A review.
7th March to 20th April 2024.
The opening event for Flow was vibrant with almost 100 guests. It was described by one guest as ‘an exciting evening with (art) work of high standard’. In his opening speech, Mike Jones, former Charnwood Mayor and County Council Leader, described ArtSpace as ‘an absolute inspiration’.
With 23 artists involved and over 50 art pieces the exhibition was well received; ‘Thank you for a stunning show of ‘Flow’. The paintings here truly speak of human experience. Something for everyone.’
The work was a mix of paintings photography, sculptures, mixed media, digital art and jewellery. Artists interpreted the theme of Flow in a variety of ways in including climate change, dance, relationships, meditation and memories.
One viewer commented that Gill Perkin’s paintings ‘feel like fading memories.’ Guests were positive about the exhibition with comments of ‘a stunning show’ and ‘a brilliant, eclectic exhibition as always’.
The artist talk which took place recently allowed an interesting dialogue to form between the artist and the viewer. Many members of the public had thought-provoking questions and comments for the artists, which provided additional context and insights into the art work. Visitors commented that the work was ‘Inspirational’ and ‘… great art’. Several artists were involved in the talk, including Beryl Miles, who discussed her paintings which encompass the idea of Samidhi meaning ‘the flow state’, a state of oneness. She explained how special concepts are important to her work, which is often sparse and asymmetrical with an element of simplicity and lack of elaboration.
Mary Byrne explained the stories behind her paintings and how her personal writing informed them. There were questions about her use of colour and composition from members of the public, who were interested in the atmosphere she had created within her work. Liz Macfarlane, a fairly new member of ArtSpace, had very different paintings which revealed the microscopic imagery of blood cells and blood vessels. These were juxtaposed with the comments from women about their menstrual cycle.
Alison Folland displayed two paper cut dresses made from maps, which depicted an adult and child reaching for each other’s hand. She talked about the paper cut techniques she uses within her work and her interest in maps and found objects as she feels they have a history and story behind them which she repurposes into her artwork. Erica Middleton explained how her family tree and family history had inspired her paintings.
As the talk closed, final comments from the public were ‘lovely variety of interesting work’, and ‘beautiful artwork (I’m) super inspired’.
