curatorcharlie

Aedas Presents: Sparrow + Castice Vs opening

2012-01-27T11:23:00.003Z

Last night was the launch of Sparrow + Castice's Vs exhibition at Aedas Presents. It was a brilliant night and the voting/award part of the night was really good fun.

Here are some pic's from the evening.

'NEGATIVE'

Sparrow + Castice

Vs Annabel Dover

And the winner was....

Sparrow + Castice!

'ONE HUNDRED POUNDS'

Dan Salisbury Vs Sparrow + Castice

and the winner of £100...

Daniel Salisbury!

'STRUCTURE'

Sparrow + Castice

Vs Aedas Architects

and the winner...

Sparrow + Castice!

'INTERIOR'

Kate Peel Vs Sparrow + Castice

and the winner was Kate Peel!

'PRESENTATION'

Sparrow + Castice

Vs Edward Wakefield

'BALANCE'

Sparrow + Castice

Vs Chris Clinton

and the winner...

Chris Clinton!

who also picked up the trophy for 'Best in Show'

ALLOTMENT - call out for curators

2012-01-25T19:14:00.001Z

mac birminghamis looking for aspiring curators to take part in ALLOTMENT.

New to 2012 at mac birmingham is ALLOTMENT, an innovative programme which sees ourArena Gallery divided into ten plots. Each is tended by an independentMidlands-based creative practitioner. With a plot to manage and make their own,ALLOTMENT offers plot holders the space to identify, profile and nurture newand emerging visual art talent.

Further information:

- ALLOTMENTis a pilot project and runs from February to August 2012

- Locatedin the Arena Gallery, ALLOTMENT plots are approximately 3.3m wide x 1.9mhigh

- Plotholders must be based in the West Midlands

Applications are now being welcomed from creative practitioners for an unpaid opportunity to tend vacant plots 9 and 10. Proposedactivity should take place between April and August 2012, and can relate to thefull vacancy period or a standalone 8 week exhibition slot.

To apply, please email the followinginformation to allotment@macarts.co.uk with thesubject title 'ALLOTMENT Proposal - Vacant Plot’:

- 100 word project summary

- Written statement (A4 page max.) outlining your intentions for the space

- A timetable and potential equipment needed to realise yourproposal

- Links to online materials about participating practitioners. Alternatively,send a maximum of 3 images no larger than 1MB each

- Artist/Curator CV(s) evidencing relevant experience

For additional information on theproject please see project websites:

http://www.macarts.co.uk/event/allotment

http://www.10plots.tumblr.com

http://www.10plots.twitter.com

Deadline for applications is 5pm Friday 17th February 2012

Any questions please email allotment@macarts.co.uk or call salesand information on 0121 446 3232.

Proposals will be reviewed by theALLOTMENT steering group consisting of macbirmingham's Visual Arts Producer, Craig Ashley, Next Generation ProducerDaniel Whitehouse and independent curator/associate producer of ALLOTMENT,Charlie Levine.

If you do not hear back from macwithin two weeks after the deadline, then sadly your proposal has beenunsuccessful. Due to the high number ofapplications anticipated we are not able to offer feedback on applications butwe will be offering more opportunities to connect with our work in the nearfuture, so please check our website for more details.

Installing TROVEs first ALLOTMENT

2012-01-25T01:09:00.000Z

Here are some pictures from TROVEs/todays install at mac birmingham for the ALLOTMENT project

"Thirst for Iridescence," Sophie Bancroft, 2012

Lauren opening Anna Francis' piece "How to Survive"

Me installing with Silas

Anna Francis in the 1st cabinet

Matt Robinson in the first cabinet

Milk, Two Sugars under the first cabinet

the first cabinet by TROVE and the first piece in the ALLOTMENT project!

Aedas Presents: Sparrow + Castice Vs - install

2012-01-23T20:44:00.000Z

The Mobility Project

2012-01-20T18:17:00.001Z

Last night The Mobility Project opened at The Metre Room. Curated by Elly Clarke // Clarke Gallery here are some pictures from the show and the official blurb.

The Mobility Project

Curated by Elly Clarke/Clarke Gallery

Exhibition: 19th January – 19th February 2012

Open: Friday – Sunday, 1-5pm

With work by Simon Clark, Elly Clarke, Enda O’Donoghue, Kerstin Honeit, Rebecca Pittman, plan b/Sophia New & Dan Belasco Rogers, Fedora Romita and Kym Ward

“Keep connected, you are never alone, never alone with a mobile phone in your pocket.”[1]

Over the last decade, particularly since the mass take-up of the mobile phone, the ever-increasing mobility - of people, goods, information and images - has radically altered the way we perceive, interpret, navigate and even describe the world. Notions of presence and absence, solitude and togetherness and even of geography are changing, as our personally tailored collections of contacts, communities, photos and politics are with us 24/7. The way we travel around the places we live in, and how we interact with others whilst we’re there has a great impact on the way we understand not only where we are but also who we are. Communication and movement are, and always have been, closely linked, dictating the scope of our influence. But today, in a world where one tweeted photo can be seen across five continents within seconds, that influence can reach areas and cultures of which we have no concept.

Here, seven projects present seven different projections of mobility. From Simon Clark’s epic cycle journey around the UK delivering postcards he picked up from the Galapagos Islands direct into people’s hands to plan b’s live redrawing of their GPS traces gathered over their past year in Berlin direct onto the gallery wall; from Enda O’Donoghue paintings created from low-res mobile phone photos found on the internet to Kerstin Honeit’s multi-city performance-experiments where she instructs women to stand on the same area of pavement for fifteen minutes - and finally from Fedora Romita’s audio recordings of the U-Bahn network of Berlin as a means of getting to know the city she just moved to, to Rebecca Pittman’s two screen video installation of her journey along a featureless road in the states listening to driving music and finally also my own five minute video showing an unexpected moment of stillness on the German Autobahn - these are personal portraits of navigation. But, between them, they touch on wider issues that affect us all as we negotiate our way around the world - including gender, power, surveillance and the relationship between physical and virtual materiality.

All work in this exhibition is for sale. There is also a specially commissioned set of prints, the sales of which will help fund this exhibition’s onward journey. Please enquire for a price list.

On 21st January at 2pm a panel discussion will take place in the gallery, featuring most of the artists in the show plus some invited guest speakers.

The postcard were by Simon Clark, and they are just part of a larger project, and I loved them! Postcards picked up from the Galapagos Island and hand delivered to the addressees in the UK.

Some of Enda O'Donoghue's paintings.

A couple of lovely on site wall drawings by Plan B/Sophie New & Dan Belasco Rogers

A couple of the editions for sale

And finally the sound pieces by Fedora Romita

A conversation with boys who sew

2012-01-18T22:48:00.001Z

Last night I attended a talk hosted by Trevor Pitt at mac birmingham entitled 'A conversation with boys who sew.' It was a great night introduced by Trevor as a sort of 'chatty man' meets 'parki' style interview. He invited each interviewee down one at a time to sit on the original knitted bench (the inspiration for this talk and his interest in boys who sew) from his project 'A Flock of Benches'. (below)

Here's the blurb with some (blurry - sorry!) images from the night.

Trevor Pitt hosts an evening of lively conversation with men who have taken to needle and thread as their chosen means of expression.

David Littler (sampler-cultureclash), Jamie Chalmers (AKA Mr X Stitch), Stewart Easton (Four Tragic Tales) and TWIGGY (Birmingham) will talk about their artistic and conceptual approaches to the creative use of stitch.

