Flux Exhibition 2015

An exciting new exhibition of contemporary art opens tonight called FLUX, organised by Gray's Art Gallery and which hopes to be one of many throughout the year across the UK.

I'm very pleased to be among an amazing list of artists who will have work displayed at The Rag Factory just off Brick Lane, London.

On show for the first time will be the new series of work I've been busy working away on titled 'My Monster Amigo'. 

FLUX

www.fluxexhibition.com

Private View 18th February 6-9pm

Then daily: 11am-6pm on 19-21st February

10am-3pm on the 22nd February

The Rag Factory

16-18 Heneage Street, E1 5LJ London, United Kingdom

The Unit London W4

I'm so excited to be part of the launch exhibition, 'Looking for U', of a new gallery which opens tonight in London... West London. With so much happening in East London already art wise, it's a big change to hear about a new art venture that aims to bring “some of the most cutting-edge and uncompromising contemporary art London has to offer, as well as an exclusive selection of international talent.” to a new part of the capital, Chiswick W4.

"We seek to give voice to artists everywhere. We will be working closely with both undiscovered talent and established artists alike. We believe that art should be inclusive. Art should be celebrated. Art should be undivided."

The Unit London is an independent gallery space housing a collective of artists who put the artists and the art first, ahead of the consumer and the market. It exists as a dynamic creative platform that shifts the focus from ‘reputation’ onto where it should be: the unbridled celebration of art, for U: U the enthusiast, U the artist, U the individual.

This is exactly what these guys are about, they are passionate and sincere about art and it shows, I've seen them work hard preparing for tonights grand opening and genuinely care about the artist and their work. Their hard work and drive is sure to show tonight as they unleash some amazing art works to a public which have only seen snippets of whats planned through an empty retail space window and across social media platforms in the weeks leading up to this, keeping people keen, curious and interested. 

Artists:
Carlos Martyn Burgos, Daniel Stepanek, Danny O’Connor, Ed Haslam, Emil Olsson, George Morton-Clark, Januz Miralles, Jake Wood-Evans, Jonny Burt, Michal Mozolewski, Ryan Hewett, Snik.

With a DJ set from Hot Creations new signing, the talented Tom Dinsdale.

Gourmet nibbles by Joe & Seph's Gourmet Popcorn.

September 5th, 2013 – September 14th, 2013

Launch Exhibition: Thursday 5th September 6-11pm 

46 The Unit Turnham Green Terrace, W4 1QP

Nearest tube: Turnham Green Station (2 minute walk)

Memorabilia

Hi everyone, a quick post about what i've been up to lately creating a new piece for a great nostalgic art exhibition called 'Memorabilia' which opens this weekend. An exhibition of artwork and objects from childhood memory and memorabilia by over 100 artists with 30% to 100% of all sales going to charity in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital to be held as part of the Leytonstone Arts Trail. Check out the online shop: LINK - 

Sat 6th & Sun 7th of July at Norlington Road Studios, Leyton E10 6LA. 12pm - 5pm.

This theme has been a joy to work on drawing some of my childhood TV heroes once again, something I would do many years ago like most kids, drawing Spiderman and saturday morning cartoons. I wanted to create a piece that would be very nostalgic showing TV influences and referencing film, a time for many of us growing up in the 1980's of wonder and excitement when we used to come back from school or wake up early morning weekends and tune in to watch Knight rider or Thundercats or even Sesame Street.

Drawing, Drawing, Drawing...

My new tea piece is called 'The Wonder Years' and will be shown for the first time at this fabulous show. Plus to make things a bit more fun I've also included the seven dragon balls from the 'Dragon ball' cartoon along with Goku and even Scrooge McDuck's nephews are hiding throughout the piece from 'Duck Tales'... if you can find them within this vintage party. Below is a little preview of 'The Wonder Years'.
Video: http://instagram.com/p/bWk6zlvywk/

'The Wonder Years' (detail)

So if you want to go back in time and re-live some nostalgic moments then please join us this weekend :-)

Facebook event page: LINK

New Artist Fair in Islington

I have the pleasure of announcing my participation in the New Artist Fair, Islington exhibition on 1st - 3rd March 2013.

I'll be showing brand new work for the first time alongside 40 emerging and established artists at Candid Galleries. Including painters, photographers, sculptors and ceramic artists.

