Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Exhibition Introduction
The Paper Garden Exhibit
Featured Artists:
Lightning and Kinglyface
Su Blackwell
Jen Stark
Kim Beaton
Zoe Bradley
Sipho Mabona
Rebecca J. Coles
Josh Keyes
Benja Harney
Yulia Brodskaya
This show is about celebrating paper and my love for garden crafts. It was arranged to simulate a walk in a garden. Every artwork displays an element you would expect to see in a garden. Each piece was created using a different paper craft technique. All the artists featured in this show were selected based on their medium, craftsmanship, and notoriety.
Lightning and Kinglyface
Lightning and Kinglyface
Title: Tunnel 228
Media: Paper
Dimensions: 15’x30’x12’
Date: 2012
Brief Bio: According to the biography found on their web
site Lightning and Kinglyface, also known as Anna Fulmine and Victoria Shahrokh, met in London at the
University for Creative Arts, Epsom.
They have been an epic pair in set design and installations since they
graduated in 2006 and have made collaborating with photographers a part of
every experience they create.
Artists/Critique statement: In an interview done by James
Davidson of weheart.co.uk, Anna Fulmine has this to say about the objective of
their works, particularly Tunnel 228 “When people see our work we want them to
think, how did they do that? Why did they do that? And when you experience it
firsthand we want people to be overwhelmed by a feeling, they don’t have to
necessarily like the work visually as long as we inspire some sort of feeling.
If that’s a haunting feeling then by jove I think we’ve done it!”
Background on work presented: According to an article found
on the news site guardian.co.uk, Tunnel 228 was
commissioned by a UK performance company, Punchdrunk, in an effort to bring “the art world and
theatre a little closer together.” Tunnel
228 was installed in an actual tunnel in the UK as a gorilla-style
collaboration between artist and actors.
How it connects to the theme and why you chose the work: I
couldn’t think of a better entrance to my garden than this magical forest cut
from single blankets of paper. I wanted to evoke a sense of awe and intrigue
about my paper garden, Lightning and Kinglyface have met those qualifications
with amazing accuracy.
Su Blackwell
Su Blackwell
Title: Wild Flowers
Media: Paper
Dimensions: 17”x12”
Date: 2006
Brief Bio: According the biography found on her web site
sublackwell.co.uk, Su Blackwell was born in Sheffield England in 1975.
Blackwell started working with paper crafts in 2003 after taking a textiles
class at Bradford College. She continued with an MA in Textiles at the Royal
College of Art in London and worked as an artist-in-residence in schools in
Scotland after graduating. In 2006, she began to grow more popular with
curators in London and subsequently moved there to be closer to her exhibit
opportunities. Su Blackwell Studio Ltd. followed in 2011 and has since been
commissioned for several works, including works in the Commercial Sector.
Artists/Critique statement: “Paper has been used for
communication since its invention; either between humans or in an attempt to
communicate with the spirit world. I employ this delicate, accessible medium
and use irreversible, destructive process to reflect on the precariousness of
the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams, and ambitions.” –
Su Blackwell, Profile- sublackwell.co.uk
Background on work presented: In an article found on the
Bradford College website called “Creative Pathways Seminar Series- Su
Blackwell”, Blackwell comments on how she brought Wildflowers to life. “After the RCA I did a residency in Scotland,
working in a school and then doing projects in a country park. It was very
isolated. I started cutting out flowers from the books and found the cutting
out quite meditative. I liked the idea of flowers coming out and becoming alive
around me, then been left to rot in the ground.”
How it connects to the theme and why you chose the work: I chose this piece because it acts as the missing link between inspiration and action. The book and its photos were the inspiration, and the cutting and arranging is the action Su Blackwell took to create this work. Keeping with the paper garden theme, these flowers bloom from an unexpected place and should leave the viewer wondering what else could ‘sprout’ from a little seed of inspiration.Jen Stark
Jen Stark
Title: Over and Out
Media: Hand-cut paper on wood
backing
Dimensions: 19”x19”x5”
Date: 2008
Brief Bio: According to the biography found on her web site,
jenstark.com, Stark was born in Miami, Florida in 1983. She is a contemporary
artist whose claim to fame is paper sculpture, but also works with drawing and
animation. She studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art and graduated
Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fibers and a minor in
Animation. Since 2007, Stark has been shown in over 19 public exhibitions.