First up was Stewart Easton who is currently exhibited at mac birmingham, during his talk images of his works got little gasps and swoons from the audience

Stewart Easton is a coventry based artist currently working in hand embroidery and digital print on fabric. His work is focused on stitch and narrative using authorial illustration to create large scale embroidered panels. Using folk song and story as a starting point Easton weaves story-based narratives, utilising the space of a single panel to explore time, movement and transition within his tapestry based works. Stewart Easton's Four Tragic Tales, curated by Trevor Pitt, is currently at mac until 22 January 2012

Second was the wonderful, and local icon, TWIGGY

TWIGGY is one of the Midlands' most outrageously flamboyant drag artists. Turning heads wherever he goes, the self-styled monarch of eccentricity has become a symbol of Birmingham's constantly evolving and outlandish gay and alternative club scenes. His self-styled unconventional presence has graced fashion shows, night clubs, alternative events, exhibitions, carnivals and parties for over a decade.

After the short break was Mr X Stitch AKA Jamie Chalmers, he was very funny and I approved greatly of his roller derby t-shirt

Jamie Chalmers (AKA Mr X Stitch) is on a mission is to bring the world of cross stitch and embroidery to a whole new audience. He has been cross stitching for years and really believes in the benefits of stitching, both from a relaxation and a sustainability perspective. Mr X Stitch was started in 2008 as a way of highlighting cross stitch patterns that he was excited about, and has evolved into a terrific resource showcasing the best in new needlecraft and textiles.

and finally artist/curator, David Littler

David Littler is an artist, curator, educator and DJ currently based in Berlin. In 2007 he initiated sampler-cultureclash - an international collective of dj’s, embroiderers, sound artists, textile designers, dancers, spoken word artists, curators and graffiti artists. Together they explore the connections between textiles and sound and the cultures of embroidery and dj-ing using the common word “sampler” as the starting point for investigation.

And finally - all the boys take to the bench!

Bharti Parmar rug update

2012-01-16T20:20:00.000Z

A few months ago I invited Bharti Parmar to exhibit at Aedas Presents in 2012. She came to the venue with plenty of ideas, one of them was to make a 5ftx5ft rug made from human hair. In September last year I made a first visit to Bharti's studio to see how she was getting on with the rug and the techniques she had been learning, see previous blog post HERE.

Bharti was just getting to grips with techniques found in wig making, since then she has become quite the master in it! The rug is growing nicely and here are some images of its progress. There is also a short video clip of Bharti in action, this is part of a longer film piece that will be on show at her exhibition in May 2012.

TROVE at mac birmingham

2012-01-14T21:15:00.000Z

TROVE at mac birmingham 28th January 2012 - 9th September 2012

part of ALLOTMENT

TROVE is an independent contemporary art gallery.  Located, since October 2009, in the Engine Room of the old Birmingham Science and Industry Museum in the Jewellery Quarter, they have also exhibited in other heritage sites around the city.  TROVE has worked with over 100 artists at various stages of their careers in a varied programme, which consists of monthly changing exhibitions and events.  TROVE offers unique solo show opportunities to early career artists as well as produces group shows often using objects, collections, multiples, creating curiosity cabinets and touring exhibitions around the UK in plan chests. Since TROVE opened over two years ago they have been partnered by various national festivals and galleries including from Birmingham: mac birmingham, Fierce Festival, Birmingham Architects Association, Birmingham City Council; and nationally Hereford Photography Festival and Minnie Weisz Studio, London.

For ALLOTMENT, TROVE is producing a series of in house designed cabinets.   The first, designed by Sophie Bancroft, will contain a series of curious objects, the collection of which will expand throughout the project and spread onto additional cabinets, one of which will appear every 8-week cycle throughout the 9-month project.  Artists included in the first curiosity cabinet are Anna Francis, Matthew Robinson and Milk, Two Sugars.

ALLOTMENT at mac

2012-01-10T22:34:00.000Z

This year I am working with mac birmingham on a new project entitled ALLOTMENT. It runs from January - September 2012. The first allotment plot opens on Saturday 28th January by TROVE.

Here's the blurb>

New to 2012 at mac birmingham is ALLOTMENT, an innovative programme which sees the Arena Gallery divided into plots and tended by independent curators, artists and creative groups. By extending the opportunity to curate to a wider community, the ALLOTMENT plots are imagined as a space to identify, profile and nurture the region’s new and emerging visual art talent.

Plot holders include: Dan Auluk, Clarke Gallery, BCU MA Curation students, mac staff, Moonbeams, Next Generation, Sparrow+Castice and TROVE

Aedas Presents: Sparrow + Castice

2012-01-09T11:16:00.001Z

'Sparrow+Castice VS...' is a show in which we make work in direct competition with other artists on topics chosen at random, both selected by an impartial curator Charlie Levine. It is conceived in an attempt to demonstrate our fascination with the peculiar collision that is working against and alongside other people (artists, curators, the audience etc.) simultaneously.

Aedas Presents artistswill be 'battling' Sparrow + Castice on the following topics for you to pick your favourite from: "Interiors", "Balance", "One Hundred Pounds", "Presentation" and "Negative".

Aedas Presents welcomes you to join us at this exclusive preview show from 5pm - 7pm on Thursday 26 January 2012. If you cannot make this date, we welcome you to view the work at Colmore Plaza. Please contact aedaspresents@aedas.com to arrange a visit.

Aedas Presents is supported by Arts Council England.

Further details can be found at:

http://aedaspresents.blogspot.com/

www.charlielevine.co.uk

www.sparrowandcastice.tumblr.com

Culture Show at Curzon Street

2011-12-20T23:18:00.000Z

The first of the two TROVE exhibitions in October 2011 was Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture. This show was co-curtaed with Minnie Weis Studio (MWS) and BBC's The Culture Show came and filmed it for part of a story on Birmingham's art scene which aired in October 2011.

Here are some pics of them filming on site and below is a pic of the DVDs I just received off them and then there is a clip from BBC's The Culture Show featuring TROVE and MWS's 'Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture' group exhibition at Curzon Street Station, Birmingham.

courtesy of BBC and The Culture Show.

December at mac

2011-12-14T23:17:00.003Z

mac birmingham have got some great visual arts treats on over Christmas! Upstairs in the main gallery you've got Their Wonderlands - which is an incredible show, while downstairs you've got two brill exhibitions.

The first is Outrageous Fortunes - a Hayward Touring show curated by Andy Hunt of Focal Point Gallery where 78 contemporary artists have reinterpreted classic tarot cards.

The second on the ground floor is Four Tragic Tales by Stewart Easton curated by Trevor Pitt. The pieces are beautiful illustrations and stitched story boards of tragic and heartwarming tales, just lovely.