With the maximum selling price capped at £2,000, it makes this event a truly affordable art fair.

Open all day Saturday and Sunday with free entry and the Opening Reception on Friday from 6pm-9pm.

Candid Galleries
3 Torrens Street
Islington
EC1V 1NQ

1st to 3rd March 2013
Friday Opening Reception 6pm - 9pm
Saturday & Sunday 11am-7pm

We hope to see you there!

Artists exhibiting: LINK

Amsterdam Showcase 2012

On Saturday 1st of December I'll be exhibiting in Amsterdam at the international exhibition of contemporary art called Amsterdam Showcase. This amazing exhibit will be held in the historic building, De Oude Kerk.

De Oude Kerk ('The Old Church') is the oldest building in the city and was built around 1300. This church eventually grew in to the impressive medieval monument known today.

The Old Church isn't just used as a place of worship, but also as a concert hall, wedding venue, and exhibition and reception area. It is called Amsterdam's living room. This has always been the case: Fishermen repaired their nets, Sweelinck played the organ, and Rembrandt took out his marriage licence here. Generations of Amsterdam’s citizens, including the naval hero Van Heemskerck, are buried in this European monument.

Amsterdam Showcase
De Oude Kerk
Oudekerksplein
1012 GX Amsterdam

10am - 9pm

My Art Takes Times Square

Art Takes Times Square from Artists Wanted on Vimeo.

A few months ago I entered the 'Art Takes Times Square' competition. Guess what? I got through to the final!

Art Takes Times Square scoured the globe for today's greatest creative talents to identify one artist whose work will be displayed in a massive exhibition on the glittering screens of Times Square. Tens of thousands of artists joined this international phenomenon, contributing works that received over 2 million page views through the course of the competition.  

On Monday June 18th, works by thousands of artists, including myself, will be displayed on bright LED screens (9 ft x 12 ft) located on Broadway and 43rd Street. 

One Grand Prize winner will be revealed at the Art Takes Times Square billboard premiere.

So if you're in New York please stop by! 

View Map: Here

The Times Square Billboard Premier Event
Date / Time :	Monday June 18, 2012 7pm - 10:30pm
Location :	Times Square NYC Broadway between 43rd Street and 44th Street
Special Performance by :	Twin Shadow

What's Time Got To Do With It?

Details of 'Pathos' triptych

I'll be showing my triptych 'Pathos' this Friday 25th May at Core@Nolias Gallery, London. A chance to see this set of three rare pastel works from 1998. A little sample in the picture above.

 

Core@Nolias Gallery

Press Release:  17 May, 2012

‘What’s time got to do with it?  Art once created with passion deserves a second chance for the limelight.’

An artist’s life isn’t easy; you know the repeated rejections and vagaries of style which come and go faster than designers parading on a catwalk.  A-side B-side Gallery in London’s east side, recently celebrated rejection with an exhibition of works which had been, Rejected.  The title, says it all.

Independent artist and curator, Jane Boyer, invites the artists of Rejected, to ask ‘What’s time got to do with it?  In an unusual move of inviting artists from one show to continue in another of a different, but related theme, Boyer has continued the celebration of rejection to include a second chance for work which has passed its ‘use by’ date.  “All of us have work we’ve shoved in a corner and is gathering dust because we feel it’s no longer current,” says Boyer.  “But who decided that,” she continues, “a work of art is best judged by other criteria not the artificial limitation of a date.”

On the heels of Rejected, a show celebrating rejection at A-side B-side Gallery, comes ‘What’s time got to do with it?’ a show which removes the artificial  limitation of a creation date at Core@Nolias Gallery.  Art once created with passion deserves a second chance for the limelight.

Exhibiting Artists:

Bartosz Beda, John Bingham, Simon Kennedy, Hitomi Kammai, Amber Sinclair-Ray, Banu Colak, Carlos M Burgos, Rabia Aqeel, Melanie Ward, Caroline Money and Nikova Behling, Tinsel Edwards, Catherine Magnani and Jane Bolden, Francesca Alaimo, Mickey Dell and others.

Core@Nolias is part of South London Art Map last Friday tours.  Next tour will be 25 May.

