In further attempts to dissolve the boundaries between 2D and performative/audio-visual pieces and give direction to my practice as a whole, I have developed a process of copying stills from performances and films and juxtaposing them with sketchbook work, resulting in the following images which act as both an aesthetic template and symbolic reference to my practice becoming a 'collage on a grotesque scale' (reacting to my body, time, space, sound, objects and imagery as materials to be constructed as one would a collage). In time this may lead to further experimentation with digital manipulation, performance, installation and film to produce more conclusive work.
Watching the most recent documentary film to feature Jeremy Deller has helped me to to articulate the direction in which I'd like to take my work. He emphasizes how an art practice can transgress the traditional artist-object-gallery format and become more about actions, events and socio-cuktural commentary. As I become increasingly engaged with performance, installation and collaboration; theory such as Deller's builds the backbone of my process. I have outlined the following points to illustrate this: Strength in collaboration - Using my identity as an artist to enagage others, constructing the work through conversation and events. This does not rule out the creation of objects (prints, photography, 3D installation) as an exhibitable outcome, but allows me to focus on my strengths as an organizer and socializer to use events and spaces such as SQUARES poetry nights, Margaret Thatcher's Neon Play House (more details soon) and The Garden Studio (student-led art space) to catalyse artists and art work to produce my own work and reach a more dynamic point in my practice Pop - The importance of popular culture and social commentary as an artist. Deller uses phenomena such as the Madchester scene and Steingfellow's to bring people together and shed light on areas of western culture/celebrity within a 'Fine Art' context, reaching a demographic comprised of both 'high' and 'low' culture and erasing the boundaries between in the process Anti-art - Deller talks about the 90s YBAs, who although radicalized the art world at the time continue to work with a 'traditional form' (making an object and putting it in a gallery). To truly play around with ideas of anti-establishment, Deller suggests a solution lies in 'mucking about', involving individuals from all walks of life in the creation and reception of art and celebrating creativity in a refreshing sense reminiscent of Warhol's Factory days Over the course of 2014/15, my practice has strengthened in terms of direction, subject matter, conceptual concerns and medium. Whilst collage has remained a staple part of my artistic diet, I have realised that although useful in terms of sketchbooks, idea development and commissioned work, there are mediums which support my artistic dialogue with more clarity and depth. Through performance, film and installation work, I have been able to discuss emerging themes of personal relationships, emotional/psychological experiences and popular culture (media, celebrity and the every day object) in a way which allows me to further develop my style and begin producing more conclusive pieces of work as opposed to my earlier collage, sculpture, paint and video works which were mere maquettes for my developing ideas. Particularly with installations, I can bring together all these mediums and more for the work to have a stronger presence and engage with numerous topics at once - it allows my work to become multi-faceted rather than 'flat' as I'd term my paintings for example. This has led to further thoughts regarding performance, curation and documentation - as I begin to see my practice as a large, complex collage in itself, I can begin to use elements such as events I organise (SQUARES nights and SATELLITE RECEIVER: THE ART OF BEN FRANKS for example) as a way of learning, presenting and developing my work, slowly achieving the aim (much discussed amongst my contemporaries and in the institution of art as a whole) of blurring the line between LIFE and ART. Following on from these thoughts, I have a number of summer projects to maintain the momentum of my current practice:
SQUARES 1st BIRTHDAY - Evening of art/poetry/music to celebrate the first anniversary of SQUARES (https://www.facebook.com/events/991699937521859/) MARGARET THATCHER'S NEON FUN HOUSE - Group exhibition curated by George Stone and I (https://www.facebook.com/events/1597552467195819/) ROXANNE AND ELVIS LAS VEGAS - 2 collage/print works commissioned by The Shed Restaurant AGATHA CHRISTIE EXHIBITION - 5 collages to be shown at Artizan Gallery, Torquay (http://www.artizangallery.co.uk/) CURRENT ECLAIRS - Further collaboration with Nine Derricott, a series of youtube 'chat show' videos |
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October 2018
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