Green City: Exhibition at Kommune celebrates all things green
Since 2017, Sheffield outfit Fronteer have released open calls for artists and then arranged exhibitions of their work.
Fronteer is the brainchild of husband and wife duo Michael Borkowsky and Sharon Mossbeck. We spoke to Sharon about the upcoming Green City show at Kommune.
Tell us a bit about Green City.
Green City is a pop-up exhibition with a plant theme. Plants and botanicals are very much at the forefront of people's thoughts right now, as we battle with global issues such as climate change, as well as local issues such as Sheffield's street trees. We wanted to reflect that with an exhibition that is for everyone, both artists and visitors, and in which people can express their own perspective on all issues green.
What's the meaning of the show's title?
As Fronteer, we aim to provide a range of opportunities to other artists, usually set to an annual theme. This year's theme is plants, which coincides with the Grey To Green regeneration scheme currently taking place around the Castlegate area of Sheffield.
We loved the idea of artists sending a green message through their work
We wanted this exhibition to reflect the urban feel of this part of the city as it comes back to life and to have a real community feel to it. That's why Kommune was the ideal choice of venue, and we are so happy to be working with them.
What's the significance of postcards for you?
We loved the idea of artists sending a green message through their work. We wanted to put together an exhibition that was affordable and accessible for artists of all backgrounds, drawing on the community feel. By keeping the work postcard-sized, it allowed artists to simply post work to us to be part of the exhibition.
Often our exhibitions include more traditional forms of artwork, meaning only a certain number of artists get to participate, but this exhibition has allowed us to include more artists than ever before.
Tell us about some of the artists whose work features in Green City.
We have lots of Sheffield-based artists in the exhibition, as you might expect, such as Lianne Mellor, who has one of her striking plant paintings in the exhibition.
We also have lots of artists from further afield. We are pleased to be able to exhibit work by an artist from Pyramid Arts, a Leeds-based charity who make artwork with people with learning disabilities.
Each November we have our annual art prize, The Fronteer Open, and you can find two works by last year's People's Choice Category winner Philip Lee in Green City.
What can people expect during the postcard making workshops?
Sticking with the community feel, we wanted to give everyone a chance to make their own Green City postcard, so during daytime opening hours we will have materials available for the public to draw and make their own postcards at our free drop-in workshop.
We hope people will feel inspired by the work in the exhibition, and the exciting regeneration of Castlegate, and just have a go.
Sam Gregory
Fronteer's show Green City runs on 17 and 18 August at Kommune. Entry is free.