Sneak peek inside the Library of Birmingham

2011-12-09T18:06:00.001Z

Today I was really lucky and got to throw on a hard hat for a little behind the scenes tour of the new Library of Birmingham build. Here are some sneaky peek pictures from my walk around >

WUNDERKAMMER at TROVE - photos

2011-12-08T00:11:00.000Z

JessicaBrouder

Neck hole, 2009 /Black bin bag. Series of 15

AndreaWinkler

Everything that I've done today, 2010 / Feather boa, wool, bells, jewelry, button,paper, confetti

AlexanderHeaton

Bird Wolpertinger, 2010 / Oil on Linen, 35x35cm

JuanBethancurth

Untitled, 2010 / Spoon andhair

LizFletcher

Self Portrait, 2009 / Chewed chewing gum, black paint, silver

JulianEicke

Norne. 2010 /2 piece suit worn by Elly Clarke at Wunderkammer opening in Berlin on April22nd, 2010 / Black and white photograph, 7” x 5”

VajraSpook

Asymmetrical Warfare (Cups), 2008, c-print

Kym Ward

Ephemera (bar of soap) fromperformance Die Scheiss Ideologie deinerNation at Clarke Gallery, 2010

Anna-MygaKasten

Untitled, 2010 /Rubber, foam, pins

TerryPiercey

Prepared Music Box, 2007

ChristianSievers

Futurologic Tie, 2009 / Scotchlite TM

Sophia Newand Dan Belasco / plan b

Three year Drawings, Wrangelkiez & Taborstrasse 14A, Berlin, 2007-2009 / Ink jet onacid free rag paper

E LouiseWachler

"24 variations"#7, 2010, Ultrachrome print on Hahnemuhle photo rag paper, 6x12

DanielSailsbury

Jealous?, 2011

Sparrow +Castice

Mulled Wine, 2011 / Dissolvable mulledwine sweets and performance

EllyClarke

Slide show by… Andy Field / Forthin series of live slide shows of 51 slides by Elly Clarke.

Sneak peek at WUNDERKAMMER at TROVE

2011-12-07T21:51:00.001Z

WUNDERKAMMER at TROVE opens tomorrow. It is a project curated by Elly Clarke, Director of Clarke Gallery, Berlin.

Here's the blurb >

Private view:6-8.30pm Thursday 8th December 2011

with A Slide Show by… Andy Field at 6.30pm
Exhibition then open on specific days & by appointment until 30th December

12 months on fromits last presentation at FranklinFurnacein New York, Clarke Gallery is honoured to unpack the contents of WUNDERKAMMERonce again, this time at TROVE in Birmingham, UK.

Translating asCabinet of Curiosities, WUNDERKAMMER is a travelling show of fifteen smallworks by artists from Germany, the UK, Canada and the USA that grows andchanges as it goes. Incorporating sculpture, photography, painting, (a new)‘smart phone-dependent art’ (piece by Daniel Sailsbury) and a live presentationof “A Slide Show by… Andy Field” onthe opening night, this is the forth stop WUNDERKAMMER has made. Starting out atClarke Gallery in Berlin, the exhibition then travelled to Eastern Edge in St.John’s, Newfoundland, Canada and Franklin Furnace in New York. For thispresentation at TROVE, works by three additional artists are introduced: NewYork-based Columbian artist Juan Bethancurth (who I met during the lastexhibition in NYC), British Birmingham based artist Daniel Sailsbury andSparrow + Castice, who are providing a special Mulled Wine concoction on theopening night.

Works wereselected that not only would fit within the confines of a hand-luggage sizeWunderkammer but which also referenced story telling, dealt with the idea ofthe archive or that were traces of or ephemera from an event or a larger piece.The text for the type-written labels was provided by each artist.

Artists ofWUNDERKAMMER in Birmingham are: Juan Bethancurth, Jessica Brouder, Elly Clarke,Julian Eicke, Liz Fletcher, Alexander Heaton, Sophia New and Dan Belasco / planb, Terry Piercey, Daniel Sailsbury, Christian Sievers, Sparrow + Castice, VajraSpook, Anna-Myga Kasten, E. Louise Wachler, Kym Ward and Andrea Winkler.

And here's a couple of sneak peek pictures >

A type of crop circle phenomenon at TROVE

2011-12-04T20:14:00.001Z

Popped to TROVE today for the last open day of Second star to the right and this is what I found in Newhall Square...

...I thought it was my cheeky TROVEketeers but no! They're our very own crop people type phenomenon.

WUNDERKAMMER

2011-11-29T15:35:00.001Z

The TROVE December 2011 exhibition has been curated by Elly Clarke/Clarke Gallery, Berlin.

And here is the info...

W U N D E R K A M M E R atTROVE, Birmingham

Opening: Thursday 8^th December 2011, 6pm-8.30pm

With A Slide Show by… Andy Field at 6.30pm

12 months on from its last presentation at FranklinFurnace in New York, Clarke Gallery is honoured to unpack the contents ofWUNDERKAMMER once again, this time at TROVE in Birmingham, UK.

Translating as Cabinet of Curiosities, WUNDERKAMMER is a travellingshow of sixteen small works by artists from Germany, the UK, Canada and the USAthat grows and changes as it goes. Incorporating sculpture, photography, painting, (a new) ‘smartphone-dependent art’ (piece by Daniel Sailsbury) and a live presentation of "A Slide Show by... Andy Field” onthe opening night, this is the forth stop WUNDERKAMMERhas made. Starting out at Clarke Gallery in Berlin the exhibition thentravelled to Eastern Edge in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada and FranklinFurnace in New York. For this presentation at TROVE, works by two additionalartists are introduced: New York-based Columbian artist Juan Bethancurth (who Imet during the last exhibition in NYC) and British Birmingham based artistDaniel Sailsbury.

Works were selected that not only would fit within the confines of ahand-luggage size Wunderkammer but which also referenced story telling, dealtwith the idea of the archive or that were traces of or ephemera from an eventor a larger piece. The text for the type-written labels was provided by eachartist.

WUNDERKAMMER is the first Clarke Gallery exhibition to havetravelled beyond the confines of my Berlin apartment, where Clarke Gallerystarted up. After two years of hosting exhibitions in my space (involving, atdifferent times, sculpture in my bed, performance in my bathroom, videoinstallation in the kitchen, slide shows in my living room; art objectsnestling amongst my personal things) – it felt right to branch out and bringthe mobility that we as individuals today enjoy, to the gallery. Now, havinglived in Birmingham for a year and with plans to find a more permanent settingfor Clarke Gallery in the West Midlands, it is a great honour to bring thissuitcase of work to TROVE. And also, for the first time, for the exhibition tohave so much space to breathe. As well as to be able to remain there for a fewweeks.

Artists of WUNDERKAMMERin Birmingham are: Juan Bethancurth, Jessica Brouder, Elly Clarke, JulianEicke, Liz Fletcher, Alexander Heaton, Sophia New and Dan Belasco / plan b,Terry Piercey, Daniel Sailsbury, Christian Sievers, Vajra Spook, Anna-MygaKasten, E. Louise Wachler, Kym Ward and Andrea Winkler.

All work is for sale. Sales will make room for newwork to be accommodated by artists from each place visited and, crucially, helpfund its ongoing journey.

For furtherupdates on WUNDERKAMMER and other Clarke Gallery activities, please sign up tothe Clarke Gallery mailing list and check out the website for photos. You canalso find us on Facebook. Next exhibition is The Mobility Project, which isshowing at The Meter Room in Coventry, opening 19^th January 2012.

Their Wonderlands

2011-11-28T22:23:00.000Z

Earlier this year TROVE opened its doors to art duo, They Are Here. Now, mac birmingham has done the same, and they have curated the amazing The Wonderlands. I have curatorial jealousy with this show, its brilliant, and the couple of nods towards TROVE are lovely - these include the use of torches and an amazingly beautiful silver plated cobweb, this is a replica of one Elkington once made - TROVE is situated in the original Elkington Metal Plating Factory in the world.

Here's the blurb ->

Their Wonderlands is an international group exhibition, curated by multi-disciplinary collective They Are Here. Contemporary artists have been drawn together to explore the space given to make-believe and folklore in post-industrial 21st century European society. While the journeys that have led to the creation of these works may be personal or autobiographical in tone, they often evoke fairytales, children's literature and the surreal worlds of Studio Ghibli's animations. Inspired by the essay In Praise of Shadows (1933) by Japanese writer Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, the exhibition exists in darkness. You will be invited to select a torch on entry to discover works embedded in a cardboard labyrinth, designed by renowned and seminal architect Yona Friedman.

