13 March, 1 - 3pm
Saturday Art Club
Taking the wide variety of works on display in EMERGENCY as their starting
point, children aged 8-12 will work with artist Kate Groombridge to create their
own artworks.
£3.50 (£2.50 concessions).
Limited FREE places are available to Portsmouth City Council LEISURE CARD
holders.
Aspex Gallery is open Tuesday - Friday, 12-6pm & Saturday, 12-4pm
Arrangements can be made for educational, group and ARC: Aspex Artists' Resource
Centre visits on Mondays.
Admission is FREE
For further information or images please contact Steve Fisher, Exhibitions &
Marketing Co-ordinator on 023 9281 2121 or email steve@aspex.org.uk
Aspex Visual Arts Trust/Gallery
27 Brougham Road
Portsmouth
PO5 4PA
T/F: (+44) 023 9281 2121