Category: Art
On for the shortest time ever: a wonderful sounding exhibition called Curio. 'CURIO celebrates the natural curiosity of the human mind through print, drawing and collage.' It's on at the East Gallery on Brick Lane for just two days very soon (this weekend) and it features the work of five emerging illustrators: Jennie Webber, Polly Alizarin Harvey, Rebecca Hiscocks, Ian Watson and Maria Vladimirova, who will be displaying work that references historical fact and folklore, finding the magic in the obscure aspects of everyday life.
The private view is from 6-9pm on Thursday 5th May as part of First Thursday. Throughout the weekend there will be screen prints and etchings available to purchase at a very nice price. You can join the Curio Facebook event here.
More about the contributors:
JENNIE WEBBER
By weaving narrative into the structure of her illustrations, Jennie Webber creates a visual invitation to unravel the layers of meaning that are concealed within. Playing with composition and shape substitution, she builds up dense, intricate drawings that tell the extraordinary stories of colourful characters. The pieces shown within the exhibition are influenced by the medical and social marvels of the travelling 'Freak Show' performers, from the days of the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
POLLY ALIZARIN HARVEY
Polly Alizarin Harvey creates dynamic collages and prints by deconstructing and reworking an image. Collecting and arranging found fragments; objects from the physical world are merged with a strange, often disjointed fiction. This series is an exploration of superstitions rooted in English folklore.
REBECCA HISCOCKS
Rebecca Hiscocks finds inspiration in the bizarre and macabre. Her intricate and detailed compositions reflect the uncanny and unusual past of London's streets. The pieces in this exhibition are based on the history of Smithfield and London Bridge.
IAN WATSON
Ian Watson is based in Cardiff, having studied painting at Howard Gardens and prior to that at Hastings College, close to his childhood home. The work shown here is influenced by a mixture of dream diary entries and nostalgia, for teenage afternoons spent hiding out in the woods and countryside around East Sussex listening to heavy metal.
MARIA VLADIMIROVA
Maria Vladimirova portrays the animalistic side of human nature. Her latest work juxtaposes beasty and human traits, blending them into distorted shapes, showing that anything can be beautiful if you look closer. Beauty is a dynamic experience that can coaxed out of the ugly and obscure.