Exhibiting artists: Alice Anderson, Ayo & Oni Oshodi, Blanch & Shock, Caleb Morrison, Edward Wakefield, Catherine Hyland, Cécile Azoulay, Corinne Felgate, Eloise Fornieles, Emma Hart, Emma Rendel, Helen Walker, Ioanna Pantazopoulou, Kate Rowles, Mathew Sawyer, Melanie Wilson, Michael Allen & Daniel Schwitzer, Reka Reisinger, Susanne Ludwig, They Are Here and Yona Friedman.

The show was accompanied by some great performances on the launch night, including Edward Wakefield, who put on his Captain Ed hat and performed throughout the evening.

And Blanch & Shock served bits of food on toothbrushes.

Second star to the right - in pictures

2011-11-27T18:13:00.001Z

Second star to the right

November 2011, TROVE

Space, theCosmos, the Universe: never ending, an unlimited source of ideas, thoughts andinspirations.

Thirteenrecent graduates and current MA students have individually interpreted theconcept and explored it through a variety of mediums.

Alongsidethe work of these emerging artists is a performance by Richard Peel, followingan adventure through space.

Second Star to the Right is thefirst curatorial expedition made by TROVE’s Gallery Assistants: SophieBancroft, Daniel Salisbury and Kate Spence.

Matt Webb SPCE 2011Printed media.

Sophie Bancroft Dream of what will always be above you, ofwhat will always be around you 2011 Sculpturalpainting.

Benedict Davenport Untitled & Untitled 2011 Pencildrawings on paper.

Hannah Humphreys Untitled 2011 Mixed media.

Daniel Salisbury Dust (From the “When I Was Younger...”series) 2011 Screen print, pvaglue, dust of the Old Science Museum.

Hannah Kershaw We Made the Stars 2011 Sewing-thread drawing.

Kate Spence Ever Danced With The Devil InThe Pale Moonlight? 2011 Film,audio (vocals provided by Luca Jebeleanu) & the remnants of a spell.

Bronia Sawyer Untitled 2011 Mixed media installation.

Ryan HughesMarking the internet and the physical 2010 SixPerspex sculptures, six books and map.

Dane Worrallo Makeshift Sputnik 2011 Rubber ball, foil, TV aerials and card.

Rachel Blake Butler More in Heaven than Earth 2011 Mixed media.

Polly Saunders Cosmonaut 2011 Charcoal on paper.

Michael Clulee Untitled 2011 Acrylic oncanvas.

For the launch the artists were joined by the amazing Richard Peel!

Richard Peel Kkhh 2011 Live performance with audio.

The alien, Kkhh, will beam the audience into space for an exciting, immersiveand educational adventure through space. Richard Peeluses state-of-the-art performance technology to conjure forth all the marvelsof the void.

Second star to the right - install

2011-11-23T00:30:00.001Z

'Second star to the right' opens this Friday at TROVE. It is a group show of recent fine art grads and MA students located in Brum. And here are a few sneak peek install shots.

Painting is a Painting is a Painting

2011-11-22T23:11:00.000Z

Today I popped to Initial Access in Wolverhampton to have a little peek into their stores/collection (sadly no pics) and to check out their new show, Painting is a Painting is a Painting. This is a painting show selected from Frank Cohen's collection by Nicolai Frahm and Samuel Leuenberger.

Painter 1 - Rashid Johnson

'Black Music'

'Souls of Black Folk'

Painter 2 - Dirk Skreber

'It Rocks Us So Hard Ho Ho Ho 5'

'o.T. (Agnes)'

Painter 3 - and by far my favourite - John M Armleder

'Untitled' with me and a Skreber painting in the reflection

'Convallaria Majalis'

'Tactylis Glomerata' DETAIL

'Fomes Fomentarius' DETAIL

Crunch at Hay on Wye

2011-11-21T19:50:00.001Z

This weekend I was in Hay on Wye at Crunch - an art and philosophy festival.
And this is a little of what I saw.

The genuine excitement of seeing Susan Hiller and Hans Ulrich Obrist in conversation, both massive inspirations for me.

Nina Mankin

Darren Harvey-Regan

These are a couple of the artists showing at Hay whose names weren't with the work, if you know them - let me know!

The Egg

An amazing book binders in Hay town

A couple of book shops...

Benjamin James Dixie - part of Hereford Photography Festival

Nick Hackworth and Jake Chapman

Small Print

2011-11-18T10:56:00.001Z

Currently on at mac birmingham is a little exhibition entitled Small Print: Big Impression - and here are some pics of the prints on show in the downstairs gallery. Obviously the bird prints were my favourites.

Fluid Space

2011-11-17T14:33:00.001Z

Popped into our neighbours, Fluid Space's space the other day. They are a hop skip and a jump away from TROVE and have some exciting plans for projects, studio development and exhibitions on site.

Fluid Space will be open on Friday 25th November, the same night at Second star to the right at TROVE, so make sure you pop by both.

Here are some snaps from my walk around.

Last night - Pop died

2011-11-13T17:24:00.001Z

Last night was BANG! BANG! - an art/club night hosted by Trevor Pitt at VIVID and it was truly brilliant.

Here is a little of what went on...

'Re-make/Re-model' by Joey Vivo and Roseanna Velin

The Jimmy Saville Gallery - bringing dead pop stars to life!

'Pop is dead' by Vincent Gauld

Pop wall by Kurt Hickson

and '99 Red Balloons' by John Napier (not pictured)

BANG BANG

2011-11-12T12:10:00.001Z

Tonight is BANG BANG - the final of three 'club nights' at VIVID by resident artist Trevor Pitt

Here is more info on the night, and I hope to see you there!

Bent on vamping the tired club night formula, BANG! BANG! is the final in a trilogy of explosive art-parties-cum-club-nights curated by Trevor Pitt and played out at VIVID.

BANG! BANG! invites colourful characters from the Sleeve Notes demimonde to contribute through social, sartorial and artistic rebellion. Join us for a night of outlandish revelry.

DJ sets by: mini moderns // Brian Duffy (Modified Toy Orchestra) // Mazzy (Chicks Dig Jerks) // THIS IS TMRW

Performance installations from 9.30 - 11.30:
‘Re-make/ Re-model’ - Joey Vivo, Roseanna Velin and Rob French
‘Pop is Dead’ - Vincent Gould
'99 Red Balloons’ - John Napier

PLUS
Bring dead pop stars back to life in our Craft Lounge and exhibit your work in The Sir Jimmy Saville Gallery

Second star to the right

2011-11-10T18:39:00.002Z

Second star to the right

An exhibition co-ordinated and curated by Sophie Bancroft, Michael Clulee, Daniel Salisbury and Kate Spence about the cosmos at TROVE.

Launch: 25th November 2011 6-8pm

Open: 26th, - 27th November 12-4pm and
2nd - 4th of December 12-4pm.
For any other times you would like to visit the show it can be arranged by appointment, please email info@TROVE.org.uk

Recent graduates and current MA students at BIAD have come together for this exhibiition based on Space, the Cosmos, the Universe. Highlighting in particular it's never ending and unlimited source for ideas, thoughts and inspirations.

Artists include:
Sophie Bancroft, Rachel Blake Butler, Michael Clulee, Benedict Davenport, Ryan Hughes, Hannah Humphries, Hannah Kershaw, Daniel Salisbury, Polly Saunders, Bronia Sawyer, Kate Spence, Matt Webb and Dane Worrallo.