Show Dates:  25 May to 06 June, 2012

PV:  25 May, 5 to 9pm

For more information on the exhibition, contact Jane Boyer at Jane@janeboyer.com / +33 546704225 until 22 May / 07561333028 after 23 May.

______________________________________________________________________

Core @ Nolias Key Information:

Contact:	Gillian Best Powell (for gallery info)
Phone:	+44 (0)798 6564926
Email:	Gillian@coregallery.co.uk
Web:	www.coreatnolias.wordpress.com
Location:	Core @ Nolias Gallery 60 Great Suffolk Street London SE1 0BL
Hours:	Wed – Fri, 12 noon to 6pm Sat – Sun, 12 noon to 4pm or by appointment
Find Us:	Nearest Tube:  Southwark Jubilee Line Nearest British Rail:  Waterloo

My day at The Other Art Fair

I must say I really enjoyed myself at The Other Art Fair last Saturday. I made my way to Ambika P3 on Marylebone Road and over to the Fabelist Marketplace at stand 186 where as part of their programme of activities I would be giving a masterclass-workshop.

Luckily I had enough time to go exploring before giving my workshop/demo. I walked through the mazes of white walls each demanding the attention of the eyes with the array of art hanging on them.
Some stood out more than others reaching beyond the retinas and straight to the soul. Artists beside their work and open to interrogation under the spotlight of the public lamp.

The atmosphere was great and not as stuffy as some events can be, relaxed and fun. Lots of bite size arty activities for the public such as the Cass Art Live Art Space and their drawing salons and wall. Jotta.com giving curated tours of the fair and the Fabelist Marketplace giving workshops, meet the artist talks, performances, art and even sensory experiments courtesy of The Edible Art Movement. These and many more.

I enjoyed visiting many of my other friends exhibiting at the fair and entering their mini worlds of art on display in their spaces, Beth Nicholas, Gloria Ceballos, Rosie Emerson, Kate Night, Hormazd Narielwalla, Sam Shendi, and Vikram. Finally meeting other members of the Fabelist collective and how incredibly supportive they all are with each other made me proud to stand alongside them.

Fabelist artists exhibiting at the marketplace were Chantal Powell, Tahnee Lonsdale, EC, Raj Kaur, Pernilla Iggstrom, Zoe Catherine Kendall, Polly Bagnall, Nicola Anthony.

After my workshop I stayed on and with a calmer demeanour walked around again as once is not enough to take it all in and still I managed to miss things. The smiles on the faces of my Fabelist brethren and of director Francesca Goodwin made me not want to leave.

Workshops: Silvia Krupinska, Carlos Martyn Burgos, Rachelle Allen Sherwood.

 Meet the Artist: Nicola Anthony, Rosie Emerson, Zoe Catherine Kendall, Ash Fitzgerald, Raj Kaur, Pernilla Iggstrom.

Entrance to The Other Art Fair

Right to Left: Francesca Goodwin, Director of Fabelist & artist Zoe Catherine Kendall

Giving my masterclass-workshop

Giving my masterclass-workshop ii

My drawing on the Cass Art wall

Making my mark - Cass Art art wall

Workshop at The Other art Fair

The Fabelist collective will be presenting a pop up market place curated exclusively for The Other Art Fair, London's newest art fair that delivers an open platform to connect art buyers of all tastes and experience directly with the most talented emerging artists before they are signed.

It runs from 10th - 13th May at Ambika P3, Marylebone Road, London NW1. Get your tickets here.

Fabelist artists will be showing their work and whilst you view, interact and learn from a series of performances, talks and master-classes from artists such as The Edible Art Movement, Polly Bagnall, Zoe Catherine Kendall, Nicola Anthony, Rosie Emerson, Ash Fitzgerald, Raj Kaur, Carlos M Burgos, Chantal Powell, Pernilla Iggstrom, Silvia Krupinska, Rachelle Allen Sherwood.

As part of this collective, I will be giving a workshop on Saturday 12th May, 2pm - 3.15pm.

I'll be carrying out a drawing exercise in imagination and creativity. Using everyday objects we will be looking at them differently and putting aside their original function and size etc and letting our own imagination combine them to create new mechanical creations bringing them to life.
The bug in the picture above was inspired and made from a watch and its strap and the nib of a ballpoint pen which then grew wings, eyeballs and insect characteristics.

