14 May 2009, 09/105
Latest artworks ‘unfold’ before you
Let the new exhibition at Chapel Gallery ‘unfold’ before your
eyes as 11 artists explore just what you can do with paper!
Unfolding, which runs from 23 May to 4 July, brings
together a variety of work which, through sheer richness and
diversity, explores the properties that make paper such an
intuitive, adaptable material with inexhaustible creative
possibilities.
Artists such as Ian Abbott, Lissen Van Essen, Sarah Morpeth and
Thurle Wright acknowledge paper’s function for books and rather
than treating paper as little more than a ground for mark-making,
they show that book forms are complex sculptural objects.
Similarly, Sarah Brown and Joyce Coulton use paper as a material
for construction and show the strength of paper as creative
material using techniques such as repetitive folding.
Sarah Casey and Gill Wilson also exploit the malleability of
paper, but shows how fragile it can be rather than its strength.
While Claire Brewster, Laura Nathan and Tony Rickaby re-use paper
that already has a function and is often discarded.
Showcasing alongside
this main exhibition is Tony Smith’s selection of paintings. He
starts them off with a chaotic paint throwing exercise, which is
then worked over vigorously with an intense mixture of grids,
lines, circles and tracings. The power to express is matched by the
geometrical and spiritual order of the grid within the constraints
of an emphatic picture plane.
Tony, who was the winner of The Sefton Open in 2008, is based at
Arena Art and Design in Liverpool and is a lecturer in Fine Art at
Liverpool Hope University and St Helen’s College. His recent
international exhibitions include Cologne and Los Angeles.
Dave Tilleray, Executive Manager for Community Services, said:
"It’s fascinating to see the range of techniques that paper can be
used for and these 11 artists have put together a diverse array of
works to show how creative we can be with paper, rather than just
see it as an object to simply mark! Tony Smith’s showcase
exemplifies how a seemingly spontaneous paint-throwing exercise can
then be controlled to form a work of art. These are not to be
missed so make sure you go along to the gallery to see the
exhibitions for yourself.
"And if all the artworks get your creative juices flowing, then
why not have a go yourself! Visit the educational area in the
gallery and get folding! You will be surprise what you can
make."
To view these new exhibitions, you can visit the Gallery, off St
Helens Road, free, anytime from 10.00am to 4.30pm, Tuesday to
Saturday. The café is open from 10am to 4pm. For more details
please contact the gallery on 01695 571328, or email chapelgallery@westlancsdc.gov.uk. Alternatively,
visit the Gallery’s website - www.chapelgallery.org.uk
(external link) or our gallery pages.
Image (top): Starling, Claire Brewster
Image: Untitled, Tony Smith
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