With a very special performance on the launch night by Richard Peel

Creative Machines preview pics

2011-11-07T14:34:00.002Z

Some pictures from the Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture exhibition at Curzon Street Station, October 2011

All of these images are courtesy of Dave Remes

Stephen Cornford's piece

Luke Williams' room

Minnie Weisz's photograph (and me in the yellow coat!)

Rob Mullender, Ben Rowe and Stephen Cornford

Jaime Jackson's outside projection (launch night only)

The Sun on the Hill

2011-11-02T10:58:00.003Z

A couple of TROVEs Gallery Assistants are currently in an exhibition at The Sun on the Hill pub in Birmingham - and here are a few pics from it.

Records by Benedict Davenport

Matt Webb

Sara Dobson

Sophie Bancroft

Daniel Salisbury

and included but not shown is Rose Jennings

The Birds at St Pauls

2011-10-31T10:51:00.000Z

Last week I went to see the classic Hitchcock movie, The Birds, at St. Paul's Church in the Jewellery Quarter - it was a great venue to see the film, which was funnier than I remember it being...

It felt quite odd drinking Jameson whisky (who sponsored/organised the event) and eating hotdogs and popcorn in a church - but I really enjoyed it!

Non obsolescence - launch

2011-10-29T22:57:00.003+01:00

Non obsolescence

Matthew Andrew, Jo Gane and Minnie Weisz

Curated by CharlieLevine, TROVE

at DownStairs Gallery,

in association with Hereford Photography Festval

Photographictechniques have rapidly changed within the last century; the immediacy of thedigital plus its accessibility to the everyman has made everyone ‘photographer.’

But what about theessence of ‘catching/recording light’?

Camera obscura’s byMinnie Weisz, collodion wet plate techniques by Jo Gane, film and chemicalprinting by Matthew Andrew; these formats changed the world, revolutionizeddocumentation and altered our perceptions of life and truth. These artistsrepresent how our views of the world changed, and these artists represent areason why the everyman photographer should ‘go home.’

Jo Gane

Matthew Andrew

Minnie Weisz

TROVE plan chest

TROVEs latest planchest exhibition highlights original photographic technologies and emphasizesthe fact that these techniques will not disappear with the ever-growing popularityof the digital; rather it archives and remembers them.

These authenticphotographic methods are currently being used by contemporary artists andinclude collodion, camera obscura, film and chemical photography, cyanotypesand stereogram’s.

Matthew Andrew

Annabel Dover

Jo Gane

Charlie Levine

Craig Marchington

Jane Tudge

Minnie Weisz

Luke Williams

Finally Jaime Jackson did another outdoor projection using clips from Departures Arrivals - his piece from the launch of Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture - this time with Dan Brown

More of The Event

2011-10-28T22:56:00.002+01:00

It is hard when you are involved in a festival like The Event to go out and see it - so instead I sent a couple of the Troveketeers (otherwise known as my fabulous TROVE gallery assistants) and this is what they thought...

Kate Spence on Lombard Method -

Alan Curralls work, he had a selection of 4 single channel video works produced between 1995 and 2004. This was my favourite work at this show. Witty, engaging and honest.A very intimate feel.

This image (below) is a piece of film called CGI by Giuseppe Mistretta. It showed the managing committee of David Dale Gallery & Studios making non sensical noises to communicate, pasting, rolling up and eating post it notes and other childlike, playfull, animalistic ramblings. This is what it says in the blurb ' Mistretta is attracted to the sounds of words that don't make sense, the look of the moon in the daytime and the similarities between humans and animals'. This was my second favourite piece ( a very close second). Very amusing.

While Sophie Bancroft went to Ego (de)construct at Minerva Works and Eastside Projects - check out what she thought on her blog here...

Minerva Works Link

Eastside Projects Link

Non obsolescence - install

2011-10-27T09:19:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I was at DownStairs Gallery in Hereford installing the latest TROVE exhibition, Non obsolescence . Matthew, Jo and Minnie (the 3 photographers in the show) were all there too which made for a very nice day out indeed. The show opens this Saturday 5-8pm.

Us on the roof at Great Brampton House

And inside Great Brampton House, DownStairs Gallery is in the basement!

A few others at The Event

2011-10-24T18:42:00.000+01:00

I haven't been able to get to all of the other The Event events yet...but these are the ones I have seen and liked!

The aas performance on the launch night was brilliant, just brilliant! by far one of the best things at this years festival - it was a 5 hour long sound performance dedicated to the sacred drone of Samekhmem.

Follow this project blog HERE

I really liked this piece at Eastside Projects too

The Crowd 6 exhibition The Infinite Combinatorium: Part 1 has been the most talked about by people coming through Curzon Street Station as the 'must see' exhibition in the festival -

and it is easy to see why!

Michelle Weinstein

Elizabeth Short

S Varndell

If We Don't, Remember Me

And Crowd 6's gallery neighbour - SLICE's B42 project. I do like a print multiple and this show has a lot of them!

departures,arrivals - Jaime Jackson

2011-10-23T09:49:00.001+01:00

Here a little video of Jaime Jackson's amazing projection from the launch night of Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture.

Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture

2011-10-22T18:23:00.001+01:00

TROVE and Minnie Weisz Studio present -

Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture

Curzon Street Station, Birmingham

A group show looking into the themes of mechanics, art machines and whimsical sculpture inspired by machines. This exhibition is part of The Event 2011.

Robert Jacobsen

Aedas Presents: Tom Butler

2011-10-20T09:13:00.001+01:00

Aedas Presents are delighted to showcase the works of Tom Butler for a month long show!

Tom is fascinated by the human desire both to hide and to perform. His studio practice conspicuously conceals found images of people by incorporating personal symbols such as hair, hoods, mirrors and masks and in the process attempt to reveal aspects of imagined inner personalities. For example, the Victorian Cabinet Cards with gouache painting on the surface. He uses these portraits as psychological clotheshorses in which to create grotesque and sinister scenarios, enabling him to project thoughts, fears and anxieties in an immediate and direct way and often with a macabre sense of humour. The people in these portraits are part of a community, a subliminal citizenship of his imagination.

All pieces are for sale, please contact Kate Eagle or Charlie Levine for details:

Postcards: £182

Cartes de visite (smaller photographs): £182

Cabinet Cards (larger photographs): £260

Etchings: £325

Aedas Presents welcome you to visit Colmore Plaza to view Tom's work until Friday 18 November. Please contact aedaspresents@aedas.com to arrange a visit.

Aedas Presents is supported by Arts Council England.

Further details can be found at:

http://aedaspresents.blogspot.com/

www.charlielevine.co.uk

www.tombutlerstudio.com

Creative Machines install day

2011-10-19T22:20:00.000+01:00

Here a few pics from the install of Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture in Curzon Street Station

Minnie on the stairs

Rob Mullender's brass rubbings with Ben Rowe's work - still crated!

Luke Williams' Nightsky up and running

Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture - gallery text

2011-10-19T22:12:00.002+01:00

Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture

TROVE: THE EVENT 2011

21st–30th October 2011 12 – 5pm

Curzon Street Station, Curzon Street, Birmingham

Artist include: Wayne Chisnall, Stephen Cornford, Robert

Jacobsen, Jaime Jackson, Markus Kayser, Rob Mullender,

Alex Pearl, Ben Rowe, Martin Sexton, Laura Skinner,

Minnie Weisz, Luke Williams and Adam Zoltowski

Curated by Charlie Levine, TROVE, Birmingham & Minnie

Weisz, Minnie Weisz Studio, London

Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture is an exhibition that

has developed from conversations between Birmingham curator,

Charlie Levine, and London gallery director and artist, Minnie

Weisz. Interested in forging and forming links with creative

practices and artists outside their home cities, Levine and

Weisz have formed a creative collaboration, which is linked by

rail stations, both connecting north and south. So, very apt

that this exhibition takes place at the very first station to

link Birmingham directly to London; built in 1838, at the

start of the Industrial Revolution.