Follow the link for the Fabelist Marketplace programme of activities:
Fabelist Programme

A chat with Director of the Fabelist Francesca Goodwin on plans for The Other Art Fair: LINK

"REJECTED" - An exhibition at A-side B-side Gallery

I'll be showing a piece at the A-side B-side Gallery in London on Thursday May 3rd for a show called 'REJECTED'. A great show exploring art and rejection. (Read the press release below)

I'll be exhibiting alongside Darren MacPherson, Tinsel Edwards and Twinkle Troughton with whom I've been privileged to have shown work with before in Los Angeles, Orange County and at Debut contemporary Gallery, London and at The Fabelist's Imprint Exhibition earlier this year.

The piece I'll be showing is a collaboration with digital artist Jonathan Ramirez that I did last year, one of five pieces we worked on. Jonathan will be having his first major solo show in Texas on the 18th May called 'Mayan Prophecy', where we have collaborated on a further two original pieces of artwork including a collaboration with Swedish artist Larsa Bondén which will be shown at WAAS Gallery.
  

 PRESS RELEASE:

A-side B-side Gallery presents: Rejected

Private View: Thursday May 3^rd 6-9pm

5-9 Amhurst Terrace

Hackney

LONDON E8 2BT

Artists frequently get rejections from shows and competitions; rejection is part of what being an artist is all about. 

Often an exhibition will have a curatorial concept and the work just simply doesn’t fit the theme, in competitions the judges are subjective and essentially select what they like.  Current trends in the art world might make the work more or less desirable not forgetting the provenance of the artist themselves...

‘Rejected’ seeks to celebrate rejection, through a united force of artists getting together to valiantly display their previously rebuffed work.  The exhibition aims to dispose the issue of whether each individual piece is indeed lesser than that of its contemporaries.  Following an open call, every single proposal to the Rejected exhibition was accepted.  Alongside their rejected artwork, each artist will openly display a list of previous rejections from galleries, competitions and art schools. 

Exhibiting artists:

Alexander Heaton | Amber Sinclair-Ray | Ana Schefer | Banu Colak | Barrie J Davies | Carlos Burgos | Caroline Money | Caroline Tobyn | Catherine Magnani | Claire Atkinson Cos Ahmet | Darren Beatty | Darren Macpherson | Dave Anderson | Enver Gursev Francesca Alaimo | Georgie Grace | Gulzor Sultanova | Hitomi Kammai | Holly Revell Ingrid Berthon-Moine | John Bingham | Kelda Hole | Laura Harvey | Linda Schliebitz Lucas Lobo | Marcus Downe | Marianne Shorten | Melanie Ahmed | Melanie Ward Nadeem Chughtai | Nickova Behling | Oliver Lassalle | Paul Matosic | Peter Cabocky Rabia Aqeel | Simon Kennedy | Tinsel Edwards | Twinkle Troughton

Following the hugely successful launch, a Dazed & Confused feature and live radio interview, A-side B-side presents the first of a series of curated shows from its 2012 exhibition programme.  

SHOW DATES:

Private View: 6 - 9pm 3^rd May

Exhibition will run for two weeks, last day Sunday 13^th May

Opening times: Thurs – Sun 12 – 6pm & by appointment

www.facebook.com/AsideBsideGallery

@Aside_Bside_

For further info or images contact: asidebsidegallery@hotmail.com +447792126195 & +44787634029

The Funky Art Exhibition

If you're in Oxford or fancy a day out this month, then pop along to The Funky Art Exhibition at The Jam Factory, where I'll be showing five of my paintings alongside work by fourteen other talented artists including my good friend Darren MacPherson.

The collaborative exhibition will showcase original and contemporary work by artists from the UK, Netherlands, Switzerland and Spain.

Exclusive opening event: Wednesday 7th March from 6pm - 10pm

Exhibition duration: 5th March - 2nd April 2012

The Jam Factory (opposite Oxford train station)

27 Park End Street

Oxford OX1 1HU

On speaking about the online gallery, founder Joelle Dinnage writes

"I choose the name The Funky Art Gallery as we are showcasing art that is urban & contemporary. We sell original funky art that is bold in colours, urban and sometimes provocative - our art stands out!”

