Unbound Exhibition: Kelham Island Arts Collective
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'Unbound' is a brand new exhibition featuring four female artists and it opens in the Gage Gallery at Kelham Island Arts Collective on Friday 7 December. We sat down for a chat with one of the featured artists, Lisa Wallbank, to find out more.
Tell us about the new exhibition. Is there a theme?
The four of us work in very different ways, using not just different media, but also entirely different processes, so the title 'Unbound' is a celebration of this lack of constraint, the varied and unfettered nature of our expressions with its exciting contrasts and connections. It also acknowledges the transient nature of us coming together to share a specific place for just a few days.
Who's involved in the exhibition?
Lynne Chapman
Lynne hand-stitches into fine layers of textile, building up areas of intense colour and texture. Her most recent work is inspired by petroglyphs: the frayed, ambiguous glimpses of ancient stories, the idea that we leave behind an echo, consciously or unconsciously.
Katie Jamieson
Katie chooses to use materials that have the qualities of softness and absorbency. She is constantly responding to the organic nature of the work. It reflects the balance between creation and destruction; building layers up and knocking them back down again until the whole piece emerges.
Helen Purdie
Helen's precise and colourful studio paintings and her gestural plein air works are influenced directly by the world around her. As a recently, late-confirmed autistic woman, Helen will also be exhibiting a new autobiographical piece exploring the challenges and beauty of her day-to-day human interactions.
Lisa Wallbank
Lisa's whimsical approach to assemblage presents curiosities, fragments and debris from the toybox, in amusing and puzzling combinations. Each artwork invites the viewer to construct a story, but obvious narratives are confounded by details that just won't fit. Or will they?
Was it a conscious decision for all the exhibitions contributors to be women?
Unbound evolved from Katie's idea of bringing a small group of local artists together to exhibit. It was originally happenstance that the four artists were all women, but we immediately felt a strong connection and it seemed important that we identify as four women in the publicity, though we were not all in agreement as to whether 'women' should be in the title of the show, since it doesn't define our work. Our differing opinions probably reflect wider current debate and dialogue between women, about whether to identify specifically as women practitioners.
Will the work on display be available to buy?
Yes - all of our works will be for sale.
What do you love most about being part of the art community in Sheffield?
It feels like an exciting time for Sheffield artists, with new studio spaces popping into existence all the time, utilising the ex-industrial spaces in the city and providing opportunities to by-pass the traditional gallery system. By using spaces like KIAC it is possible for emerging artists to take control, do it ourselves and let our work be seen.
Where and When?
Gage Gallery - KIAC (Kelham Island Arts Collective)
Lion Works, Kelham Island, 40 Ball Street, Sheffield S3 8DB
Friday 7 - Tuesday 11 December
11am - 5pm (open 'til 10pm Friday & Saturday to coincide with Peddler Night Market).
Artist Contact Details:
Lynne Chapman - @lynnepencil
Katie Jamieson - @kjaimiesonart
Helen Purdie - @helenpurdie
Lisa Wallbank - @lisawallbankart
Image Credits:
Images 2 & 3 - Helen Purdie
Images 4-7 - Lisa Wallbank
Images 8 & 9 - Katie Jamieson
Images 10-13 - Lynne Chapman
Flick Jackson
