JANE PICKERSGILL
Life in a Shoebox - Back Room Gallery - Holdron’s Arcade (part of the Copeland / Bussey Building), 135A Rye Lane, London SE15 4SI
April 26th to 30th, 2017 PV Thursday 27th 6-9pm.
Art students on the Master’s in Fine Art at UAL Wimbledon College respond to urban living, London’s housing shortage, and, the idea of life lived in a ‘small space’.
Many of the students have first-hand knowledge of the housing crisis, being forced to rent small spaces themselves, without access to a separate studio or working area (increasingly unaffordable as land prices rise).
Catherine – a multi-media artist specialising in collage - travels to London 2 days a week for the course, having been priced out of the capital 7 years ago. She says that Leicester is much cheaper and that she can have a larger living space and rent a studio, as well as achieve more.
Tingting, a student from China, rents a bedsit in which her ‘kitchen’ is only an arm’s length away from the bed on which she must do most of her course work when she is not able to use the UAL studio.
Andrea says that the area where she lives is now so expensive that a one bedroom flat in her building was illegally shared by 3 people who slept in shifts, this also results in a constant turnover of occupants who care little for the community.
When researching an available gallery in which to exhibit, these emerging artists questioned how big a space is required to show 30 students artwork? They rose to the challenge by finding an affordable gallery which is part of the Peckham-based Bussey Building – Copeland Park Estate. Peckham itself is being gentrified at an alarming rate with many concerns being raised by the ethnically diverse community. A recent dispute involved compulsory purchase of buildings in a prime location - currently housing long standing Afro-Caribbean hairdressers.
With space at such a premium the idea of making this the theme of their exhibition was generated – reflecting the circumstances of many young Londoners as well as the exhibiting artists.
The ‘shoeboxes’ are themselves a work of art; designed by Paul Anton a London based artist/architect originally from Spain. He explained about his box designs and the overall installation: “I was thinking how the space was stretched and narrowed so it’s like a time-line of the space, so the openings of the boxes are narrow. It reflects the roofs when we are doing urban planning”.
There is no shortage of ingenuity in the artists’ response to the situation or the theme. The Back Room Gallery will house an installation of ‘shoeboxes’ which each artist is using as a ’container’ for their work. Expect to see video, painting, objects and mixed media inhabiting each of these tiny personal gallery spaces.
For images / further details please do contact me by email. Jennytimmer33@hotmail.com
LISTING INFORMATION
‘Life in a Shoebox’, 26th to 29th April 2017.
Private View Thursday April 27th 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm.
Back Room Gallery - Holdron’s Arcade (part of the Copeland / Bussey Building), 135A Rye Lane, London SE15 4SI
An exhibition by emerging artists on the Masters in Fine Art at UAL Wimbledon College of Art. The subject is a response to urban living, London’s housing shortage, and, the idea of life lived in a ‘small space’.
Open 11.00 am to 4.00 pm. Entry Free.
Nearest Station: Peckham Rye.
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