SHADOW - 50cm X 123cm - oil on wood

Enquiries: 

Email info@thefunkyartgallery.com or call Joelle Dinnage on +44(0)7825443925

Showcasing Artists are:

Paul Jordan (UK)

Darren MacPherson (UK)

Marco Bieri (Switzerland)

HmmmBates (UK)

Natal Vallvé Bertran (Spain)

Melanie Phelan (UK)

Pia Vang (The Netherlands)

Katie Norton (UK)

Carlos Martyn Burgos (UK)

Bali Sangha-Jenkins (UK) 

Yuri Nagelkerke (The Netherlands)

Julia Everett (UK)

Milly J (UK)

Jewel (The Netherlands)

The Funky Art Gallery (Link)

The Jam Factory (Link)

IMPRINT - A Fabelist Exhibition

'Simple Man' detail of my tea stained drawing

The Fabelist's exhibition IMPRINT opened on Friday 27th at The Serpentine Centre For possible Studies, London. For the last few months I have been part of an artist's collective called The Fabelist, working on our individual responses to the 'Imprint' theme. I created a set of new work and together with 29 other artists creations we unleashed them on to the public.

The visionary and talented young woman behind the exhibition and director of The Fabelist is Francesca Goodwin who also curated the works.

"I have a firm belief that art should be in conversation with the surroundings that it is exhibited in. I have seen with the Fabelist group how artistic practice is a really strong adhesive to building communities and I want to share that message with a wider public audience- to give people the opportunity to access contemporary art at whatever level they can identify with".

 You can read an interview with Francesca Goodwin about the project, her goals and inspirations at Run-riot.com

Read more about Fridays festival of curiosities in this great write up by Nicola Anthony on her blog HERE.

The exhibition runs until the Friday 3rd February. 21 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8HR. 1pm - 6pm.

Exhibitors:
Chantal Powell, Hormazd Narielwalla, Abigail Box, Cassandra Batterby, Carlos M Burgos, Zoe Catherine Kendall, Dean Melbourne, EC, Raj Kaur, Nicola Anthony, Emilie Pugh, Anthony Boswell, Ryan Seslow, Nikki Schiro, Tamsin Relly Twinkle Troughton, Katie Ann Edwards, Matthew Lewis, Carrie May, Tahnee Lonsdale, Polly Bagnall, Darren MacPherson, Luke Thompson, Joshua Raffell, Francesca Goodwin, Laura Evelyn, Sarah Stewart, Tinsel Edwards, Sarah Perry.

Find out more about the works here: LINK

Photo by Frederick W T Thiede

Banquet by The Edible Art Movement

Festival Musicians 

Poppy's Paper Doll Parlour

Good Vibes From California

The 'London Calling' show at the OCCCA in Orange County, California came to an end on the 12th January after several weeks of hosting and curating a taster of the London art scene which seems to be popping up all over the art world lately. This time with the work of 29 artists working in different disciplines.

“London Calling is a great compact survey of what’s going on in contemporary art in London at the moment” said art visionary and visitor to the show William Moreno, who is president of the board at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Hollywood Boulevard.

I was pleased to be showing two of my 'Peep Hole Boxes' which visitors of the gallery seemed to enjoy interacting with and giving in to their curiosity and peeping in. Also being exhibited was my lyric/text based drawing 'For What It's Worth'.

Photo by Stephen Anderson

Photo by Stephen Anderson

My Drawing alongside Nicola Anthony's book piece

We've had some great feedback and responses from the show, here are a few:

“Nice to see a new International flavor represented in Orange County” ~ Tm Gratkowski (Artist / Curator / Flagstop,  Director)  

“Great exhibition from the UK,  my favorites were Nicola Anthony’s text piece “David Copperfield” and Carlos Burgos sculptural pieces.” ~Michael Chomick (Artist / Sculptor) www.michaelchomick.com

“London Calling”   is a refreshing POV expressing contemporary British youth culture.

The exhibition is filled with a compelling array of artwork embracing themes from pop to political,  retro to hipster and figurative to abstract.” ~ Sasha Darling   www.belljarsf.com

“ I came here to OCCCA see the work of my friend Carlos Burgos and was delighted with the entire “London Calling” exhibition.”  ~ Kyriakos

I enjoy OCCCA and attend many artist receptions here – The “London Calling” exhibition is awesome – I especially loved the text Portraits created by text artist Nicola Anthony and also the interactive installation created by text artist Sylvia Morgado.” ~ Joni  (Santa Ana based Artist / Dancer from The Santori Building)  www.jonirenee.com

Take a virtual tour and navigate your way around this exhibition by following this link.