Artists/Critique statement: In an article found in the Press
archive of her web site, Stark shares her thoughts on paper as a medium “I like
how common and versatile paper is. It is overlooked in everyone’s daily lives,
and I wanted to reveal the potential of such an ordinary material and try to
push its boundaries. I also enjoy the challenge of turning something
2-dimensional into a sculpture object.”
Background on work presented: According to a statement by
Stark found in her press archive, Starks inspiration for Over and Out sprang from seeking an “unconscious attempt at beauty”
in an organic form, a flower.
How it connects to the theme and why you chose the work: This giant flower was created by layering sheets of geometrically cut paper together. This piece was important for my garden exhibit because it clarifies the idea of paper as a medium. The technique is simple, glue, paper, glue, paper. However, when this is done in repetition with shape and angle in mind, a beautiful and complicated flower emerges.Kim Beaton
Kim Beaton
Title: Tree Troll
Media: Paper Mache
Dimensions: 12’x7’
Date: 2006
Brief Bio: According to the Kim Beaton Studio’s web site,
Kim Beaton has spent 20 years using “sculpting material from ceramic,
wood, bronze, fiberglass, and carbon fiber to peanut butter and mashed
potatoes.” Kim Beaton Studios is a collaboration between Kim and her husband,
Warren Beaton. Warren Beaton is involved in every project Kim takes on and
brings 30 years of experience in the film and advertizing industry to the venture.
Artists/Critique statement: In the
“About Us” section of the Kim Beaton Studios web site, Beaton comments on how
the Tree Troll impacted her life and her trajectory in the art world. “In 2006
I had a life changing experience. I built a large tree troll out of
Papier-mâché with a group of friends and discovered that some images can become
incredibly powerful, more so than they originally seem.”
Background on work presented: According to an article found
on Odditycentral.com, it took Kim Beaton and 25 volunteers 15 days to construct
this gentle giant. The inspiration behind Kim’s creation came from her recently
deceased father, the trolls kind face is Kim’s way of ‘resurrecting’ not only
her father but the presence he had in her life.
How it connects to the theme and why you chose the work: Generally when one thinks of paper mache they envision a sloppy mess they created in the first grade. This amazing work not only serves as the perfect greater for my paper garden, but it’s an excellent example of the mastery of the paper mache process. There’s nothing elementary about this amazing statue.Zoe Bradley
Zoe Bradley
Title: The Hanging Gardens of Pulp
Media: Paper
Dimensions: 20’x15’
Date: March 2007
Brief Bio: According to her biography detailed in the
Profile section of her web site, zoebradley.com, Bradley went to work for the
major fashion designer Alexander McQueen after graduating from Middlesex
University in 1997. Since then, Bradley has cemented her trademark in
“oversized silhouettes” throughout the art, fashion, and advertising
communities.
Artists/Critique statement: In an article titled “Cut and
Paste” found in a September 2007 issue of the magazine Harper’s Bazaar which
can be found in the Press section of her web site, Bradley proclaims “I love
using unexpected materials. Paper is so disposable, so flat, and yet by doing
something like pleating it, you can create a really polished, handmade, luxury
finish, so people often assume I’m using silk. It’s a good counterbalance,
using something really throwaway to create something beautiful and timeless.”
Background on work presented: According to an article found
on creativity-online.com titled “Peace and Pulp at Girbaud”, this installation
was commissioned by Girbaud for their New York boutique to illustrate “the
company's involvement with Seeds of Peace, a nonprofit "dedicated to empowering
young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to
advance reconciliation and coexistence," as explained at SeedsofPeace.org.”
How it connects to the theme and why you chose the work: These beautiful flowers exemplify the luxurious beauty I envisioned for my exhibit. They add designer flare to my paper garden and keep with the “larger than life” size seen with all my work choices.
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