Mary Jane Opie, Self portrait as a huntsman, 2005 (100 x 150 cm)
THE ENGLISH WAY Curated by Craig Patrick Edwards and Derek Curtis
The Aubin Gallery is pleased to present: The English Way, an exhibition uniting six artists – Claire Clutterbuck, Dmitri Galitzine, Mary Jane Opie, Simon Roberts, Andy Sewell and Kraig Wilson – all with an interest in our national identity, and the English countryside – who are questioning what it means to be English in the 21st century.
More information about the opening night here.
The United Kingdom is slowly dissolving, with both the impending Scottish referendum on independence – and our faltering position within Europe – causing national discomfort. The emergence of the coalition government is symptomatic of the fact that trusted left-right structures; represented by Conservative and Labour politicians, no longer seem relevant.
Where does this political dilemma leave our collective sense of English national identity? This theme of political uncertainty is captured in award-winning photographer Simon Roberts’ 2011 three-channel video: Landscapes of Innocence & Experience – to be shown in London for journey across the UK during the official four-week campaigning period for the 2010 general election.
Another aspect of our national identity lies in the backdrop to our lives; our landscape. For city-dwellers, the countryside represents quintessential Britishness – but this is primarily constructed through imagery – in fine art, film, television or photography. Consequently, real rural England remains something of a mystery…
Andy Sewell, described by Martin Parr as “a photographer likely to make his mark on the future of photography”, explores stereotypes associated with the countryside. Enamoured with quaintly-named villages – Sewell searches a map to find poetic place names such as: ‘Cold Christmas’, ‘Nasty’, ‘Little Gidding’, ‘Good Easter’ – then travels to these destinations and photographs what he finds there.
The English Way will offer six varying interpretations of England, by six artists, who will each reveal what it means – to them – to be English.
Wave Crashing, Maggi Hambling, 2011, Oil on board, Framed 24.13 x 29.85 cm
Date for your diary…Paintings in Hospitals annual fundraising art auction will take place at Bonhams, Knightsbridge on Monday 28 May 2012, 6.30 – 8.00pm.
The inaugural PiH Contemporaries auction will feature works donated by some of the most interesting emerging artists working in Britain today alongside more established names. Among the many artists who have lent their support this year are Ian Davenport, Maggi Hambling, Alexis Harding, Jonathan Huxley, Jarik Jongman, HaYoung Kim, Ben Rivers, Simon Roberts, Tim Shaw, Jonathan Trayte and Mary Webb.
Paintings in Hospitals is a registered charity that uses art and creativity to improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life of adults and children living with illness and disability. Proceeds from the auction will enable us to continue to provide our art library at subsidised rates, ensuring everyone has access to the therapeutic benefits that art provides.
A formal email invitation will follow along with access to our online sale catalogue.
All enquiries [email protected] | 0207 407 3222
We English projected in PICA’s exhibition of Hijacked III
Take a trip into the fantastic and foreboding world of Hijacked III: Contemporary Photography from Australia and the UK. More than 24 artists from opposite sides of the globe offer unique photographs ranging from oblique takes on portraiture and collage to snapshots of society at its best and worst. This exhibition presents far reaching photographic practices which question what it means to look, catch or construct images for the 21st century.
Curated by Louise Clements, Mark McPherson and Leigh Robb and presented as part of the Perth International Arts Festival and FotoFreo, the exhibition coincides with a simultaneous exhibition at QUAD Gallery, Derby, UK and the launch of an 400 page publication featuring 32 artists.
A fleeting glimpse into the life and times of both countries and beyond, Hijacked III will disrupt the way you think about photography.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
This week’s New Statesman magazine features photographs from the Our Lives project I worked on last year – a commission with Save the Children on UK child poverty.
A selection of the photographs will go on display in the Upper Waiting Hall of the Palace of Westminster, London SW1 from 12-16 March.
Our Lives will be then be on show in the Embankment Galleries at Somerset House from 27 April – 20 May as part of the World Photography Awards exhibition. There will be a seminar in conjunction with the exhibition on 28th April where I’ll be speaking alongside the other photographers who worked on the project- Liz Hingley, Laura Pannack, Abbie Trayler-Smith and Carol Allen-Storey.
In this session of In the Photographers Studio, we speak to award winning photographers Simon Roberts,
The Hijacked III exhibition and publication launch will take place at QUAD Gallery on Friday 3rd March.
This major survey features some of the best photographic talents from or within Australia and the United Kingdom. My series We English, has been included.
Here’s some of the press blurb: “Known for halting the status quo, arresting the scene and exploding a new perspective on the practices of contemporary photography, this third edition of the biennale Hijacked series explores the world through the eyes and works of 32 international photographers from or within the United Kingdom and Australia. Also featuring a series of specially commissioned films about participating photographers.”
The exhibition will show simultaneously in QUAD with a partner version at PICA in Perth Australia. It will also tour to a couple of other Australian cities. Details here:
Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) Feb 17 – April 8, 2012
Griffith University Art Gallery (GUAG) April 20 – June 16, 2012
Australian Centre for Photography (ACP) June 29 – August 19, 2012
Curated by:
Louise Clements QUAD & FORMAT International Photography Festival UK, Mark McPherson Big City Press Aus, Leigh Robb PICA Aus.
Featuring:
AUS – Tony Albert, Warwick Baker, Bindi Cole, Christopher Day, Tarryn Gill & Pilar Mata Dupont, Toni Greaves, Petrina Hicks, Alin Huma, Katrin Koenning, David Manley, Jesse Marlow, Tracey Moffatt, Justin Spiers, Michelle Tran, Christian Thompson, Michael Ziebarth.
UK – Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin, Natasha Caruana, Maciej Dakowicz, Melinda Gibson, Leonie Hampton, Rasha Kahil, Seba Kurtis, Trish Morrissey, Laura Pannack, Sarah Pickering, Zhao Renhui, Simon Roberts, Helen Sear, Luke Stephenson, Wassink & Lundgren, Tereza Zelenkova.
My We English exhibition is traveling to Wolverhampton and will be on show at Light House gallery from Friday 27th January – Friday 13th April.
I will be doing an artist talk on Thursday 15 March, 7pm. More details here.
will open at the photography festival Pluie D’Images in Brest, France, later this January.
You can view a programme for the festival here, which runs from 14th January – 24th February.
Simon will be giving an artist’s talk
at 6pm, details here.
Flowers Gallery and Robert Morat will both have samples of my new Pierdom work available to view at Paris Photo, which opens today.
Flowers Gallery are on stand D54 and Robert Morat on stand A47.
We English is going to be exhibited at the British Council in Sao Paulo at the Centro Brasileiro Britânico from 11th November to 25th February 2012, shown alongside the work of Brazilian photographer Iatã Cannabrava.
Address: Rua Ferreira Araújo, 741 – Pinheiros, São Paulo, Brazil
Telefone: (0xx)11 3819-4120
In association with Galeria de Babel.