Curzon Street Station had regular passenger services to London

Euston until 1854. Then, it was a direct link from Birmingham

to Euston, (a stones throw away from Weisz’s London studio in

King’s Cross). After which it ran only cargo trains until its

closure in 1966. The building, designed by Philip Hardwick,

mirrored the Euston Arch Station in London, sadly demolished

in 1960, just six years before the closure of Curzon Street

Station.

For ‘The Event 2011’, Levine and Weisz have curated an

exhibition entitled Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture.

It brings together artists from all over the UK who either

create their own machine art works or have used machinery, or

the idea of mechanics, to create the final Heath Robinsonesque

whimsical, playful, scientific and experimental pieces.

Jaime Jackson and Alex Pearl’s site-specific film work

reflects the exhibition space and its heritage. Pearl’s

series of short black and white films, created and filmed by

small battery powered machines, and Jackson’s large scale

outdoor projection (for the launch night only) of people

passing through New Street Station, are all about trains and

in particular train stations. They are diverse in scale

though not in subject, Pearl’s microfilms verses Jackson’s

building size projection.

The film works by Markus Kayser, are a prelude to the machines

he makes, resulting in a cinematic narrative which forms part

of his process and machine experiments. The audience is shown

a view into his world, how he builds his machines, from start

to finish.

Martin Sexton’s engaging film explores what happens when a

psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School interacts with 62

school children that all say they have witnessed a UFO landing

and encountered its strange humanoid occupants.

Inspired by film, Ben Rowe and Laura Skinner make

imagined/familiar machines come to life. Skinner’s recent

final degree piece has been re-commissioned specifically for

this exhibition; a dark and eerie swing moving on its own

conjures up classic film noir and Hitchcock style horror. Rowe

takes a lighter look at classic 80’s sci-fi film machines,

recreating out of MDF such iconic machines as the ‘flux

capacitor’ from Back to the Future and Bill and Ted’s time

machine phone box.

Wayne Chisnall continues the lens-based theme by creating a

modern cityscape from old camera lenses and found ephemera. It

makes you think of the views from train windows, and how they

in turn become a different lens/frame through which to see the

world. Weisz exhibits a large scale camera obscura photograph,

depicting an inverted reflection of St.Pancras Station,

London, as if its gazing directly into the Curzon Street

Station, crossing the present, past, time, memory and place.

Artists Luke Williams and Stephen Cornford continue the hand

made theme of the exhibition. Williams has made two

sculptural pieces that project light, both based on the

cosmos, specifically the stars, while Cornford’s piece is an

installation of tape cassette recorders that switch on when

sensing motion. These then perform in light and sound. Both

works encompassing the theme of creative machines and

minimalist sculpture, they are hand made sculptural pieces

which literally light up mechanically.

Finally artists Rob Mullender and Adam Zoltowski bring a 2D

element to the show. Zoltowski’s multiple give-away piece of

a robot drawing has been photocopied 1000 times, utilising the

machine in both design and production. Mullender’s delicate

rubbings of old machines have been shellacked and framed.

Mullender has not used graphite to create these; rather he has

etched away with his nail to highlight the original scratches

and marks off the machines.

The exhibition crosses sound, film and object/sculpture all

based around the narrative of creative machines and minimalist

sculpture. It is a look into pure machines meets pure

minimalism, in a unique gallery setting.

Curzon Street Station keys

2011-10-18T08:16:00.000+01:00

I am now the proud owner, for 2 weeks, of the amazing Curzon Street Station keys.

TROVE, as part of The Event, are holding an exhibition entitled Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture which has been co-curated by Minnie, Minnie Weisz Studio.

It opens this Friday 5-8pm, hope to see you there!

Non obsolescence at DownStairs Gallery, as part of HPF

2011-10-15T10:42:00.001+01:00

Non obsolescence

Photography is now an ‘every-man’ medium, but what of thefounding techniques of photography, of the pure essence of ‘capturing light’?

Non obsolescence, a new exhibition at Down Stairs inHerefordshire, addresses this important question. The exhibition consists of three contemporary photographersusing founding and traditional photographic techniques, such as cameraobscuras, collodian and film photography.

Non obsolescencehas been conceived in response to Down Stairs‘ recently-opened exhibition, Change The World Or Go Home, and forms akey element of the world-renowned Hereford Photography Festival 2011.

Non obsolescence is curated by Charlie Levine, director ofBirmingham’s independent contemporary art gallery TROVE. She says: “The location for thisimportant exhibition at Down Stairs is entirely intentional. These classic photographic formatschanged the world, revolutionised documentation and altered our perceptions oflife and truth. These artistsrepresent how our views of the world have changed, and represent a reason whythe everyman photographer should ‘go home’.”

Non obsolescence opens at Down Stairs with a preview receptionon Saturday 29^th October from 12-8pm, with hot cider served from 3pmonwards. It then runs throughoutthe duration of Hereford Photography Festival 2011 from 28^th October– 26^th November.

Matthew Andrewexplores preconceptions of what a reference photograph should be and how muchinformation is conveyed to the viewer using a visual medium. His featured work, Mimesis, uses film photography and is a series of images exploringtruth, knowledge and photographic representation.

Jo Gane’s work, Ancient and Modern, uses the wet platecollodion process, an historic photographic process invented in 1850. It involves coating glass plates withcollodion chemistry, sensitizing plates in silver nitrate then exposing in thecamera before developing or fixing, all in less than 10 minutes. Her work aims to question the valueplaced on age and authenticity within the art/photographic market.

Minnie Weisz’s photographs are taken in abandoned and forgotten buildingsin and around London. Within their rooms she creates narratives from theabandoned objects found inside that relate to the building’s history, and theview that floods the room from outside. Using pinhole technique,traditional photography and documentary, Weisz weaves stories into the interiorworld of a building, creating an ode to each place she inhabits throughphotography.

Running concurrently to Nonobsolescence, the exhibition ChangeThe World Or Go Home brings together a diverse range of artists bothestablished and up and coming, ranging from Turner Prize winners to artists whogrew up within 500 yards of the gallery. It questions the relevance of artists in today’s society and whethertheir work can change the status quo.

Change The World Or GoHome is open from Friday to Sunday 12-5pm until 30^th December,or by appointment outside of these hours.

Non-obsolescence –Hereford Photography Festival Event

As part of HPF’s opening conference, James Stevenson,V&A Photographic Manager, will present new processes in digital 3Dmodelling and film at the V&A, followed by a panel conversation with JamesStevenson, Charlie Levine, Matthew Andrew, Jo Gane and Minnie Weisz on classicphotographic methods in contemporary practice such as collodian, cameraobscuras and cyanotypes.

