"We never knows wot's hidden in each other's hearts; and if we had glass winders there, we'd need keep the shutters up, some on us, I do assure you!" Charles Dickens: 'Martin Chuzzlewit' (1844)
Peeping in...
Showing at the moment in California's Orange County Center for Contemporary Arts, are two rare pieces of work of mine, "LOSS" and "UGLY" which are 3D sculptures I call 'Peep Hole Boxes'. They are part of the group exhibition 'London Calling' which is currently on until the 12th January 2012.
Let me tell you a little more about these boxes of curiosity.
These are boxes built using foam board and varying in size, completely sealed except for the small eye
holes at the front, which you can 'peep' through revealing a 3-D scene within.
The Peep Hole Boxes
These cubes explore & try to simulate
curiosity and the mini private universes which we cary with us in our heads.
Emotions, personal experiences which normally we don’t want to share. It’s as
if we were spying on someone when they’re at there most emotionally vulnerable.
Note the effect an enclosed and ‘private’ scene has on the viewer when he choses to look, it’s very different to that of an openly
displayed image. There are issues of intimacy and privacy, broken slightly by
curiosity itself.
These were first developed back in 1998 in a series of boxes with scenes inspired by the book 'The Gashleycrumb Tinies' by Edward Gorey. Using paper and card only, I developed certain techniques that allowed me to play with perspective and give the illusion of depth. Later the construction of these boxes became more complex and four new original pieces were produced in 2002. Two of these are now displayed at the London Calling Exhibition in Orange County, California USA. LINK
The Gashleycrumb Tinies Book
X is for Xerxes devoured by mice. 162mm x 160mm x 154mm (1998)
Y is for Yorick whose head was knocked in. 162mm x 160mm x 154mm (1998)
FLAG STOP at Torrance’s South Bay Lexus dealership
Some of my work has been showing in Los Angeles the past few days in the London Art Box - “a London ‘micro-gallery’ in which 13 of London’s most exciting and ambitious emerging artists have been invited to prepare a special exhibition for the landmark LA event, FLAG STOP”. Featuring the works of more than 100 of the nation’s top artists and curators.
Tim Gratkowski, came up with the idea of using large white PODS® containers as micro galleries
“FLAG STOP is dedicated to presenting the best curated examples of what, why, and how art is relevant today,” said Tim Gratkowski a Los Angeles-based contemporary artist. “The PODS® containers are perfect self-contained portable art galleries that allow us to showcase ground breaking contemporary art in a very unusual setting outside of mainstream art venues.”
Three of the 13 artists, Nicola Anthony, Abigail Box and Kimi Wylde, flew over to help curate the work and to represent the group of Debut Contemporary artists. Here is a little video of Nicola introducing the London Art Box:
The Flagstop event has recieved mentions in LA Weekly, Easy ReaderNews, Art Weekly, LA's Business News and a number of other art magazines in California with news that we have now been invited to exhibit at OCCCA museum in Orange County this December.
LA is overwhelmingly positive about London Art Box, and we have already been introduced to the key figures here who are also very excited about our work, the space, and the concept – Tim Gratkowski – FLAG STOP DIRECTOR, curator Howard Fox, artist Bob Zoell, Joella March influential art figure and curator at OCCCA, the curators of Torrance Art Museum, Peter Frank art critic, the distinguished Bernard Fallon from the FLAG STOP board, and LA Journalist Bondo Wyszpolski.
On September 2nd a brand new alternative art event will be opening in LA. FLAG STOP!
Many high profile LA based curators and art industry types are taking part in the event including Lily Siegel who is a Curatorial Assistant at 'The Museum of Contemporary Art', Los Angeles and Howard Fox who is Emeritus Curator of Contemporary Art, 'Los Angeles County Museum of Art' amongst others. Also participating in this event is London Art Box (LAB), a London ‘micro-gallery’ in which UK artists have been invited to prepare a special exhibition for this landmark LA art event, FLAG STOP. Showcasing artists from London’s Debut Contemporary.
As part of theDebut Contemporarycollective I was selected with 11 other artists to represent the UK at this exhibition. The exhibition is being held on the grounds of a Lexus showroom. On the choice of this setting for the exhibition Flag Stop says: "FLAG STOP’s mission is to present new and emerging contemporary art to a larger audience outside the mainstream art venues. FLAG STOP is searching for alternative venues in which to present the best curated examples of what, why, and how art is becoming relevant today. Each “STOP” will feature art which has been curated with some of the best examples of contemporary art, brought to you by some of the top professional, emerging curators and artists from Southern California."
My work will be there as well as a few artists from Debut heading across the pond to make the presence of the art work and our gallery space known to everyone as ambassadors during the three days it is on.
This will be my US debut, so I'm very excited. I'll be showing three pieces, 'For What It's Worth', and two of my peep hole boxes 'Ugly' and 'Loss'.
