choice blog on a-n, June 2010!

ARTISTS TALKING, a-n.

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Choice blogs - Sian Hislop selects Rosalind Davis

Wilderness Exhibition at Core Gallery
Rosalind Davis' blog Becoming part of something is a perceptive and illuminating insight into the trials and tribulations artists face on their post-college odyssey. "Becoming Part of Something" won the accolade of Artists talking Blog of the Year 2009, and the draw I felt towards it demonstrates that she continues to set a compelling tone.
Particularly topical and inspiring is the recently posted AIR interview, in which she argues the case for continued funding in the arts, in particular for it to be channelled towards those who attempt to improve communities through the arts and for free university education. As an artist involved in the Bow Arts Trust's live/work scheme I found her well articulated proposals and sensible suggestions ringing very true for my experience.

Along with an ever growing community of artists, I took on an "uninhabitable" abandoned flat in the type of Brutalist behemoth tower block that haunts Rosalind's intriguing paintings. These Modernist visions for social housing are now widely viewed as dystopian failures on monumental scales, but we are attempting to make positive changes in our community through our roles as artists.

Rosalind's blog does more than just record one artist's personal journey - as the title "Becoming Part of Something" suggests. Her posts have the potential to inspire other artists to use their energy and vision to help make change possible.

Siân Hislop, artist. www.sianhislop.co.uk

See also blogger Becky Hunter's interview with Rosalind Davis on the press page…..!

A review of my solo show: A Difference in Vision

As I frantically finsh paintings for my upcoming group show at Wilderness in Core Gallery , a lovely review for my current solo show has arrived! Hussah!

http://poptartlondon.com/2010/05/10/a-difference-in-vision/
Check it out on :
http://poptartlondon.com/2010/05/10/a-difference-in-vision/

Pop T'art London
I first noticed Rosalind Davis‘ mixed media paintings last year at the Deptford X art festival. I was drawn by the vibrant colours and clever use of fabric to create collage pieces which she then paints and embroiders over.
So it was a real pleasure to be shown round her new solo show A Difference in Vision by Rosalind herself at Bloww gallery off Regent Street recently.
The above piece, from which the show takes its title, is oil and embroidery on vintage print cotton sateen. It depicts the huge Robin Hood estate in Poplar, East London which was designed in the 1960s and condemned in the 2000s (much to the dismay of many leading architects campaigning to preserve it as a modernist masterpiece).
What I really like about Rosalind’s work is the surprising contrast between her subject matter of brutalist architecture with the materials she employs to depict them – florid fabric and delicate hand stitching – to create otherworldly, surreal pieces. “I enjoy mark making with embroidery,” says Rosalind. “It’s more controlled and emphasises the fragility of our buildings and of our own existence.”

Rosalind meticulously researches the buildings she paints by photographing them and talking to their residents where possible (many of the buildings are derelict).

This one above called 26 Remain refers to the 26 remaining families in the Ferriers estate in Kidbrooke, Greenwich.

While you may recognise Elephant and Castle’s famously dilapidated, and soon to be demolished, shopping centre in this piece, Belong Nowhere.
It can take Rosalind between one to four months to execute a piece. Often sourcing the fabric becomes a mission in itself as she likes to incorporate material which reference the period of the buildings’ construction.

Her work highlights the breakdown of social housing, community and the overall failings of modernity. And it certainly lives up to this show’s title. I really like Rosalind’s unusual, thorough and intricate approach which gives layers of meaning to each picture. Go see!
A Difference in Vision runs until 9pm, this Saturday 15th May. After that you can see new and existing work from Rosalind Davis (and two other artists) at a new exhibition Wilderness which runs at Core Gallery in Deptford from Saturday 22nd May.

Exquisite Opening.

I owe an apology! A whole week without update on how the Exquisite Corpse private view and first week went. I have battling with a funding application ( more weeping and comforting tea at hand, thank you also Emily Speed for the consolation! )

Well , the Exquisite Corpse exhibition has been going very very well. About 450 people have come through the doors- local artists, studios, galleries, collectors, the general public, important people from various organisations have also come in support. It feels very very great to be part of something.
The private view was super excellent fun with some fantastic performance from La Donne and live music from the Islington Boys Club and Sex Funeral , who I somehow got wangled into singing with.

We also sold a piece, Lucy Newman’s ‘ Prehistoric Landscape’ to the University of the Arts Collection . Not bad going for a first timer gallery!