Saturday 29^th October 3-5pm

Folly Theatre, Hereford College of Arts, Folly Lane,Hereford HR1 1LT

For full details, visit www.photofest.org

For tickets, call 01432 340555 www.courtyard.org.uk

Non obsolescence is presented in association with

www.downstairsgallery.co.uk www.TROVE.org.uk www.photofest.org

Aedas Presents: first 12 months

2011-10-10T20:01:00.000+01:00

Next month Aedas Presents will have been up and running for exactly a year - within that time we (Kate Eagle and myself) have set up 7 exhibitions by 6 national artists and one student group. Below is a little video celebrating the past shows. Artists include (in order):

Hannah Ainsworth, MA Product Design BIAD, Jo Gane, Matt Robinson, Matthew Andrew, Caitlin Griffiths, Craig Marchington and Tom Butler

Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture

2011-10-10T10:57:00.000+01:00

Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture

TROVE at THE EVENT 2011

Launch night 21st October 2011 5 - 9pm

Open daily 22nd – 30th October 2011 12 - 5pm

Curzon Street Station, Curzon Street, Birmingham

Artists include: Wayne Chisnall, Stephen Cornford, Jamie Jackson, Markus Kayser, Rob Mullender, Alex Pearl, Ben Rowe, Martin Sexton, Laura Skinner, Minnie Weisz, Luke Williams and Adam Zoltowski

Curated by Charlie Levine of TROVE and Minnie Weisz of Minnie Weisz Studio

Birmingham Contemporary Art Forum is delighted to announce it will be hosting The Event’s third bi-annual visual art festival from 21 – 30 October 2011. As part of The Event 2011, TROVE will be presenting a group exhibition curated by Director Charlie Levine with Minnie Weisz Studio, London. Creative Machines, Minimalist Sculpture brings together a combination of Heath Robinson*-esque machines to 2D dreams of machines.

The show will cross sound, film and object/sculpture all based around the narrative of ‘Creative Machines’ and minimalist sculpture – a look into pure machines meets pure minimalism.

TROVE is an independent contemporary art gallery located in Birmingham programmed monthly by its director, curator Charlie Levine. Since its launch in October 2009 TROVE has shown artists from all around the world from all different stages in their careers in heritage sites around the city. This is the second exhibition TROVE have curated with Minnie Weisz, artist and curator of Minnie Weisz Studio, London.

www.TROVE.org.uk | www.minnieweiszstudio.co.uk

Photo's from Aedas Presents: Craig Marchington

2011-10-07T10:30:00.003+01:00

Last night was the preview of Craig Marchington's exhibition at Aedas. It was a brilliant evening of personal group talks through his 3D photographs of hidden gems in Birmingham - and I was pleased to see TROVE was one of them!

Check out the Aedas Presents blog for further info from the show and look at the pic's below.

Aedas Presents: Craig Marchington

2011-10-04T16:46:00.003+01:00

Opening this Thursday is Octobers Aedas Presents and it is the photographic work of Craig Marchington who is exploring 3D photography practices, both classic and contemporary models, as well as presenting a beautiful panoramic photograph taken from the top of the Aedas building!

Aedas Presents: Craig Marchington

Preview: 6th October 2011 6-8pm

Craig Marchington began taking photographs as a method of preserving disappearing landscape and street scenes he cycles through everyday. Originally from the High Peak, he is now based in Manchester, and this switch from rural to urban living has perhaps manifested as an interest in presenting the blurring of rural and urban environments, land uses and secret hangouts. For this exhibition, Marchington experiments with the possibilities of 3D photography. He has previously created a series entitled 'Hidden Manchester' drawing attention to the unsung urban beauty-spots of the city, emphasised in an immersive and interactive medium. For his 'Aedas Presents' showcase, Craig has adventured his way around Birmingham's canals and back streets, taking in the post industrial Jewellery Quarter, before winding his way up onto the roof Aedas' own Colmore Plaza, the very venue of the show.

www.aedas.com
www.aedaspresents.blogspot.com
www.charlielevine.co.uk
Follow us on Twitter: @AedasPresents

Beyond, Beyond, Totally Beyond, Perfectly Beyond

2011-10-03T21:33:00.001+01:00

Matthew Robinson's latest exhibition opened tonight at Solihull Arts Complex. It was the end of a residency he undertook throughout the summer with two schools in Solihull, and the results are great. I love his large cement sculptures and think it would be great if they could have a life after the show - must get on trying to sort that out!

Here is the background story written by Ed Wakefield to accompany the show and its sculptural characters and some pictures from the show.

The show is about a boy called Ray Burberry.

Ray Burberry was born as a rubbery shape. His parents wanted to be rubbery too. They stepped inside Professor Rubrick’s rube molecule re-rubberiser and became rapidly rubberised. The downside? They could only move extremely slowly. It’s taken them sixty years to reach their little rubber boy. If you look really closely, really really closely, you can see them move. Just.

Untill Saturday the 19th of November

Solihull Arts Complex

Documentation of Matt making the sculptures

Some drawings from his school workshops.

Some Domestic Incidents at mac in pictures

2011-10-02T16:59:00.003+01:00

Here are some pictures from the Some Domestic Incidents British painting show at mac birmingham that I co-curated with Matt Price.

Graham Chorlton

images courtesy of Silas Wood

Minnie Weisz Studio, London

2011-09-30T10:05:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I spent the day with Minnie who is co-curating the TROVE exhibition as part of The Event, opening next month in Birmingham. A day of meetings, a lunch at the newly refurbished Grand hotel in Kings Cross, it was time for Carl Hopgood's preview at her studio/gallery.

The Grand Hotel

Carl Hopgood's pieces at Minnie's Studio

And finally some work by Adam Zoltowski, which will be turned into multiples for the

Creative Machine's show.

Bharti Parmar studio visit

2011-09-28T15:28:00.000+01:00

Bharti Parmar is an incredible Birmingham artists who I am working with toward an exhibition at Aedas Presents next year. Today I popped by her studio for an update and I was amazed by what I saw. For part of the exhibition Bharti is making a 6m squared rug - out of human hair!

Some gorgeous European hair samples - these were pieces in their own right, soft and the most exquisite variation of colours from blondes through to reds.

Bharti showing me how to make a rug out of hair -

this is a very specialised technique used in wig making

Here is a little film of Bharti in action

Here is the rug as it looks at the moment hung up - Bharti is brushing it in this pic

And here is another project Bharti is working on, making an acorn shaped charm ouf of woven hair

October cross overs

2011-09-27T16:34:00.003+01:00

This is a little how my October is panning out and how there are some lovely cross overs happening between the three shows

TROVE at The Event

2011-09-26T23:04:00.001+01:00

Recently I had to design a little advert for the TROVE exhibition as part of this years The Event.

I passed the reigns over to new local creative agency, Studio BC - and below is our ad!

October 2011 exhibitions

2011-09-25T18:42:00.000+01:00

October is going to be a busy month with three large scale exhibitions opening all over the West Midlands.

In order, first - Aedas Presents: Craig Marchington

Opening Thurs 6th October 6-8pm

'Panoramic' Craig Marchington

Next up is The Event

An exhibition curated by me, Charlie Levine, and Minnie Weisz

Artists include:Alex Chinneck, Stephen Cornford, Jaime Jackson, Markus Kayser, Rob Mullender, Alex Pearl, Ben Rowe, Laura Skinner, Luke Williams and Adam Zoltowski

'Nightsky' Luke Williams

And finally, as part of the Hereford Photography Festival,

Change the World or Go Home: TROVE No. 26 Non obsolescence

a photography exhibition at DownStairs Gallery, Hereford

Photographers include: Matthew Andrew, Jo Gane and Minnie Weisz

'Ancient and Modern' Jo Gane

Some Domestic Incidents, mac preview

2011-09-24T03:40:00.001+01:00

The preview at mac for Some Domestic Incidents went really well! Lovely to have the all the artists in Brum and the show looked simply amazing. Here are some snaps.

Graham Chorlton and Oliver Clegg's painting

Caroline Walker and Anna M R Freeman with their work

Busy launch night!