List of artists: Abigail Box, Agnetha Sjogren, Azadeh Fatehrad, Beth Nicholas, Carlos Martyn Burgos, Chantal Powell, Darren MacPherson, Katerina Stavrou, Katerina James, Kimi Wylde, Henry Wood, Joe Cruz, Lloyd Durling,Lyndsay Martin, Masa Suzuki, Nicola Anthony, Rachel Noble, Rosie Emerson, Robert West, Senghye Yang, Silvia Krupinska, Sylvia Morgado, Sun Ae Kim, Tinsel Edwards, Tahnee Lonsdale, Twinkle Troughton, Victoria Heald,Vikram Kushwah

Photo by Tahnee Lonsdale

Photo by Stephen Anderson

Peep Hole Boxes

"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) 

Loss (2002)

Loss (detail-2002)

Ugly (2002)

Ugly (detail-2002)

Showcase in Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain. City of art, culture, history and incredible architecture. A real feast for the senses. 

Home of Gaudi and his amazing curvy buildings, one of them being Casa Batllo, which on Saturday 10th December played host to the first International exhibition of painting and photography, Barcelona Showcase 2011.

Saturday morning at 7am I got out of my hotel bed and began to get myself ready to  leave to set up my work at the Casa Batllo. I cold showered myself in to a state of readiness. Packed my things and had some much needed morning grindage for the long day ahead. I had decided to walk to the venue from my hotel which i had done so the day before as a test. I put my heavy rucksack on, picked up my paintings by the strap I had secured around them and ventured outside. I knew this would be a hard and long 45 minute walk carrying all this stuff, but I was too busy pumping adrenaline and endorphins to care. I walked down the quiet suburban streets, greeting the street cleaners as I passed them by. My burning hands and forearms needing a rest every now and again by switching the weight of my paintings on wood from left hand to right hand and vice versa.

Reaching Gaudi's Casa Batllo at around 8:40 there was a line of artists starting to gather and grow and pour out in front of the entrance waiting to be let in. once in we were let loose and began setting up our spaces. The sound of hammers echoed through the hallways, and an array of international works were now being hung. Shortly this mixture of mediums, styles and practices would be unveiled to the people of Barcelona.

An ambitious exhibition that would open from 10:30am with a private view from 7:30pm until 12 midnight. Two large floors of International work from Portugal, France, UK, Spain, Argentina, Romania, Russia, Germany, Norway, Malaysia, Sweden, Greece, Switzerland, Australia, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, South Korea, Iceland, Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Brazil, Colombia, Pakistan, China, India, Panama,  Japan. There was a great atmosphere of artists taking an interest in each others work and a great range of visitors.

Security at the door and within the building were provided by men built like trucks in black suits and shaven heads who were extremely polite and professional. Spectators entered and explored. Their curiosity and eyes led them around the halls and they took their time viewing the many works on display, telephoning their friends whenever something captured their attention and urging them to come on down. Within minutes new groups of visitors would appear desperately looking for these recommended pieces. 

A spanish review by Articularte had this to say: "Painting and photography, in an unorchestrated symphony, where each author interpreted their own melody. Sometimes in the middle of the duel of notes, a sound would suddenly elevate itself above the scores provided to capture the attention of the overwhelmed spectator". To my delight I received a mention in this review along with a few others.

Each artist had a story to tell of all the efforts made in getting themselves and their work to this exhibition, stories that united all of us and created connections that went beyond our work. Each had their struggles, logistical problems, some their nightmare journeys but their resolve, determination and excitement was something that reminded us all of the love we have for the path we have chosen as artists and the things we are willing to do to satisfy our hearts and creative minds.

The walk back to my hotel that night seemed longer and my bags heavier after the white wine now circulating throughout my body and my back wanting to give in but the buzz I was feeling and the smile on my face was worth it.

I stayed a further few days in Barcelona taking in the sights and architecture that I have always found inspiring about this city. My trusty camera and iphone at the ready trying to capture and make pictures of what I saw and felt. More on that in another post.


(^_^)