Exquisite Corpse is reaching the end of its time with us and its gone so quickly and so well! A great first exhibition. We are now looking forward to an

Curators and Artists in Dialogue; Nick Kaplony, Liv Pennington and Sarah
Schuster
Sat 08 May 2010 -2pm
Core Gallery
C101 Faircharm Trading Estate, 8-12 Creekside, Deptford, SE8 3DX
www.coregallery.co.uk
You are more than welcome to come along!
Free admission but please rsvp to book a place as numbers are limited
Email: Rosalind.davis@network.rca.ac.ac.uk

Also this month I have an article based on this blog in the Degrees Unedited Guide for a-n. www.a-n.co.uk
I hope you enjoy the read if you are a subscriber

a-n's 2009 blog of the year!

Crikey ! Very crikey!
I am delighted to tell you the following news:
Andrew Bryant announces the 2009 blogger prizes

' One of the three winning blogs of 2009 is Rosalind Davis' Projection Space for its honest self-critique and insight into both making work and developing a career. '

http://www.a-n.co.uk/artists_talking

To say I am really rather surprised and humbled is an understatement. I thought it was just me and the dog that read it and the dog is not even real….more a vegetarian taxidermy! Thank you Mr Bryant and to anyone who read it!

One of the A-N’s 2009 blog of the year!!!!! To say I am really rather surprised and humbled is an understatement. I thought it was just me and the dog that read it and the dog is not even real….more a vegetarian taxidermy! Thank you A-n!

I am celebrating right now with a glass of merlot and complimentary cashews!

The first Core Gallery meeting occurred in the last few days too which was super interesting. Many ideas cooked up by 3 of the 8 or so gallery committee as they shall be known….however even getting 8 people together is nigh on impossible so I am having several meetings as some sort of liasing gal…. There is another thing that has popped up that has been playing on my mind- we are likely to have to move studios…..ours is going to be smashed up for new development housing…what the hell are we going to do is the first thing? As one artist put it, we take the legacy of this gallery idea with us but still, very difficult….the hub of Deptford artists workshops is going to change rather dramatically as everyone now sees an opportunity to make money on this overseen space. Darn…….let me know if you know anywhere we can move to- a collective- at least 10 artists, somewhere…….

Unveiled!

The opening night was quite an event. Enver Gursev, an artist at our studios is a musician as well as an artist and he organised some great music and a performance piece. Two ladies, Luci Boccino and Denise Heinrich-lane http://www.myspace.com/ledonnedonnedonne did some beautiful abstract poetic performance art piece! It was brilliant and mad and created a great buzz. It emphasised the need to have something maybe apart from the 2d and 3d art happening in the main of the gallery on our private views to draw people in.……

The exhibition was pretty well attended – Cockpit arts had their open weekend and we were getting a lot of their audience popping in. Leyla was drawing them in off the streets, amazing lady! Despite numerous signage and leafleting and having listings on loads of websites, blogs, local newspapers it was a little quiet- although 200 people came so that is brilliant! ……..the gallery ideas were gathering momentum over the weekend too.

Quite a few pieces from our Fraction auction wall sold. Not enough as I would have liked. In fact I have ended up buying two pieces myself - i would buy a lot more if I could! I feel rather responsible that not everyone sold as as we set people the task. However I do know that they also enjoyed the task being set and we are now thinking how to sell them- a facebook page? A January auction…A corblimey art shop?

However, we still need to get more publicity for the studios somehow……so the good thing is that Greg Tallent from London Fringe came in to visit us about doing something as a collective in August. In a few minutes, Neil, Enver and I envisaged A Cor blimey boat, from Greenwich to central london, with flaming Japanese lanterns being thrown off it some kind of performance/ art thing going on, All sounds very fun and exciting….( Greg loves the name of our studios, ‘so London! ’He said. Harrumph say I…..scuppered )

After the exhibition finished we had a studio meeting to discuss the future and Core Gallery was unveiled ! Hurrah! People seemed interested and there will be some kind of gallery committee of us that will formalise and structure things and I guess start creating a programme of events. Neil mentioned the Chapman brothers may come and do something and I know a few guest curators I would like to get involved……Elizabeth is going to approach the curating dept at Goldsmiths….and maybe more stuff with the galleries and other studios in the area….exciting stuff.

Now, I have to read a lot of blogs…..I am to choose one this month as a guest editor on A-N….how terrifying and fun!
we are part of something…..