Justin Mortimer's painting, centre

Some Domestic Hub

2011-09-23T10:11:00.001+01:00

For the Some Domestic Incidents exhibition opening tonight at mac birmingham, the education team have created for it, its own blog. Called the Domestic Hub it is being updated with interesting information surrounding the show, useful links and additional thoughts inspired by the works.

Check it out > HERE

Some Domestic Incidents install day

2011-09-20T16:17:00.001+01:00

The install at mac birmingham for Some Domestic Incidents has started! Here are some pics of Matt and I 'curating' and Silas and Tim beginning the hang, loving all the new pieces added to the show for mac and great to see the gallery opened out again (first time since the first show in this new space) and filled with gorgeous British painting.

Oliver Cleggs paintings

The back of Anna M R Freemans boards

Matt being an important curator type

Silas and Tim hanging Graham Chorlton's work next to Justin Mortimer's

Some Domestic Incidents, mac, Birmingham

2011-09-19T10:57:00.002+01:00

Very excited to currently be working on/installing the British painting show from this years Prague Biennale at mac, Birmingham. It's so nice to be able to bring this show home - hope you can make the preview this coming Friday.

Some Domestic Incidents: An Exhibition of New Painting from Britain

Preview: Fri 23rd Sept 6-8pm

Sat 24 Sep – Sun 13 Nov Gallery,
Free admission Open Tuesday until Saturday, noon – 8pm Sunday, 11am – 4pm.
Closed Monday
mac, Birmingham
Cannon Hill Park
For most people in the developed world, most of the time, home is a place where we can be at ease. It is a site of sanctuary from the world outside, for everyday activities such as sleeping, cooking a meal, reading, or raising a family.

While many of us are fortunate to live in houses and apartments where we are happy and can relax, we all experience things in our homes that adversely affect our physical, psychological and emotional relationships with the places in which we live. This might be a burglary, the death of a loved one, an accident or a visit from the bailiffs. For others, home is a place that is constantly oppressive and filled with melancholy, loneliness or misery – a site of entrapment, discomfort or abuse.

Some Domestic Incidents presents works by seven artists from Britain that connect to the theme of domesticity and explore how normative relationships with homes can be changed or damaged.

The exhibiting artists are Graham Chorlton, Oliver Clegg, Anna M R Freeman, Philip Hale, Justin Mortimer, Sally Payen, and Caroline Walker. The exhibition has been curated by Matt Price assisted by Charlie Levine for the fifth edition of the Prague Biennale.

Some Domestic Incidents at mac, Birmingham

Dean Melbourne at Bryant Priest Newman

2011-09-18T13:24:00.004+01:00

Birmingham based architects, Bryan Priest Newman, have the perfect reception space for artists to use and exhibit in, and like Aedas Presents, they open their doors occasionally to putting on art exhibitions. On Friday they opened their current show by painter Dean Melbourne, and it looked a little like this.

And Dean, I said it ont he night and I'll say it again - if this one wants to make its way over to my house, that would be ok with me!

Pics from last nights Aedas Presents : In to view

2011-09-16T11:00:00.003+01:00

The preview for the latest Aedas Presents was held last night. The exhibition, by Caitlin Griffiths, was brilliant, a mix of film, text and illustration, and here are some images from the show!

Aedas Presents : In to view

2011-09-12T15:01:00.001+01:00

AEDAS PRESENTS IN TO VIEW
PREVIEW SHOW 6 PM THURSDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2011
COLMORE PLAZA, BIRMINGHAM

For the latest Aedas Presents, Birmingham based artist, Caitlin Griffiths debuts a new video work and several - Aedas specific - text pieces. Returning to themes of identity and relationships, Griffiths' new video looks into one of the closest relationships of all: that of father and daughter. In the text pieces the artist cuckoos herself into the lives and memories of Aedas employees.

Aedas Presents welcome you to join us at this exclusive invitation only preview show from 6 pm - 8 pm on Thursday 15 September 2011. If you cannot make this date, Caitlin's work will be displayed in Colmore Plaza until Friday 30 September. Please contact aedaspresents@aedas.com to arrange a visit.

Further details can be found at:

http://aedaspresents.blogspot.com

http://www.aedas.com/
http://www.caitlingriffiths.com/
http://www.charlielevine.co.uk/
Follow us on Twitter: @AedasPresents

Change the World or Go Home at Downstairs

2011-09-11T10:46:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I popped over to Hereford to pick up some paintings by Sally Payen for the return show of Some Domestic Incidents to the UK, and then we all went along to the launch of Downstairs Gallery's latest show 'Change the World or Go Home.'

I really liked five of the film pieces in particular and they are definitely worth a mention:

Tom Crawford 'Concrete Action'

Jeremy Hutchison 'The English tourist and the Oslo Agreement'

Mark McGowan 'WAKE UP ARTISTS YOU STUPID GITS'

Charlotte Young 'Artists Statements' (click and watch this piece on youtube!)

Hennessy Youngman 'ART THOUGHTZ: How to make an art.' (click and watch this piece on youtube!)

TROVE's 24 months/24 shows anniversary

2011-09-10T14:37:00.002+01:00

anticurate #6 - the finale

2011-09-08T22:28:00.004+01:00

This week saw the last anticurate show at mac birmingham of the summer. The final show was an old fashioned open type salon hang with everyone who submitted work's in the show. Here are some snaps of the preview night.

These are some photo's of the three performances from the night.

And finally best in show - my 3 year old niece of course! Her glitter painting entitled 'The Sea' was a show stealer.

Big thanks to everyone at mac and Trevor Pitt for asking me to be involved in the project!

TROVE's last 24 months

2011-09-07T10:14:00.003+01:00

A selection of still images recounting the past 24 months and 24 exhibitions by TROVE at their site, the Old Science and Industry Museum in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, between September 2009 and August 2011. All images courtesy of gallery Director, Charlie Levine, and all work pictured copy written to the artists and co-curators, which include:

Matt Price, Morgan Quaintance, Fierce Festival, Crowd6, a.a.s., Sam Smith, Jo Gane, Zoe Williams, Hayley Lock, Jane Ball, Graham Chorlton, Coco Deville, Caitlin Griffiths, Daniel Lehan, Brigid McLeer, Milk,Two Sugars, Paul Newman, Elizabeth Short, Steve Varndell, Adrian Johnson, Victoria Jenkins, Lee Stowers, Luke Williams, David Mackintosh, Kate Farley, Sheldon Nadelman, Matthew Krishanu, Wendy Mayer, Sally Payen, Viv Sole, Jane Tudge, Wang Qingsong, Ravi Deepres, Deborah Mingham, Alistair Grant, Stuart Mugridge, Michael Collins, Dave Ruffles, Vicky Cull, Justine Moss, Caroline Collinge, Dominic Johnson, Sheila Ghelani, They Are Here, Alastair Levy, Mary Yacoob, Birmingham Architects Association, The Burlington FIne Art Club, Craig Marchington, Tracey Eastham, Joshua Rackstraw, Milgram, Kate Spance, Richard Peel, Michael Valentine West, Anne Guest, Darren Banks and Darrell Buxton.

BIAD MA Show 2011

2011-09-05T22:55:00.005+01:00

A mixed bag for me this year from the BIAD MA Fine Art Show, but I picked four that I liked and a couple of these I think I would like to keep my eye on...

Nikki Monday

Michael Bold

Madeleine Saether

and finally Chris Clinton

anticurate #5

2011-09-04T12:17:00.005+01:00

For the penultimate anticurate show at mac, Birmingham, it was No Aloha's turn. Chosen by a panel from submissions, local zine girls No Aloha were invited to anticurate and below is what they did - loved all their photocopy fly postering and the red wall with Donald Duck, flamingo and green face paintings - genius!